As part of AirVenture 2024, Air Force Materiel Command is showcasing its criticality to the Air Force’s air dominance mission, and by extension its importance to the nation. One of AFMC’s six centers is the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC) headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
The center supports the AFMC mission by developing, acquiring, and supporting cutting-edge weapon systems and defense solutions for the warfighters. It acts as a guiding force behind the modernization and product support of Air Force aircraft, engines, and munitions, as well as electronics, computer networks, cyber weapons, and other vital support systems. Employing more than 28,000, AFLCMC has a budget of more than $300 billion.
“AFLCMC has professionals at more than 70 locations around the world,” explains Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, AFLCMC commander. “No matter the location, our airmen, civilian, and contractor employees do whatever it takes to support our warfighters.”
Organize. Train. Equip. Those three words sum up the biggest functions of AFLCMC. The center has 14 execution directorates that manage everything from foreign military sales to presidential and executive aircraft. The center boasts software factories across the U.S. to develop cutting-edge technical solutions for the Department of Defense and has directorates focused on armament, tactical and strategic aircraft, advanced manufacturing, uniform design, and surveillance and reconnaissance systems, among many others.
During AirVenture 2024, five AFLCMC directorates will be represented: agile combat support; armament; digital; propulsion; and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and special operations forces. Displays will showcase many of the exciting projects employees are working on today.
The simulators division and its innovation cell will display two lightweight devices, commonly known as “lawn chair sims.”
“These sims leverage the latest in commercial and gaming technology, while combining eXtended Reality (XR) capabilities, interoperability with domes, projectors, and large-scale displays,” said Doug Patton, agile combat support simulators innovation cell chief. “They can be modified to represent nearly any cockpit that has a commercially available hand-on-throttle and stick system. They can be modified to simulate premission training, undergrad or operational training, refueling, and more,” Patton added. “With the lower buy-in cost, and easier-to-source materials and parts, this allows any group within the Air Force, and beyond, to expand their current simulation capabilities. This is the next generation of immersive training, and the sky’s the limit!"
AirVenture attendees will get to plan a flight mission and see the latest aircrew and special operations gear, aircraft missiles and munitions, fighter aircraft engines, navigational aids (NAVAID) demonstrations, and deployable weather sensors.
“For more than 90 years, AFLCMC and its predecessors provided military aviation technologies which have allowed America and her partners the ability to operate safely and effectively when flying into harm’s way,” Shipton concluded. “While the technologies and global challenges we face have changed over the years, the mission has not.”
