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Indra developing new simulator for A330 MRTT refueling

A refueling simulator for Airbus' A330 MRTT refueling tanker is being developed by Indra of Spain.

By Richard Tomkins
An A300 MRTT flown by Britain's Royal Air Force. Photo by Adrian Pingstone/Wikimedia
An A300 MRTT flown by Britain's Royal Air Force. Photo by Adrian Pingstone/Wikimedia

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A tactical and integrated procedures simulation trainer for pilots of A330 MRTT aerial refueling tankers is to be developed and manufactured by Indra.

The work, to be completed by 2019, was commissioned by Airbus Defense and Space, maker of the aircraft.

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"With this new project, Indra strengthens its leadership position as one of the world's leading manufacturers of simulators," Indra said in a news release.

The trainer will be a key element for pilots to familiarize themselves with the systems of the A330 MRTT tanker and practice situations impossible to reproduce using a real plane, such as engine failure, aircraft stall and emergency landings.

The Spanish company said its IPT simulators can be connected to the Partial Training system used by boom operators for refueling the A330 MRTT.

The contract for developing the A330 MRTT trainer is in addition to the one already awarded to Indra in 2015 to develop the level-D Full Flight Simulator for the A330 MRTT. Level D is the maximum level possible for a simulator, meaning that the system offers a degree of realism that makes one hour of simulator training equivalent to one hour of real flight time.

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The monetary value of the award was not disclosed.

Indra previously developed simulators for Airbus' commercial A320 and A330 aircraft and Airbus helicopters' H135, H225, H175, H145 and AS350.

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