MADRID, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Personnel training systems using simulation technology remain a key aerospace and defense market as governments try to balance costs and operational needs.
Major players in providing the technology include Europe's Cassidian, the electronics firm and EADS subsidiary, and Indra of Spain. Both report recent new orders, as did CAE of Canada, which supplies simulation systems worldwide.
Indra said it will supply two new EC225 transport helicopter simulators to Eurocopter for use at Eurocopter training centers in Malaysia and Brazil. The value of order wasn't disclosed.
Indra earlier delivered an EC225 helicopter simulator to Eurocopter that is used by Eurocopter for training pilots at a facility in Scotland. It has also delivered an EC225 simulator to the Airbus training center in Beijing, China.
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The simulator sent to China was the first full flight simulator of a rotating wing aircraft used in China.
The EC225 is a twin-engine long-range transport helicopter for offshore support, VIP passenger transport and public service missions, such as search and rescue.
"The data bases of the EC225 training systems that Indra will implement in Malaysia and Brazil will include real scenarios with the coastlines and airfields of each one of these countries. Indra said. "This will guarantee the maximum degree of realism when training pilots."
Cassidian, which has headquarters in Germany, meanwhile, is helping Spain's military train for flying Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. In a recent announcement, it said it is supplying its Cockpit Trainer/Interactive Pilot Station to Albacete Air Base. The simulation system and the company's full mission simulator make up the ASTA simulation training system for the Typhoon.
Spain operates two of Cassidian's ALTA systems at an airbase in Seville, where 6,500 hours of simulation -- including 4,800 training missions -- have been conducted.
Training with ALTA ranges from aircraft familiarization to simulated tactical flights.
A total of 19 ASTA systems are being used for training in Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain.
A major player in the aerospace and defense simulation market is CAE of Canada, which recently reported orders from 15 countries, including two from Britain.
CAE said that under the British Ministry of Defense contracts it will upgrade simulators and training services for Puma HC2 helicopters at the company's CAE's Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility for the British air force. The work, to be completed by this summer, extends the Puma training by the company until 2017. Also, CAE will upgrade a CH-47 simulator to the aircraft's current MK4 standard.
CAE's MSHATF is owned and operated by CAE Aircrew Training Services.
Under an award from NATO, CAE will continue maintenance and support services for three years for the alliance's E-3A flight deck training simulators.
The simulators are in Germany.
CAE has announced a partnership with Elbit Systems of Israel and Italy's Alenia Aermacchi. CAE, under the contract from Elbit, will design and manufacture segments of a suite of Alenia Aermacchi M-346 trainer aircraft simulators to support the Israeli air force, which recently agreed to procure the Italian aircraft.
Elbit will build an M-346 ground-based training system and will integrate the M-346 simulators into the overall GBTS.
