CAE producing P-8A simulator trainer hardware

TAMPA, Fla., July 1 (UPI) -- Simulator hardware for four additional P-8A Poseidon operational flight trainers have been ordered by Boeing from CAE USA.

Two of the flight trainers are for the U.S. Navy and two are for the Royal Australian Air Force as part of a United States Cooperative Program via the P-8 Production, Sustainment, and Follow-On Development Memorandum of Understanding.

CAE said the P-8A operational flight trainers for Australia will be similar to those for the U.S. Navy. They will meet Level D standards, the highest qualification for flight simulators, and will feature 737-800 OFT software baseline and a simulation-based software lab environment that is used for P-8A flight development and integration tasks.

"We are pleased to be supporting Boeing and the U.S. Navy in developing the P-8A simulators for the Royal Australian Air Force, marking the first international sale of a comprehensive P-8A training system," said Ray Duquette, president and general manager of CAE USA. "The Navy has significantly increased the amount of synthetic training it does as part of the P-8A training program, and the high-fidelity P-8A operational flight trainers developed by CAE and Boeing play a key role in the overall P-8A training curriculum."

The P-8A Poseidon, which is replacing the P-3 Orion, is a long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft by Boeing. It is a derivative of Boeing's 737-800 aircraft and is used for maritime and littoral operations.