Air Power: CAE takes on the primes | ADM Feb 2011
Gregor Ferguson | Sydney
Canadian-based training and simulation firm CAE Inc has flown under the radar so far as Air 5428 and Air 9000 Ph 7 are concerned.
Stephane Lefebvre, acting managing director of Sydney-based CAE Australia told ADM in January the company would announce its teaming arrangements for Air 9000 Ph 7 during the Avalon air show, and may also make an announcement on Air 5428 at the same event – it is still refining its teaming approach to this project, he said.
CAE Australia never denied its interest in these projects and even a potential role as prime contractor. While it’s best known for manufacturing advanced flight simulators and other training devices, Lefebvre told ADM, CAE Inc now generates 49 per cent of its revenue from training services, and 48 per cent of its total business comes from civilian customers.
The business case for these projects isn’t predicated solely on being able to provide suitable aircraft, flight simulators and instructors. A robust business solution requires the winning contractor to be able to operate a potentially-diverse fleet of aircraft and training devices both safely and economically in a closely supervised regulatory environment, and CAE’s credentials in this area are under-recognised, Lefebvre believes.
The company owns and operates over 250 training aircraft worldwide under the aegis of its CAE Training Academy; in Australia alone CAE Inc is a majority partner in a Joint Venture with China Southern Airlines to provide ab initio training for airline pilots at Jandakot and Meredin in WA.
In the rotary wing environment CAE Inc operates both the UK’s Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility (MSHATF) under a PFI arrangement at RAF Benson, where it conducts conversion and advanced flying training for the UK’s Puma, Chinook and Merlin helicopters. It performs a similar role under a 30-year PFI agreement for the German Army’s NH90 operational conversion and advanced training system at Buckeburg.
CAE also has a training joint venture with Agusta-Westland, RotorSim, which provides operational conversion and continuation training for a range of customers, and in the Air 9000 Ph 7 market sector it already manufactures simulators and cockpit trainers for most of the contenders – the AW109 and 139, and the EC135 - except Bell’s 429, for which Frasca is so far the exclusive simulation provider.
The company’s local credentials are strengthened by its provision of full-motion flight simulators for the Seahawk, Black Hawk and MRH90 helicopters and the C-130J Hercules and KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker/Transport; it is also, by an accident of history, the simulator manufacturer for both platform contenders in Air 9000 Ph 8 – the MH-60R Romeo and the NH90 NFH. With such an installed product base in Australia, it’s not surprising that some of the aerospace platforms primes pursuing these project have sought a teaming agreement with CAE.