16.01.2009 www.avionews.com
Bückeburg, Germany - The consortium is owned by Eurocopter, Cae, Thales and Rheinmetall defence electronics
(WAPA) - Helicopter Flight Training Services (HFTS), a consortium owned equally by Cae, Eurocopter, Thales and Rheinmetall defence electronics, today officially inaugurated the world’s first NH-90 full-mission simulator in its newly built facility in Bückeburg, northern Germany, adjacent to the German army aviation school. HFTS will design, build and operate a total of three simulator training centres for what is presently the German armed forces’ largest private-finance initiative programme for military aircrew training.
Robert Hollensteiner, managing director of HFTS, stated, “We are proud to have delivered our first NH-90 simulator on time and we welcome our launch customer, the German army air corps, to make full use of our facility and service. This is a milestone in this helicopter programme, the largest ever launched in Europe. I am pleased to announce that Finland and Sweden have decided to also train their NH-90 pilots at the HFTS simulator facilities. We are fully committed to supporting the German army air corps in turning their Bückeburg base and aviation school into an international training centre for this machine”.
HFTS was founded in December 2004 on the basis of a German government contract worth a total of 488 million euros in order to develop, build and operate four NH-90 full-mission simulators and three training centres located in Bückeburg, Fassberg and Holzdorf. The start of operations in late 2008 will now be followed by a 14.5-year operational phase that extends through 2022. During the operational phase, HFTS will deliver turnkey training services to NH-90 customers.
Through this programme, the German armed forces save operating and finance costs by eliminating the need for capital procurement and ongoing maintenance of an expensive infrastructure. The military customers pay for a turnkey training service that results in fully-qualified, mission-ready aircrews, since the responsibility for delivering the service and all the necessary equipment supporting the service lies with HFTS.
Germany will be able to reduce the number of flight hours on the actual NH-90 helicopter, thus providing significant savings while reducing wear and tear as well as better protecting the environment. The training programme for simulator-based pilot training will ensure the quickest and most cost-effective availability of training for this kind of helicopter. The decision by the German government to proceed with privately-financed training is consistent with the trend for governments to consider this approach for military training requirements. The services provided also fit perfectly to the requirements of other NH-90 customers, as demonstrated by Finland’s and Sweden’s decision to utilize the facility in Bückeburg.
The NH-90 full-mission simulator is comparable to Level C according to Jar Fstd 1H standards. It includes simulation of all systems and optional equipment solutions, avionics system and full replica of the NH-90 cockpit.
The latest aircraft configuration, with through-life upgrades, based on a Eurocopter data package and flight loop software using genuine aircraft manufacturer software. Flight profiles will be adjustable to any customer’s mission profile and environment. (Avionews)
(0005) 090115143011-1098580 (World Aeronautical Press Agency - 2009-01-15 02:30 pm)
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