• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Weapon System Simulation in Flight (WaSiF) gets airborne

Venegono/Munich, 02 July 2003

End of June 2003 the first flight of WaSiF, the on-board embedded weapon system simulation for the training of aircrew against simulated adversaries, got airborne at the Venegono airfield in Italy. WaSiF is a Research Technology Program (RTP11.12) funded by the Ministries of Defense of Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey under the framework of the EUCLID MoU. The WaSiF system is designed and developed by a consortium led by EADS Military Aircraft, Munich, including AerMacchi of Italy, Dutch Space and NLR of the Netherlands, OGMA and INETI of Portugal and Tubitak/Marmara Research Center of Turkey.

The first WaSiF flight on board the Italian Air Force’s AerMacchi MB 339 CD flying testbed marks the cornerstone in the development and demonstration of the major task of the research technology program and performed according to specification. No flaws were encountered and the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware equipment inside the WaSiF box withstood every flight-test point of either high ‘g’ up to the structural limit of the aircraft (+7.33g), the rapid rolling or the high-altitude encounter of 30,000 feet. Even the test point of engine shutdown and restart, required for a test aircraft coming out of a major lay-up or major modification, didn’t cause any WaSiF system problem.

The second flight on July 1 proved the software concept where the WaSiF system software functionality was tested for the first time in the air. The WaSiF industrial group continues the flight test program within the first three weeks of July 2003 to test and verify the contractually required WaSiF capabilities and to provide the ‘system ready’ status for the demonstration phase. In the latter period the focus lies upon embedded in-flight simulation of air-to-air beyond-visual range engagements, allowing combat mission training during standard peace-time training exercises of fighter aircraft. These missions will include varying force compositions, the presence of ground-to-air threats such as surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and the utilisation of electronic counter-measures or electronic protection measures (ECM/EPM).

On-board tactical simulation is already a requirement for the future Advanced European Jet Pilot Training (AEJPT): WaSiF is one step in developing the technology base and capability to fulfil this requirement.

EADS is a global aerospace and defence company and is the world’s second largest in terms of revenues, having achieved € 29.9 billion in 2002. EADS maintains a workforce of more than 100,000 and is a market leader in defence technology, commercial aircraft, helicopters, space, military transport and combat aircraft, as well as related services. It’s family of leading brands includes the commercial aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world’s largest helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter, the space company Astrium and MBDA, the world’s second largest missile company. EADS is the biggest partner in the Eurofighter consortium and heads the A400M military aircraft programme.

The company has over 70 sites in Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain. It is active in many regions worldwide, including the U.S., Russia and Asia.

Your contact:

EADS Military Aircraft
Wolfram Wolff
Phone: +49-89-607 25711
Fax : +49-89-607 22455
eMail: wolfram.wolff@m.eads.net