Australian Aerospace hands over simulator

SYDNEY, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- During a ceremony Thursday, Australian Aerospace Pty Ltd. officially handed over the Tiger simulator for Australia's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter.

During the ceremony, held at the Australian Army Aviation Training Center, Australian Aerospace handed over the suite of aircrew and ground training devices for the ARH Tiger including a full flight and mission simulator, a gun system trainer, center fuselage trainer and underwater escape trainer among other devices, the Australian Ministry of Defense reported.

"We knew from the beginning that the program was going to be very challenging because the Tiger is a very complex flying system to simulate," Australian Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Joseph Saporito said in a statement.

"But thanks to great teamwork and team spirit, we have achieved our goals and today's handover will enable Army to significantly increase its training capacity to produce aircrews which have been well prepared for their tasks in a safe and efficient manner."

Officials say training of air and ground crews has begun in anticipation of the ARH Tiger introduction into operational service in mid-2008.

"The Army's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter is an exciting new platform for the Australian Defense Force providing both reconnaissance and light attack capabilities in support of ground troops," said Brig. Andrew Dudgeon, director general army aviation systems. "The FFMS is a state-of-the-art flight simulator with two separate modules replicating the front and back cockpits of the ARH Tiger."