CAE announced it has signed a contract amendment with the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Program Management Agency (NAPMA) to perform avionics updates on the E-3A flight deck simulator and E-3A flight training device located at NATO Airbase Geilenkirchen in Germany.
The avionics updates to the training devices relate to the latest standards of the advanced Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems currently being implemented on NATO’s fleet of 14 E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The avionics updates to the E-3A flight deck simulator will be complete in 2021.
“CAE has supported the training of NATO E-3A aircrews for almost 40 years, and these simulators continue to play a key role helping ensure the readiness of the E-3A aircrews from 16 nations who carry out a range of critical missions,” said Marc-Olivier Sabourin, Vice President and General Manager, Defence & Security International, CAE.
“The avionics upgrades we will deliver continue our longstanding support of the E-3A training devices, and we look forward to supporting the NATO E-3A AWACS mission through 2035 as part of the Final Lifetime Extension Program of the fleet,” he added.
CAE designed and manufactured the original NATO E-3A flight deck simulator that entered service in 1982. Since that time, the simulator has been continuously upgraded and enhanced to ensure concurrency with the aircraft and enable E-3A aircrews to conduct more synthetic training.
The E-3A flight deck simulator is currently qualified to Level D, the highest for flight simulators. The CAE-built E-3A flight training device is qualified to Level II and is used to support familiarization and procedural training for aircrews prior to full-mission training in the E-3A flight deck simulator.
CAE is currently responsible for maintenance and support of the E-3A training devices in addition to providing a cadre of instructors and mission system operators to support the delivery of training to NATO E-3A AWACS aircrews.
CAE’s Defence & Security business unit focuses on helping prepare its customers to develop and maintain the highest levels of mission readiness. As a world-class training systems integrator, it offers a comprehensive portfolio of training centres, training services and simulation products across the air, land, sea and public safety market segments. Additionally, it serves its global defence and security customers through regional operations in Canada; the United States/Latin America; Europe/Africa; and Asia-Pacific/Middle East.
CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, CAE continues to help define global training standards with its innovative virtual-to-live training solutions to make flying safer, maintain defence force readiness and enhance patient safety.
CAE has the broadest global presence in the industry, with over 10,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, CAE trains more than 220,000 civil and defence crewmembers, including more than 135,000 pilots, and thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide.
