Hypoxia-response training for Spanish Air Force

Indra, in partnership with iAltitude, is developing a new flight trainer for simulating low-oxygen conditions that air force pilots may encounter during high-altitude flight.

The system is being developed for the Spanish Air Force and will be implemented in the Aerospace Medical Instruction Center to train air force pilots.

Indra has integrated iAltitude's normobaric hypoxia equipment in a C101 jet, the aircraft Spanish pilots train in before they take control of an F18 or Eurofighter. The system regulates the oxygen concentration pilots receive through their mask, reducing it progressively to analyse their resistance and reaction capacity.

Instructors can monitor trainee pilots’ physical and cognitive response in real time when faced with realistic flight situations that replicate real operations. Any change in their physiological variables or in the speed with which they react to the stimuli will be recorded for analysis.

Until now, training in hypoxia was mainly performed in hypobaric and normobaric sealed chambers. This new system will offer a more realistic environment, and allow hypoxia testing to be integrated with flight training. Pilot capabilities are evaluated in a range of circumstances and conditions, measuring their ability to complete the usual flight procedures second to second.