CAE is to supply the visual systems for aircrew training devices to be acquired by the four Eurofighter customer nations. The deal is worth C$170 million ($113million).
The Canadian company was selected over Evans &Sutherland and SGI by Eurofighter Simulation Systems (ESS), the four-nation consortium responsible for the Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids (ASTA) programme.
Eurofighter is launch application for CAE's Medallion-X high-performance image generator, developed with Sogitec of France. The company will supply image generators and displays for 27 training devices, and visual database modelling tools.
ESS is jointly owned by CAE Germany (12%) and STN-Atlas (12%), Italy's Meteor (24%), Spain's Indra (26%) and Thales Training &Simulation (26%) in the UK. Although CAE's German subsidiary is a shareholder in ESS, the visuals were selected in an open competition, the company says.
Under the ASTA programme, ESS will supply training aids to the air forces of Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, beginning next year. The 27 visual-equipped devices will include full mission simulators with dome displays and cockpit trainers/interactive pilot stations with rear-projected "mosaic" displays.
CAE, meanwhile, has delivered two avionics part-task trainers for the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The company is building a C-130H simulator for Australia, having previously supplied a C-130J full mission simulator and systems familiarisation trainer.
The RAAF has accepted a synthetic navigation trainer produced by BAE Systems under the first phase of the Air 5232 programme to modernise its navigator training. BAE has partnered with Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation to develop an airborne training system under the next phase.
BAE Systems' Customer Solutions & Support business has taken over the running of the ground school at RAF Valley. The company already runs the Hawk Synthetic Training Facility at RAF Valley, the location of UK fast jet advanced training. Ground school training includes BAE Hawk cockpit familiarisation.Source: Flight International
