CAE Completes Upgrades of CT-156 and CT-155 FTDs

Ahead of the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), the world’s largest military training and simulation event to be held next week in Orlando, Florida, CAE announced it has completed major upgrades to the CT-156 Harvard (T-6) and CT-155 Hawk flight training devices (FTDs) used as part of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program at 15 Wing Moose Jaw in Canada.

The upgrades were done on three CT-156 Harvard FTDs and oneCT-155 Hawk FTD that are used extensively for ground-based training elements ofthe NFTC pilot training syllabus. CAE replaced computing hardware on thesimulators, added new visual display systems, updated the instructor operatorstations, and upgraded the image generators to the latest CAE Medallion series.CAE will now begin upgrading the CT-155 Hawk FTD located at 4 Wing Cold Lake,which is used as part of Phase IV fighter lead-in training under the NFTCprogram.

“The ground-based training system and use of simulators hasbecome increasingly important for military pilot training,” said France Hébert,vice president and general manager, CAE Canada. “With the upgraded flight training devices used for NATO Flying Trainingin Canada, we will now be able to deliver ground-based training that is moreimmersive and realistic, which in turn contributes to the more effective andefficient delivery of live flying training.”

The effectiveness of the upgraded CT-156 Harvard and CT-155 Hawk FTDs is already benefitting student pilots. The new visual systems provide more realism in the synthetic environment and have enabled training tasks such as formation flying and tactical scenarios to be rehearsed in the simulators, thus enhancing the efficiency of performing these tasks during live flying training.

As the prime contractor for the NFTC program, CAE operatesthe NFTC base facilities, delivers the ground-school classroom and simulatortraining, and supports the live flying training on a fleet of Beechcraft T-6(CT-156 Harvard) and BAE Systems Hawk (CT-155 Hawk) aircraft. CAE operates theNFTC program out of 15 Wing Moose Jaw and 4 Wing Cold Lake, and the program isdesigned and delivered in cooperation with the Government of Canada to supportpilot training for the Royal Canadian Air Force and allied militaries. The NFTCprogram combines basic, advanced, and lead-in fighter training as part of themilitary pilot training program.