Upgraded Royal Navy Lynx simulator enters service

The Royal Navy's Lynx Mk8 full-mission simulator located at Royal Navy Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton is now in-service and ready-for-training following a major visual system upgrade. CAE made the announcement on 22 May at the International Training and Education Conference.

The visual system upgrade included the addition of the latest generation CAE Medallion-6000 image generator and new visual display system. The upgrade will help ensure the UK Ministry of Defence is able to increase the amount of cost-effective synthetic training it provides while still maintaining mission readiness.

The CAE Medallion-6000 image generator combines a proven, industry-leading feature set and image quality with the power and capabilities of the latest commercial-off-the-shelf workstation graphics. The CAE Medallion-6000 image generator provides multiple training benefits, including detailed virtual environments and realistic night scenes; smooth dynamic shadows correlated to sun/moon positions, high resolution imagery and textures for enhanced fidelity; highest scene density on the market; and high-end sensor simulation capabilities.

Lt Commander Nigel Cunningham, the Royal Navy Officer in Charge of the Lynx Simulator Facility, RNAS Yeovilton, said: ‘The recent upgrade to the CAE Medallion-6000 visual system has allowed us to transfer a considerable degree of training from the live aircraft into the simulator, thereby saving on real flying costs. The upgrade was achieved on time and on budget, and has brought with it the benefit of allowing Royal Navy aircrews the ability to develop their low-level navigation skills during daytime operations, but more importantly, at night when utilising night vision goggles.

‘Simulator training allows crews to train in an array of meteorological conditions, ranging from clear blue skies all the way to storm force gales. With the higher fidelity visual system, Royal Navy Lynx aircrews now have the benefit of being able to train in almost every condition they are likely to face in the real world, but do so in a safe and cost-effective virtual environment.’

Ian Bell, CAE's Vice President and Business Leader – Europe, added: ‘CAE offers a range of upgrade and update services that enable defence forces to extend the life of their valuable simulation assets while helping to increase the amount of training done in a synthetic environment. We have a long-standing partnership with the Royal Navy at Yeovilton as well as Culdrose, and are committed to this close relationship to ensure their training devices accurately simulate and replicate the Royal Navy's fleet of operational helicopters.’