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24 Jan 19. Qatar receives first H125 training helos. Qatar has received the first of 16 Airbus Helicopter H125 training platforms it ordered in 2018, national media and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have revealed. At least two helicopters were seen on static display in footage aired by Al-Rayyan news and in an official MoD image of a graduation ceremony at the College of Al Zaeem Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Attiyah. The footage and image, both released on 23 January, show the helicopters painted in the livery of the college at Al Udeid Air Base, which is also known as the Qatar Armed Forces Air Academy. Airbus Helicopters announced the H125 sale to Qatar at the DIMDEX defence exhibition that took place in Doha in March 2018. Neither Airbus nor the Qatari MoD have disclosed the delivery timeline. Destined to replace the secondary training role of the Aerospatiale SA 342L Gazelle that has been in service since 1983, the H125 has been procured is part of a wider deal that also includes 28 NHIndustries NH90 helicopters. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
24 Jan 19. UK RAF P-8A Poseidon personnel commence training in US. British Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel of CXX Squadron and Poseidon Line Squadron have started training at the US Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, US. The initial cadre of 38 personnel comprising aircrew and engineers were drawn from RAF Lossiemouth and will receive training on the US Navy training squadron, Patrol Squadron 30 (VP-30). During the next three years, RAF personnel will undergo training in the US. The RAF will then handle the training of all their P-8A Poseidon personnel in the UK at RAF Lossiemouth. Each training course will last for approximately six months.
CXX Squadron Officer Commanding wing commander James Hanson said: “It is really exciting to be among the first cohort of RAF aircrew and engineers to begin conversion to Poseidon, the people we have are among the most experienced in the RAF. This is the best maritime patrol aircraft available; a potent deterrent to our adversaries and a dependable asset for the UK and our allies. The commencement of our training marks the start of a new chapter for the RAF and a vital enhancement to our military capabilities in the maritime environment.”
The final training session in the US is expected to conclude in the summer of 2021. The first Poseidon MRA Mk1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) is set to be delivered in just over eight months. A total of nine Poseidon aircraft will be delivered to the RAF and will be based at Lossiemouth. Manufactured by Boeing, the P-8A Poseidon is a multi-role maritime patrol aircraft. It features sensors and weapons systems to support anti-submarine warfare, as well as surveillance and reconnaissance missions. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
24 Jan 19. Bagira Systems, a leader in training and simulation solutions for mission readiness, and Van Halteren Defence (VHD), the well-established Dutch innovative products and services provider, won the Netherlands’ Ministry of Defense tender to supply the simulator for their National Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) training center, and to maintain and operate it for a period of 15 years. The center provides education, training and support in the CBRN domain for military personnel and first responders. The system will simulate, teach and train for various CBRN scenarios, ensuring mission readiness of all trainees’ levels and responsibilities.
The new simulator is based on Bagira’s unique highly realistic B-ONE 3D imagery software, which is the engine and at the core of Bagira’s simulators. It includes various elements which together enable interactive training in a highly realistic and dynamic environment. With a special standardized skeleton and interchangeable animation, B-ONE flexibly, rapidly and accurately enables the creation and presentation of many different types of scenarios. By empowering the realistic nature of the simulated environment, B-ONE optimizes the training experience.
Using B-ONE the Bagira CBRN simulator realistically and dynamically simulates changing CBRN events, exercising all levels of command and all relevant functions involved to operate under changing conditions and environmentally effected situations.
Bagira’s simulation accurately monitors the positions of each trainee at their physical location within the training area, and follows up on the individual’s performance while identifying hazardous substances and reacting to changes at the scene and to threat evolvement. It allows after action review, feedback and lesson-learned assurance, and makes use of the latest versions of smart devices and applications for ease of operation.
