UK buys new heli simulators
Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland have been awarded contracts totalling £80 million to deliver synthetic training systems for the UK's Chinook Mk6 and Merlin Mk4/4A helicopters, it was announced on 2 June.
Under a 12-year £51 million contract, Lockheed Martin will construct a purpose-built training facility at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, where the Chinook fleet is currently based. The facility will be used to train crew and pilots for operational deployment.
The second contract, worth £29 million, will see AgustaWestland provide new simulators for Royal Navy Merlin Mk4/4A pilots and rear crew at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset.
According to a MoD statement, AgustaWestland has selected CAE to supply two Flight Training Devices, a Flight Navigation Procedures Trainer and a Rear Crew Trainer, to be delivered from 2017 and installed in existing buildings.
The Lockheed Martin contract covers the design, construction and management of the facility and the introduction of the training system. The facility will feature simulators and virtual reality technologies that cover a wide range of training environments, from embarked maritime operations to urban sorties. It will have classrooms for training in specific mission, emergency and flying capabilities.
Lockheed Martin UK will also deliver a medium to long term support package to include maintenance and instruction at the facility.
Stephen Ball, CEO, Lockheed Martin UK, said: 'This new, purpose built facility will use the very latest technology and simulators to replicate real-life operational scenarios and ensure RAF Chinook pilots and crew are trained to the highest standard.
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