Team Fisher, the Capita-led consortium including Raytheon UK, Elbit Systems UK, Fujitsu, the University of Lincoln and several smaller British suppliers, has assumed responsibility for engineering and maintenance support for a range of 34 training systems and simulators.
The first two new M-346 training aircrafts were welcomed by representatives of the Greek Government and the Ministry of Defense, the Hellenic Air Force, and representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Elbit Systems Ltd is marking 20 years of operating the 16 GROP G-120-AI aircraft fleet of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) that was established by Elbit Systems in 2002 as a multi-year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) program under which the company procures, operates and maintains the fleet, providing the IAF with training flight hours.
Elbit Systems Ltd. was awarded a contract in an amount of approximately $180 million from the Israeli Ministry of Defense to provide, operate and maintain the new Mission Training Center for the Israeli Air Force’s F-16 fleet.
Elbit Systems Ltd. was awarded $107 million contract to provide, operate and maintain the new Main Battle Tank simulation and training centers of the Israeli Defense Forces’ Armored Corps.
Elbit Systems Ltd. was awarded a $36 million contract to supply four F-16 Full Mission Simulators (FMS) to the Polish Air Force. The contract will be performed over a 28-month period.
Affinity Flying Training Services, a UK joint venture of Elbit Systems, has received approximately £65 million in a contract from the UK Ministry of Defence for the operation of four additional Texan T-6C aircraft over a 12-year period.
As part of an agreement between Israel and Greece, Elbit Systems will establish and operate the International Flight Training Center of the Hellenic Air Force.
Tens of thousands of sorties are flown in Israeli Air Force simulators. Arie Egozi was granted special access to the training airbase, including a conversation with BGen Amnon Ein-Dar, Head of the Training and Doctrine Division.
Early this year, the canopy of an Israeli Air Force (IAF) F15 flew off when the aircraft was at 30,000 feet. The pilot and weapon systems operator managed to bring the damaged aircraft to a safe landing in a base in southern Israel. This after being exposed to extreme temperatures.
LtCol ‘R’, commander of the IAF’s connected simulators squadron, remarked: “They knew exactly what to do because they have been trained again and again in our advanced simulators.”
During a rare visit to the IAF’s connected simulators facility in the Hazor airbase (also known as Hatzor), I was able to briefly observe the uniqueness of this special squadron that has a major role in making IAF combat pilots among the best in the world.