Telespazio VEGA Deutschland to Develop CPT for CH-53GS/GE Helicopter

The German aerospace company Telespazio VEGA Deutschland, a subsidiary of Telespazio (Leonardo/Thales) has been awarded a contract by Airbus Helicopters to develop a cockpit procedure trainer (CPT) for the CH-53GS and CH-53GE helicopter.

The GS and GE variants of the helicopter, used by the German Air Force, are currently being modernised by Airbus Helicopters to overcome arisen obsolescences. The cockpit modernisations which include the Autopilot, Flight Management, Communication and Display Systems require an adapted training tool to enable the pilots to obtain or hold their type-rating.

The development of the CPT will be undertaken in parallel to the actual helicopter modernisation. The CPT development is planned to be completed by November 2018 for the GS version and in April 2020 for the GE version.

The delivery of the CPT will benefit from the existing hardware used by the German Air Force. Previously Telespazio VEGA Deutschland had already developed a CPT for the GA version of the CH-53 helicotper. This CPT has been used by the German Air Force ever since its delivery in 2011. Among others, four replicated cockpits have been installed for training at the Hubschraubergeschwader 64 in Laupheim and Holzdorf, Germany.

The CPT for the GS/GE version will subsequently be largely based on the experience that the Training Solutions team at Telespazio VEGA Deutschland have gathered over many years. The CPT will be fully compatible with the replicated cockpits, the separate instructor stations and be delivered also for PC based classroom training as well as a mobile version for flexible training on laptops.