“Training-related services were a major element in the contract for the 22 ARH versions of the Tiger, and included the provision of this simulator,” explains Frédéric Dussol, the head of the Tiger training programmes. “This simulator consists of two coupled domes which reproduce the two separate cockpits of the helicopter. The simulator is the result of the cooperation between prime contractor Australian Aerospace, Eurocopter’s subsidiary in Australia, Thales, which provided the moving platform and the visual system in particular, and Eurocopter, which developed the main software that represents the cockpit equipment and the helicopter itself.”
All this confers an exceptional level of realism on the simulator, which is a prerequisite for obtaining an accreditation that is more or less equivalent to the certification of an aircraft.
“This accreditation was a requirement of the Australian Army and is unique in the world of the military,” insists Frédéric Dussol. “It is the first time that a simulator equipped with coupled domes has received this level of certification.”
The very high degree of realism has two immediate advantages: an hour in the simulator is the exact equivalent of an actual flight hour, but at a much cheaper cost and with no risk. The training in failure procedures and other emergency situations can also be performed without danger (2).
Officially handed over to the Australian Army on 13 December 2007, the simulator is currently being used to train the crews of the first Tiger ARH squadron. This is a key step towards obtaining the initial operational capability (IOC) which is expected sometime in 2008 for the Australian combat helicopter.