HH-60G Pave Hawk simulator enters USAF service

FlightSafety has announced that its new Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter simulator has entered service at Kirtland US Air Force (USAF) Base in New Mexico as part of the USAF’s Aircrew Training and Rehearsal Support (ATARS) programme. The company made the announcement in an 18 May, 2012 statement.

The simulator was designed by ATARS prime contractor Lockheed Martin and FlightSafety to prepare HH-60G aircrews for combat search and rescue missions. According to FlightSafety, students began training on the device in April 2012.

FlightSafety said, ‘this is the first simulator built for the Sikorsky HH-60G aircraft to feature two side domes for aerial gunner stations equipped with simulated weapons… This technology enables pilots, flight engineers and aerial gunners to train together for the first time as a complete crew during training and mission rehearsal scenarios.’

The HH-60G weapons systems trainer has been designed to enhance the ATARS environment to effectively prepare aircrews for their missions. The simulator features a Level D flight model, electric motion and control loading technology, and VITAL X visual system with three image generators and 19 projectors. The Level D flight model was developed jointly by FlightSafety, USAF and US Army under a separate contract. This provides tanker and receiver flowfield and wake turbulence effects by modifying the aerodynamic models.

According to the company, the simulator also provides simulation for the survivability equipment installed on the Pave Hawk helicopter. FlightSafety’s Electronic Warfare Simulation allows operation of on-board systems that can detect missile launches and contains threats and friendly mission physics based models developed with real-world data to immerse the crew in a realistic training environment.