“Awarded this project is yet another link in the Bagira’s strong chain of unique training and simulation capabilities, and is a testimony to our precise adaptation of solutions to customer’s needs”, says Yaron Mizrachi, Bagira’s General Manager. “This is the second system we shall supply to The Netherland’s Ministry of Defense, following the Joint Fires Training and Exercise System (JFTES) to be supplied in 2019. This further strengthens our bonds with a NATO member state”, he says. “Another bond reinforced by this project is the one between us and the country of The Netherlands, through the cooperation between Bagira Systems and the Dutch company Van Halteren Defence”.
24 Jan 19. Elbit Systems UK Ltd. (“Elbit Systems UK”) as the prime contractor, together with QuantaDyn Corporation, recently completed delivery of a mobile Close Air Support (CAS) and joint fires simulator to the British Army. Built as a bespoke solution to satisfy requirement, the Joint Fires Mobile Trainer (JFMT) is now in active service with the Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) and Fire Support Teams (FST) of the 1st Artillery Brigade.
The JFMT successfully underwent accreditation by the UK Joint Air Land Organisation (JALO) in August 2018, meeting all US and NATO requirements to deliver simulated CAS training. The JFMT is accredited to simulate all controls currently allowable (types 1, 2, and 3, Full Motion Video, Rotary Wing, Night/IR, Remote Observer and Laser Target Designation).
Whilst also available for purchase as a standalone system, in this contract the JFMT is supplied as a fully serviced training package, all contained within a versatile 20ft trailer able to be deployed and recovered by vehicles within short time frames. The system comprises a trainee station, an instructor/operator station (IOS) and a pilot station console. Visuals are provided within a high resolution dome configuration coupled with a powerful and intuitive Computer Generated Force (CGF) and Semi-Autonomous Force (SAF) application. The Image Generation is multi-spectral allowing use of in-service Night Vision Devices in conjunction with a range of emulated equipment, such as laser designators, radios and binoculars providing trainees with a high fidelity “train as you fight” experience. The service is managed, delivered and maintained by a highly experienced team of ex-military subject matter experts.
Martin Fausset, CEO of Elbit Systems UK, commented: “We are proud to have been selected by the UK MoD to supply a mobile training simulator for JTACs and FSTs, providing a valuable capability for the British Army. In doing so we bring an operationally proven capability and technological edge into the UK, adapting it for use and delivering it together with our local partners.”
22 Jan 19. USAF begins work to facilitate construction of JSE facility at Edwards. The US Air Force (USAF) wing 412th Electronic Warfare Group (EWG) has commenced work to facilitate the construction of a 70,000ft² facility to house the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California. Initially, a small-scale system will be installed to allow EWG engineers to fully integrate, get acquainted with the system, and rectify internal issues before the actual JSE facility is finished. In this regard, construction crews are working on reconfiguring simulator and computer systems inside Building 1020.
According to modelling and simulation flight chief Gerald Lockwood, the reconfiguration will allow software engineers to have time to get familiar with the incoming systems.
The creation of a small-scale version of the larger facility will ensure that the facilities can be used without service interruptions.
JSE is a modelling and simulation environment designed to carry out testing on fifth-plus generation aircraft and systems. The government-owned environment can serve as a supplement to open-air testing.
JSE project manager Humberto Blanco said: “One of the things we realised was that in order for our people to become trained and get familiar with the system, its capabilities, and participate in the development, it required us to develop an in-house instantiation of what’s happening at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (Pax River), as well as at USAF Simulation and Analysis Facility (SIMAF).
“Those two facilities have limited JSE capabilities, so we advocated for, and received funding to instantiate those capabilities here.”
The JSE is expected to enable testers and engineers to test multiple platforms during the developmental and operational testing phases of a platform. It will support upgrades for the F-35, F-22, F-15C/E, and B-2.
