Southern Naval Command, the training command of the Indian Navy, on Thursday got two state-of-the-art simulators — flight and tactical simulator (FATS) for Seaking helicopter and water survival training facility (WSTF) for aircrew.
Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, launched the twin facilities at INS Garuda, the Indian Navy’s air station here.
Speaking to media after inaugurating the WSTF, Admiral Soni said it is the most sophisticated such facility in the world.
“It’s the first such facility in Asia and third in the world. It’s the most sophisticated facility and will provide a platform for other countries also to train their personnel at a later stage,” he said.
“The facility has been set up at a cost of `20.2 crore and we should utilise it properly,” he said.
The Admiral said such facilities help in reducing accident rate and told the crew to focus on proper maintenance so that the facilities can be utilised for many years. Prior to the event, the Admiral paid homage at the Seaking memorial on FATS premises.
The FATS is designed for pilots and observers of Seaking helicopters for initial and periodic training as well as evaluation of new procedures and tactics. The real life simulator, built with inputs from more than 110 Navy personnel and 200 engineers from Halbit and Elbit, is a PC-based system with glass cockpit, collimated visuals and an electro-pneumatic system with six degrees of freedom and motion.
The simulator is a roll on/roll off system wherein other aircraft cockpits can be also be inserted in lieu and flown.
The simulator can factor in all scenarios encountered by a Navy pilot, including deck landings on different warships, various emergencies, and night flying. Commander Wingston Mathew is the Officer-in-Charge of the FATS.
The WSTF will provide realistic training to air crew to escape from an aircraft under varied simulated conditions and crash scenarios. The facility, the first of its kind in India, has state-of-the-art survival training simulation theatre (STST) with several components.
A helicopter underwater escape trainer and cockpit underwater escape trainer of the STST will train the crew in escaping from a submerged aircraft.
Commander Satish is the Officer-in-Charge of the facility.