In operation with Spanish Army CESIFAMET
The Full Flight Simulator (FFS) of the EC135 helicopter that Indra has developed as part of a programme launched by the Spanish Directorate General of Armament and Equipment with the goal of addressing the training requirements of Army pilots has obtained one of the highest certifications possible for this type of system: CS-FSTD(H) level D, in recognition of its capacity for reproducing, with maximum fidelity, the behaviour of the real aircraft and for offering top-level training, reinforcing pilots’ safety and capacity.
The EC135 simulator, developed with Indra technology together with the DGAM and the support of the Army, is the first helicopter simulator certified by the National Aerial Safety Agency (AESA) to reach level D in Spain.
The system facilitates training on complex maneuvers and procedures that cannot be performed safely with the real aircraft, as in the case of failure of the rotor or any of the motors. It also allows for piloting in night and day mode and in any type of weather. Furthermore, pilots can be trained using night vision goggles and perform instrumental flights during which their only guidance are the navigation instruments for operating in low or null visibility conditions. Its virtual environment recreates the tactical missions that a pilot will perform in different Army operations. The simulator increases the number of practical training hours, accelerates pilots’ training and notably decreases training costs.
Tests for establishing level D of this simulator, the highest of the four possible scale options, have been implemented by AESA, approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in charge of developing the applicable standard regulations. These Certification Specifications for Helicopter Flight Simulation Training Devices (CS-FSTD(H) are shared globally by leading civil aviation agencies and authorities worldwide.
Indra‘s EC135 simulator is installed at the Coronel Maté Army Base at Colmenar Viejo, site of the Army’s Helicopter Simulation Center (CESIFAMET).
Indra has accompanied both the DGAM and Army in developing this simulation center since its creation in 1999, for which it has delivered Full Flight Simulators (FFS) and trainers for the CH-47D Chinook, Cougar AS532/ AS332 and Tiger EC665 helicopters, the latter at the Almagro Army Base, which also incorporated the currently certified EC135 simulator at the end of 2016.
Furthermore, Indra is working on another DGAM programme to develop two advanced simulators of the NH90 helicopter for training pilots of the Armed Forces: Army, Air Force and Navy.
DPM
