Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and C-27J At International Training Conference

Alenia Aermacchi Will Showcase Its M-346 Simulator and C-27J Aircraft At International Training Conference - News release from Alenia:

International Training and Education Conference (ITEC), an annual forum geared towards to the military, industrial and academic world, will be held, for the first time, in Rome, Italy, from May 22-24, 2013. The conference is designed to foster relationships between participants and allow them to share knowledge in the simulation, education and training fields.

ITEC is the signature training and education conference in Europe, and one of the premiere conferences in the world dedicated to the military training, education and simulation sectors. It brings together professional operators in several fields-areas that are ever more interconnected thanks to the development of advanced technologies and solutions designed as dual applications, from military to e civil protection to homeland security to the medical sector.

Offering a complete overview of the latest innovations in the industrial field, this event offers visitors an interesting platform to discuss the developments of a continuously evolving market, and the opportunity to exchange of views on the future requirements of simulation and formation in the military and civil fields.

ITEC, an over 20-year tradition, includes both an exhibition and a conference that illustrate the very latest developments in terms of products and services offered by the companies and sector leaders, and offers unique networking opportunities.

Alenia Aermacchi will exhibit within the Finmeccanica stand and will showcase its M-346 simulator and C-27J aircraft. It will also display the Eurofighter Typhoon’s simulator in the Italian Air Force’s booth.

Cristiano Montrucchio, Head of the Avionic Systems of Alenia Aermacchi, is ITEC 2013’s Conference Chairman.

Founded in 1961, Alenia Aermacchi’s Simulation Centre develops and manages flight simulators and hardware and software equipments necessary for their integration. These simulators are used to support the development of the airplanes Alenia Aermacchi produces directly or in national or international partnerships.

Flight simulators, interactive piloting stations, generators of scenarios and images and relative installations of virtual reality are integrated in a distributed simulation network that carries out tests on complex and multi-platform systems that includes simulators located on both different and interconnected sites.

When the aircraft is delivered to a customer and enters its operational phase, the same resources active in the development are also active in the initial training of pilots and technicians. Additionally, simulators dedicated to ground training are specifically designed and built for the customer and installed at its air bases. Such approach has proven highly effective in the Eurofighter and C-27J programmes: in both cases Alenia Aermacchi’s engineering simulators have been used for the initial training and to develop ad-hoc flight simulators (Eurofighter Enhanced Aircrew Cockpit Procedure Trainers and Eurofighter Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids – the latter of which was developed within the ASTA programme)and C-27J Flight Simulator.

Alenia Aermacchi, with over 50 years of experience in the military pilot training, has also developed an Integrated Training System (ITS) that includes mission simulators (Full Mission Simulators), Academic Training Media in addition to Training Management Tools and, naturally, the Trainers aircraft, first of which the new M-346.

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Simulation Centre based at Alenia Aermacchi’s Turin Corso Marche plant

Since it was established in 1961, Alenia Aermacchi’s Simulation Centre has designed, developed and operated flight simulators, along with hardware and software tools required for their integration.

These simulators are used to support the development of the aircraft that Alenia performs autonomously or within national or international partnerships. In particular, programmes such as AMX, Eurofighter Typhoon, C-27J Spartan and Sky-X and Sky-Y UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) technological demonstrators, have been extensively supported since their early stages by one or more dedicated simulators, providing a highly realistic, real-time, man-in-the-loop environment, where systems specialists and test pilots can evaluate various aircraft systems and subsystems configurations.

Simulation technologies are also exploited to support the main European research programmes. For instance, in the civil field, a research simulator has been recently set up for regional aircraft to validate innovative technologies developed within the Clean Sky and SESAR projects.

Photo: C-27J simulator:

C-27J simulatoredit

Flight simulators, interactive pilot stations, scenario and image generators and the related virtual reality facilities are integrated in a distributed simulation network; such a network permits tests to be conducted on complex and multi-platform systems including simulators in remote locations that are connected on a Wide Area Network.

