Latest milestone achieved in Nimrod MRA4 synthetic training requirement
25 September 2009
Thales UK and BAE Systems have today marked a significant milestone in the provision of simulators and other training equipment for the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) Nimrod MRA4 maritime reconnaissance and attack aircraft, with the completion of the upgrade of the aircrew synthetic training aids (ASTA) devices to a standard ready for training.
This is the culmination of a two-year programme, which included extensive integration and mission testing with both BAE Systems and the end users. The Thales ASTA devices have been progressively installed and commissioned at RAF Kinloss in Scotland since 2004. The devices are to be utilised by the RAF to prepare the mission syllabus for the start of training around the activities of the upgrade. Today’s milestone supports the Nimrod MRA4 programme in-service date of 2010.
Thales is working with BAE Systems to implement the next upgrade to the ASTA, which is expected to be contracted later this year and enter service in mid 2010. Prior to that, Thales plans to deliver a flight test update to the ASTA suite at the end of 2009.
Steve Grinham, VP of Thales’s training and simulation business, says: “Thales UK and BAE Systems have worked closely with the RAF to develop a product that meets the end-users’ demanding requirements. ”
“ASTA will provide the RAF with a sophisticated synthetic training suite that will allow them to achieve their ambition of maximising the transfer of training from the aircraft to the ground based training system. This will increase the availability of the aircraft for operational missions while optimising flight and mission crew performance. ”
“Thales UK is proud of the work accomplished to reach this milestone and looks forward to the next phases of the aircraft programme.”
The MRA4 ASTA, built at Thales UK’s Crawley facility, is a fully integrated suite com¬prising two dynamic simulators, two flight training devices, two rear crew trainers, a part task trainer and a suite of mission-support and scenario-generation tools. Thales UK has been responsible for the design, manufacture and installation of this suite of products for the RAF under a contract from the prime contractor of Nimrod MRA4, BAE Systems.
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Notes to editors
Thales in Crawley: Crawley is the largest Thales site in the UK, with around. 2,500 employees The MoD is the main customer for Thales UK activities in Crawley, with local sites delivering equipment and services to the MoD since 1964.
A number of key technologies are developed at the site, including military flight simulation and training, force pro¬tec¬tion, avionics, communica¬tions and surveillance systems.
Thales in Scotland: Thales UK is a major player in the defence industry in Scotland, with more than 700 employees, and operates at all levels of supply to the MoD from its range of sites.
Thales also operates as a service provider at a number of MoD sites in Scotland, including simulator- and classroom-based military training services at RAF Leuchars for the Tornado F3, at Lossiemouth for the Tornado GR4 and at Kinloss for the Nimrod MR2. Contracted under a PFI arrangement, these services rep¬resent a 30-year plus investment in providing military training services and jobs for the MoD in Scotland by Thales.
About Thales and Thales UK
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2008 the company generated revenues of £10.2 billion, with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.
Thales UK employs 8,500 staff based at more than 40 locations. In 2008 Thales UK's revenues were over £1.4 bn.
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