KC-135 avionics upgrade helps strengthen bond between US, Turkish Air Forces

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Turkish aircraft are a familiar sight at RAF Mildenhall, often stopping to refuel or for maintenance on their way to various missions, knowing they can count on the assistance of Team Mildenhall.

Meanwhile, partnerships with the Turkish Air Force are being strengthened at present as several of their personnel have been receiving training here on the Global Air Traffic Management avionics upgrade.

RAF Mildenhall's KC-135 Stratotankers have had the upgrade since 2004, but the aircraft belonging to the Turkish Air Force won't have the GATM upgrade until the end of March, and until now, the Turkish Air Force hasn't trained its people on the new system.

Tech. Sgt. Gary Weishaupt, 373rd Training Squadron, Detachment 19, communication navigation mission systems master instructor, said these are the first foreign military air force students he's taught.

"They're getting the training now, so that they're prepared when they accept their first [upgraded] jet. The language barrier hasn't been a problem, because they depend on each other, and they all speak very good English," he said. "If they don't understand, they talk among themselves and they're immediately back on the same page. "

The two-week training is split between classroom instruction and being physically out on an actual aircraft.

Sergeant Weishaupt said the purpose of the training is to ensure the Turkish air force members have an understanding of the system theory, how to maintain it and how to troubleshoot it.

"They've been brilliant, and already have a very good working knowledge of the aircraft - they currently have the Pacer-CRAG [Compass, Radar and Global Positioning System, which eliminated the need for a navigator], so come here with that experience, and are building on it with the GATM system," he said. "I've been very impressed [with the students]. They're all very professional and dedicated to their duties."

The students trained by Sergeant Weishaupt will be Turkey's first cadre of GATM avionics technicians, who will pave the way for future avionics program expansion by serving as instructors and mentors to new avionics trainees, according to Bud Brooks, Air Force Security Assistance Training, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

"Upgrading their KC-135 fleet with GATM avionics will enable the Turkish Air Force to extend their global reach and build partnership capacity with our allies," Mr. Brooks stated in an e-mail. "Training these personnel is crucial to assisting Turkey accomplish this multi-million dollar program in a timely manner."

When asked about the training they have been receiving with the U.S. Air Force, a captain from the Turkish Air Force (who is a maintenance engineer) said they have learned a lot about the KC-135 and the GATM system, which will enable them to train other air force members to maintain the system on their aircraft.

"This is very beneficial for us [to get hands-on training of the system]," the Turkish captain said. "Before this course, we had nothing; we had no knowledge of this system, but this has helped us so we can easily get used to the aircraft and maintain it.

"Training physically on the aircraft really helps - while in the class, you just see [slide show] presentations, and hear what the instructor tells you," he said. "You try and build a picture in your head, but going out to the aircraft, you can actually see which button does what, and the instructor is right there with you. So if there is a problem, he can help straight away, and you learn about the problem and how it can be solved."

"We are allies," said the Turkish engineer, who has also worked on C-130s and F-16s during his career. "The experiences can be very different, but with this training, we can share our experiences between air forces.

"Our instructor has said [he was impressed with us] in the class and on the aircraft," he continued. "But it's all about the instructor - one side gives knowledge and the other takes it. We really appreciate 'Sergeant Gary,' very much."

Sergeant Weishaupt agreed that the training is a very good thing.

"It's always good for us to help our allies, as well as having our allies help us," he said.. "It's been an honor and a privilege to train our Turkish Air Force allies."

Editor's note: The names of the Turkish Air Force members have been witheld for security reasons.