When the aircraft is delivered to the customer and enters the operational phase, the same simulation facilities used to support aircraft development may be used to provide aircrew and ground crew initial training, while dedicated synthetic training simulators are being designed and built specifically to support ground training at customer’s sites. Such an approach has proved to be very effective in the case of Eurofighter and C-27J programme, as both initially used Alenia Aermacchi’s engineering simulators as interim trainers to subsequently develop relevant flight training simulators (Eurofighter Enhanced Aircrew Cockpit Procedure Trainers and Eurofighter Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids – the latter developed within the ASTA programme – and C-27J Flight Simulators) for several customers.

Alenia Aermacchi’s Integrated Training System at the Venegono Superiore plant

Alenia Aermacchi, with over 50 years of unrivalled experience in military pilot training, has developed unique Integrated Training Systems (ITS) now in service with Singapore ‘s Air Force and under delivery to the Italian and the Israeli Air Forces, including the state of the art M-346 aircraft, Full Mission Simulators, Academic Training Media and Training Management Tools.

To ensure the smooth transition for new pilots from basic trainers to the system’s complexity of the 4th/5th- generation Combat Aircraft, as well as to maximize efficiency, Alenia Aermacchi conceived from the beginning of M-346 programme a holistic solution encompassing capabilities, syllabus, safety and maintenance – in a nutshell, everything required to provide solutions for 21st century training needs.

At the heart of Alenia Aermacchi’s ITS is the innovative M-346 lead-in fighter trainer, the most advanced currently on the market.

The goal of M-346 ITS is to fulfil the training gap generated by the new generation of Combat Aircraft’s entry into service.

New emerging technologies such as Flight Simulation & Modelling, information technology, e-learning, connectivity-networking, common data-basing etc., are providing clear opportunities to integrate other Training Media beside the Trainer Aircraft, helping the Training System be more effective in teaching and providing complex skills in a time period similar to the current training time frame.

The M-346 ITS concept is based on the above described technology and training philosophy. Modern information technology can be effective in connecting the Training System with surrounding and cooperative entities such as Integrated Logistic Support (ILS), Facilities and Training Management Systems and also connecting the Training Airbase to all the Military/Industry entities involved in the Fast-Jet Pilot Training Management.

Beside the M-346 trainer aircraft, the ITS is composed of a sequence of training media that allows students to rapidly and cost-effectively acquire the proper skills to become new -generation combat aircraft pilots.

Training with the M-346 ITS students will learn basic aircraft systems and procedures on the Academic Training system composed by Computer Based Training (CBT) and Procedural Training Device (PTD). On a Part Task Trainer simulator (PTT) they will put procedure into practice, learning the fundamentals of flying and how to carry out advanced training missions. They will use the Full Mission Simulator to acquire tactical skills. Flying the M-346 will bring together each element of what was learned in the simulations.

An additional benefit provided by the M-346 ITS is the “Mission Oriented” approach, that can be learned through using the Mission Planning and Debriefing System (MPDS) and the Real Time Monitoring Station (RTMS) to:

• Perform Mission Planning

• Perform Mission Briefing/Rehearsal

• Execute Mission (on A/C or Simulators)

• Perform Mission Debriefing

The Training Management Information System (TMIS) is initiating and closing the training loop, managing the syllabus execution, assigning every trainee with the proper lesson in accordance with his/her prerequisite, and recording all the trainee lessons results.

The optimal balance of real aircraft and appropriate simulation reduces costs without compromising quality.

Designed to serve as the backbone advanced trainer for leading Air Forces, the M-346 ITS offers maximum flexibility to train pilots designated to fly current (including Eurofighter, F-16, F-22 and Rafale) and next-generation fighters (F-35).

Coupled with its outstanding performance and increased despatch reliability, the Alenia Aermacchi integrated approach allows customers to download training modules from expensive front-line types, ultimately releasing them for operational duties or conserving vital flying hours and compounding the overall ITS cost-effectiveness.


Source: Defence Watch - Ottawa Citizen News - 22 May 2013

Photo: The Italian Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan (Photo by Jon Ostrower)


(22.05.2013)