Germany may be forced to cut simulators order for attack helicopter, with one regiment losing training centre
Budget constraints could force Germany to reduce its order for simulators and training aids for the Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter, says Thales Training & Simulation (TTS). The company has revealed that a requirement for 32 training devices shared between Tiger launch operators France and Germany could now be cut to "28 or 30", with one German Tiger regiment likely to lose its training centre.
TTS is completing factory acceptance with the French and German militaries for the development and pre-production full mission simulators (FMS), and expects to deliver the first two domes to the Franco-German training school at Le Luc in south-east France next month.
The company's Tiger programme director Philippe Gèrard says the facility is scheduled to start training pilots in the fourth quarter of this year with eight motion-based FMS, eight fixed-base cockpit procedure trainers and 10 aircraft from each country. Each of the four Tiger regiments in each country has a requirement for one FMS and one cockpit trainer, taking the total number of systems required to 32.
The final order total is now "uncertain", says Gèrard, but "might decrease by two or four". TTS chief executive Guy Delevacque says a production contract worth around €300 million ($355 million) will be decided in the next few months. The company plans to deliver two Tiger training devices sa month between 2005 and 2009. It is also in talks with the Spanish armed forces to supply one set comprising a simulator and cockpit trainer, but Delevacque stresses that Madrid's training requirement is not yet fully defined. The company is also completing development on Australia's Tiger simulator set and expects to deliver this early next year.
TTS is also awaiting a delayed decision by the German government on whether to outsource its training requirements for the NH Industries-built NH90 utility helicopter. It says a decision to use a private finance initiative (PFI) scheme is "overdue", despite TTS having been selected in principle as equipment supplier. "We look forward to completing negotiations in Germany for the first non-UK European PFI contract, but there are different cultural aspects at play," says Justin Walker, the company's general manager for customer training and services.
The planned 20-year contract covers the provision of four FMS for use at three sites in Germany by a joint venture between NH Industries and TTS, plus the creation of a flight school by a service provision company. A contract with the Bundeswehr could "open many doors" in other European countries, says Walker.
TTS estimates total armed forces flightcrew training costs worldwide at around €476 billion, of which only €15 billion is available for private tender. "Our vision is that much of this figure will be put out to private contracts in the medium term, but the exact timeframe depends on countries' culture and regulation," says Delevacque. TTS expects over 30% of training for the NH90 to take place on simulators.
JUSTIN WASTNAGE / PARIS
Source: Flight International
