<p>BOSH Global Services (BOSH) has been awarded a $2.2 million one-year contract (with the option for a second year) to provide remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) training to United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadets, the company says in a written statement.</p>
<p>The training will incorporate the AAI Corporationsan operating unit of Textron SystemsAerosonde Mark 4.7 unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in familiarizing and orientating future Air Force officers in unmanned aircraft operations, says BOSH, which is headquartered in Newport News, Va. It will also provide basic instruction in air and space operations center and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.</p>
<p>BOSH became the inaugural provider of the USAFAs RPA cadet training program in 2009, when it was selected to provide the first course of that type at a U.S. military service academy. That training features both academic and practical instruction in RPA flight operations and acquaints cadets with the command and control (C2) and ISR-related concepts they will encounter in future assignments. In addition to the C2 and ISR functions, the course introduces ground force scenarios and remote video receivers and leverages the latest control capability offered through AAIs on-the-move-command-and-control technology.</p>
<p>Since developing its initial USAFA course, BOSH has expanded its RPA training program to include a pre-deployment Small UAS training facility at Choctaw Field, Fla., where it similarly trains Air Force battlefield airmen and special operations command personnel on their way to overseas combat zones. The BOSH Aviation Services Division, which oversees those training services, also has UAS mission coordinators embedded with several deployed U.S. military units.</p>