Customer
Working with AgustaWestland to deliver for The European Defence Agency (EDA).

Overview
The European Defence Agency identified a need for providing consistent basic tactics training to NATO helicopter pilots. The desire is to enable pilots from any NATO country to be familiar with standard operations and communications practices, thereby making a larger number of aircraft and crews, from a wider range of nations, available to operations.

Phase 1 (Dec 2008 – Feb 2009)
AgustaWestland approached Cursive Simulation to develop the training and simulation requirements with this in mind, to determine what type of solution was feasible within the given time and cost constraints. By bringing the instructors and course designers together with the simulation developers at this early stage everything moved at a fast pace, and expectations for both sides were aligned from the beginning.

By the end of this phase the following were completed: training course definition, project architecture (software and hardware), selection of software platforms (Microsoft ESP and VBS), list of additional software capabilities required (ie: weapons implementations for ESP), definition of software development and integration tasks, definition of mission profiles to be developed, aircraft performance requirements for flight models, support plan.

Phase 2 (Apr – Jul 2009)
Following Phase 1 the EDA was pleased with the recommendations and released funding for the implementation phase, this is when the software and hardware were brought together in prototype form, and several proof-of-concept training courses were delivered. Pilots from three different nations were given 2-week courses, all reported favourably on the value of the training they received.

The prototype training system consisted of classroom work delivered on the same site as the simulation suite. The simulation suite comprised:

• two 3 person helicopter simulators: one with a 6 DOF motion base, and one with a fixed base;
• a rear-crew training station, with mock-up fuselage, door-mounted gun, and head mounted display;
• an Instructor Operating Station (IOS) catering for two instructors;

Some pictures of the simulation system can be seen at the bottom of this page.

Phase 3 (2011)
Phase 3 of this project is expected to start in May/June 2011 and deliver first training in September 2011. Preparatory work for this phase has been completed. This phase of the project will focus on delivering a steady-state hardware solution, and training courses over a period of at least 2 years.

Photographs of simulation system