France buys new sims for its E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft

Exail (formerly ECA Group) and Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) have signed a contract for the supply of a full flight simulator (FFS) for the French Air Force.

The FFS will be used to train crews of the E-3F AWACS aircraft.

The device is a replica of the forthcoming redesign of the E-3F’s cockpit to provide high fidelity training.

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The FFS procurement falls under the contract awarded to AFI KLM E&MM by the French MoD (DGA) for the renovation of the cockpit of the E-3F aircraft.

The DGA is set to certify it alongside the cockpit renovation project.

‘The cockpit renovation is a strategic goal for our customer, and along with Exail we’re putting our expertise to work for the pilots of the French Air and Space Force, from training through to operations,’ EVP of  AF KLM E&MM Anne Brachet noted in a statement.

The E-3 is developed by Boeing based on the 707 airliner. It is powered by four Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan engines, each producing 9,072kg of thrust.

The French Air Force exercised mid-life upgrade options in the mid-2000s to extend the life of its four E-3Fs into 2035.