While the Edwards facility will work on developmental testing, the other 30,000ft² JSE facility at Nellis AFB will be dedicated to operational testing. The ground-breaking for both the facilities is anticipated to take place in May next year. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
22 Jan 19. RAF brings back fast jet training on Hawk T1. A continuing shortage of capacity in its flying training organisation has led the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) to return to training pilots on Hawk T1 aircraft, three years after it retired the analog cockpit-equipped jet from this role. Later this year, the RAF will begin training fast jet pilots at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire using Hawk T1 aircraft from 100 Squadron, which is normally tasked with flying dissimilar or aggressor training missions. An RAF spokesman told Jane’s on 21 January, “100 Squadron is not being re-roled and will continue to deliver operational training and dissimilar air combat training. However, as one of several innovative measures, the RAF is planning to use spare Hawk T1 capacity in the squadron to assist with pilot training. This will maximise throughput to the front line while the Military Flying Training System [MFTS] continues to grow.”
An RAF source confirmed to Jane’s that approximately six pilots a year would be trained at RAF Leeming from “this summer”. The Hawk T1 variant entered RAF service in 1976 but was retired from the advanced fast jet pilot training role in June 2016 with the disbandment of 206 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Valley on the Welsh island of Anglesey. All UK advanced pilot training then migrated to the ‘glass’ cockpit-equipped Hawk T2 at RAF Valley. Hawk T1s were retained in the dissimilar and operational flying training role with 100 Squadron and 736 Naval Air Squadron at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall. The RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team also operates the T1. The UK expects its fleet of some 80 Hawk T1s to be retired by 2030. Just under half of the fleet is used on a daily basis, with the rest held in a spares and maintenance pool. The RAF source said 100 Squadron’s aircraft were being used for fast jet training because of a recent surge in recruitment. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
23 Jan 19. Drone Aviation completes US Army operator training on WASP ERS. Drone Aviation has completed operator training on winch aerostat small platform (WASP) elevated relay system (ERS) tactical aerostat for the US Army. The training was carried out at a US Army base in the Pacific Ocean. It is part of a single contract awarded to the company in March 2018. The more than $1.7m contract involved the delivery of the next-generation multi-mission capable tactical WASP ERS, as well as high-performance payloads for day / night intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), secure multi-frequency and multi-waveform communications. The contract award was the third repeat order for the WASP by the US Army and the system was delivered in October.
Drone Aviation chairman and CEO Jay Nussbaum said: “We are proud that our team was able to work closely with our army customer to complete the soldier training on the WASP ERS’ enhanced multi-mission capability.
“This is the third WASP order from this customer, a testament to the positive feedback we continue to receive from the soldiers, and we look forward to further meeting their evolving mission requirements and supporting their future operations.”
With extended range communication of up to 40km, the WASP ERS uses multi-frequency and multi-waveform radios. The highly tactical and mobile aerostat system WASP can be operated by two soldiers either from a stationary position or while being towed. The system is designed to operate at altitudes of up to 1,500ft above ground level and supports extended ISR capabilities and secure communications in remote locations. It provides a day and night video secure multi-frequency and multi-waveform wireless communication range extension capability. US Army soldiers have completed several hours of training operations in the last four years. (Source: army-technology.com)
18 Jan 19. USN employs Sea Hunter during surface-warfare training drills. The US Navy (USN) has employed the Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter in recent Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercises conducted by the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), Captain Christopher Barnes, SMWDC deputy commander, told Jane’s. Sea Hunter, which is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) portfolio, arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in the latter part of 2018 but the USN has publicly revealed little about the MDUSV since then. SMWDC is charged with developing a surface-warfare officer corps that can operate the force with greater efficiency and lethality. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
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Meggitt Training Systems, makers of FATS® and Caswell technologies, a division of Meggitt PLC, is the leading supplier of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training systems. Following the acquisition of FATS® virtual training systems and Caswell International’s live-fire ranges and services, Meggitt Training Systems continues to grow its capabilities based on the legacy of these two industry leaders. Over 13,600 Meggitt live-fire ranges and 5,100 virtual systems are fielded internationally, providing judgmental, situational awareness and marksmanship training to the armed forces, law enforcement and security organizations. Meggitt Training Systems employs more than 400 people at its headquarters in Atlanta and at facilities in Orlando, Canada, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, UAE, Australia and Singapore. It can deploy service personnel anywhere in the world for instructor training, system installation and maintenance. Learn more at https://meggitttrainingsystems.com/
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