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18 Feb 19. Here’s a progress update on CAE’s big shore training facility being built for the UAE. A large shore training facility designed to facilitate training for United Arab Emirates sailors and watch teams is tracking on its 2020 delivery date, while hitting a few snags along the way, according to the Canadian firm CAE. The facility, which was announced as part of $113m in contacts with the UAE’s general headquarters in 2016, is approaching critical design review and will have systems ready to use by the end of this year, said Ian Bell, CAE’s vice president for the Middle East and Asia in a media briefing at the International Defense and Exhibition Conference in Abu Dhabi.
“The building is making very good progress, but will probably be a little bit late,” Bell said. “Some of our development has been delayed through data availability. We’re at the point where we are getting close to critical design review, and we hope to step the first ready-for-use later this year. But the ready-for-training isn’t due until May of 2020.”
The contract is estimated to bring in about $450m over 15 years, according to the 2016 contract announcement. The center is designed to give UAE sailors training from the individual watch stander to whole watch teams training to fight the ship as a unit. It is also designed to link with shore stations, command and control centers and ships at sea to provide training on the go.
“It’s a whole turnkey solution for everything from individual seaman training to a whole flotilla,” Bell said. “It will be integrated with various ships linked to naval helicopters and command and control so they can also feed as players into the system.”
The first bridge simulators for the center are installed at CAE Montreal for testing, Bell said.
17 Feb 19. Tacticos in command. Building on a quarter century of continuous evolution, Thales (Stand B-030) is continuing to introduce new functionality and features to its widely sold Tacticos combat management system (CMS). The latest Baseline 2 version of Tacticos, launched to market in 2011, introduces the MOC Mk 4 console and a new workflow-oriented human/machine interface. Also new is the collaboration wall – this comprises a series of display screens, mounted on the combat information centre bulkhead, designed to provide the command team with a collective appreciation of the operational picture and shared awareness of other mission-critical information.
Tacticos Baseline 2 has also seen Thales move to a new product-oriented enterprise model. Under this approach, the company is releasing software updates every six months to introduce new functions and/or additional integrations.
Another key selling point is the simulation and stimulation facilities embedded within the system, which mean a complete training environment can be created on board the host platform to support operator skills training and full command team tactical training. Tacticos can be configured so that even if a part of the CMS is being used in training mode, the rest of the system can remain fully operational.
Thales has also adapted Tacticos to serve as a mission management solution for maritime security operations (MSO), and working with the Netherlands’ DMO/ JIVC/SATS software development organisation, has developed a suite of application modules optimised to support MSOtype operations. The Tacticos Baseline 2 system fitted to the two Damen-built Arialah-class 67m offshore patrol vessels delivered to the UAE Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Agency by Abu Dhabi Ship Building is the first to exploit this new applications suite.
In operation, the system is used to collect data over an extended period. A ‘pattern of life’ picture is then assembled, with normal traffic behaviour visualised in trend lines; embedded anomaly detection algorithms provide automatic alerts of unusual deviations or suspicious behaviours. Track data, admissible as legal evidence, can be stored for up to 90 days, with a ‘time slider’ function enabling captured track data to be replayed at a particular point in time for later analysis.(Source: IHS Jane’s)
18 Feb 19. EDIC Horizon, the Middle East’s leading flight training organization, has expanded its market share by adding two Bell 429IGW twin-engine helicopters to its fleet. The announcement was made at the International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX 2019). Using the two new GCAA registered aircrafts, the academy will soon provide Rotary-wing Advanced Flight Training services to national and international customers, from both military and civil backgrounds. With the acquisition of the two new Bell 429s, EDIC Horizon has further strengthened its position as a one-stop shop for rotary-wing training. With the aim of meeting the evolving needs of helicopter pilots, the academy will use the two aircrafts to add various training courses to its current offerings such as IR, night flying, ATPL, off-shore, search & rescue (SAR), hoisting, emergency medical services (medevac), and mountain flying among others. Bell helicopters have been an essential part of EDIC Horizon’s training operations since its inception. The academy’s fleet also consists of Bell 206s and Bell 407s.
Hareb Thani Al Dhaheri, CEO, EDIC Horizon, said, “The addition of two new Bell 429s is a testament to EDIC Horizon’s commitment to consistently improve its portfolio in line with the needs and expectations of our clients. I am glad to see EDIC Horizon taking advantage of being the first player in the Middle East to offer ME training. It is our mission to provide exceptional training to aspiring pilots by delivering value-added, innovative and world-class training solutions.”
EDIC Horizon offers bespoke training solutions to commercial and military customers across the South Asia, Middle East and North Africa region. The training modules offered at EDIC Horizon include theoretical knowledge (TK) training, aviation English, single-engine simulator and aircraft training, and multi-engine aircraft training. The academy also provides MCC and ancillary courses such as Safety Management Systems (SMS), Crew Resource Management (CRM) & Maintenance Human Factors (MHF).
EDIC Horizon was established in 2003 to meet the needs of aviation training locally and regionally for individuals, military and civilian establishments. Since its inception, the academy is approved by the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE.
EDIC Horizon is a subsidiary of Emirates Defense Industries Company (EDIC). EDIC, which is the strategic partner of IDEX 2019, is showcasing the latest in defense manufacturing, services, and technology innovation through its group companies that include AMMROC, Barij Munitions, Barij Dynamics, EDIC Caracal, EDIC Bayanat, EDIC Horizon, EDIC MRO Land, EDIC Precision Industries, EDIC Technical Services, GAL, NIMR, Thales Advanced, and Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB).
16 Feb 19. CAE ready to meet future RPAS training needs for UAE. As countries in the GCC continue with a long programme of upgrades to their armed forces the demand for the provision of training for military personnel increases in kind. Already capturing large swathes of the regional requirements, CAE is working with the UAE, among others in the region, in areas such as maritime command and training for the air force’s RQ-1E UAVs. The UAE’s RQ-1E’s are located at Liwa Air Base, which also hosts the on-site training capability for its pilots and CAE personnel. CAE and the Khalifa Bin Zayad Air College also offer RPA Fundamentals courses, two of which have been completed with a third beginning in May 2019.
Such has been the demand for the UAE’s unmanned capabilities, pilots already qualified have been deployed on operations.
Ian Bell, VP Middle East/Asia-Pacific at CAE, said that CAE’s RPA trainers conducted the flight take-offs and landings, transitioning to UAE personnel once airborne. The company’s trainers had also dealt with three instances of ‘fuel contamination’ since the programme began, successfully bringing the UAVs to a safe landing on each occasion. Fuel contamination can result in platform loss, which would be a significant blow to the UAE’s fledgling unmanned aviation capability.
It is thought that the UAE roadmap could point towards future manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) operations, although Bell would not be drawn on what aims the country had in this regard. CAE was however, able to meet any future training demand, Bell said.
Additionally, Bell disclosed that the first full bridge simulators destined for the UAE Maritime Warfare Centre were currently in Montreal ‘ready for shakedown’. The simulators are reconfigurable and able to represent multiple classes of ships.
Development of the simulators would continue through to 2020 towards the RfT 1 phase, he stated, however the deadline for bringing the centre online would likely not be met, potentially being ‘a little late’. The contract to design, build and maintain the UAE naval training requirement was awarded in 2016 with the main facility in Taweelah to be augmented through distributed training centres in future phases. (Source: Shephard)
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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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