Indra to develop A330 refueling tanker simulator for high-risk scenarios

Airbus Defence & Space contracted Indra to develop a tactical and integrated procedures trainer (IPT) for pilots who will operate the A330 MRTT aerial refueling tanker. System delivery is scheduled for 2019.

The system will familiarize pilots with functions of the A330 tanker in high-risk situations, replicating scenarios which are impossible to reproduce using a real plane, such as engine failure, stall of the aircraft or emergency landings, all the awhile letting them gather the required number of flight hours in a simulator.

Indra's IPT may be connected to the Partial Training system (PTT) used by boom operators for refueling the A330 MRTT. This way, pilots can train to perform this complex operation by coordinating with the boom operators and the crew of the aircraft being refueled.

This contract follows on a 2015 contract awarded to Indra for the development of a level D full-flight simulator for the same aircraft.

The trainer replicates the cockpit's instrument panel with the aid of touchscreens to help reduce costs. This enables pilots to learn by putting their hands on the wheel of the aircraft from the very beginning, before moving on to simulated flights in the full-flight simulator during the final stage of training.