Thales has been selected by armasuisse for the standardisation of the Full Flight Mission Simulator (FFMS) for the AS532 Super-Puma transport helicopter. Functional upgrades will also be made to the multi-purpose twin-engined EC635 military helicopter.
The standardisation of the AS532 Super-Puma Full Flight Mission Simulator includes the upgrading of the primary flight avionics, radiocommunications, the digital map, the forward-looking infrared imagery and the helmet-mounted display. Functional improvements will also be made to both simulators, in particular on the instructor station. All of these updates will be delivered to the Swiss Air Force in September 2017.
These Thales flight simulators, used by the Swiss Air Force since 2012, meet the Swiss Air Force’s specific pilot instruction and training requirements, improve operational effectiveness, raise levels of crew and operator safety and reduce environmental impacts. The interconnection between these two simulators provides pilots with unlimited scope for training exercises involving formation flying and tactical operations.
Using these simulators, pilots are trained in normal and emergency procedures. In addition to formation flying, mountain flying or cargo transportation, the modular capabilities of the simulators mean pilots can also be trained in search and rescue missions, as well as flights with visual flight rules or instrument flight rules (VFR/IFR) for civil and military missions.
These simulators obtained JAR FSTD-H* Level D certification, issued by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), in June 2013 for the EC635 FFMS and in March 2014 for the Super-Puma AS532 FFMS. Software updates were performed on both simulators in 2015.
The European leader in simulation, Thales offers a complete range of simulation products, services and solutions. For helicopters, Thales provides solutions ranging from training in procedures through to complex mission training simulators. The Group has delivered more than 110 helicopter simulators to customers in 25 countries around the world.