General Atomics Installs CAE-built Predator Mission Trainer

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has installed a CAE-built Predator Mission Trainer at its Flight Test and Training Center (FTTC) located at the Grand Sky Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Business Park near Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The Predator Mission Trainer will be used to advance thequality and capability of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) synthetic trainingprovided by GA-ASI at the FTTC. GA-ASI offers a range of pilot and sensoroperator training at the FTTC for operators of GA-ASI’s family of RPA systems.

“Our Predator Mission Trainer delivers an unprecedentedlevel of fidelity and capability in the use of simulation-based training forremotely piloted aircraft pilots and sensor operators,” said Todd Probert,Group President, Defense & Security, CAE. “The addition of a PredatorMission Trainer at GA-ASI’s training center in North Dakota extends ourtraining collaboration and will enable GA-ASI to add more synthetic training tothe syllabus used to train customer aircrews as well as their own instructors.”

The Predator Mission Trainer now operating at GA-ASI’s FTTC is similar to the first Predator Mission Trainer jointly developed by CAE and GA-ASI for the Italian Air Force, which can deliver “zero-flight time” training based on the high-fidelity simulation of both the flight model and sensor systems. The Predator Mission Trainer at the FTTC simulates GA-ASI’s Block 30 ground control station for the MQ-9 RPA and will be used to deliver initial qualification and aircraft sensor systems training in addition to mission-specific training. With a zero-flight time simulator such as the CAE Predator Mission Trainer, aircrews can potentially conduct all training in the simulator without necessarily requiring further training on the actual aircraft.

“Highly skilled and well-trained aircrews are absolutelycritical to the successful operation and deployment of our proven Predatorremotely piloted aircraft systems,” said David R. Alexander, President, GA-ASI.“This Predator Mission Trainer at our training center in North Dakota willenhance the multi-domain training we can offer in a synthetic environment andgive us added flexibility to deliver advanced training without restrictions dueto weather or airspace.”

Later this spring, CAE will deliver a second PredatorMission Trainer to GA-ASI’s Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility nearPalmdale, California.