The German government has signed a €488 million ($639 million) private finance initiative deal that will see a European consortium providing three training facilities for the first NH Industries NH90 helicopters to be delivered to the German armed forces.
Helicopter Flight Training Services (HFTS), a consortium formed in equal parts by CAE, Eurocopter, Rheinmetall Defence Electronics and Thales, will design, build, own and operate the first training centres for the NH90 in Germany, at Buckeburg, Fassberg and Holzdorf. In the first phase of the project, starting this month, HFTS will develop and manufacture four full-mission simulators and the three training centres.
CAE expects to see revenues of €122 million from the programme over the 14.5 year operational phase, expected to run from mid-2008 when the first centre should be ready for training, until the end of 2022.
Source: Flight International
