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Maintenance Trainers for the U.S. Navy.  CAE
                                                                       started providing the U.S. Navy with MH-60
                                                                       training systems back in 2004 (MH-60S in
                                                                       2004; MH-60R in 2006). The company is also
                                                                       completing development work on upgrading
                                                                       MH-60 Seahawk trainers for the U.S. Navy
                                                                       under a programme called the MH-60 Technical
                                                                       Refresh  and  Procurement  of  Simulators
                                                                       (Tech Refresh). CAE is presently performing
                                                                       upgrades on more than 40 MH-60 Seahawk
                                                                       trainers.

                                                                       CAE has delivered two MH-60R TOFTs, one
                                                                       Avionic  Maintenance  /  Weapons  Loading
                                                                       Trainer, one Rear Crew Trainer and several addi-
                                                                       tional training devices for the Royal Australian
                                                                       Navy, and a MH-60R Mission Operational Flight
                                                                       Trainer (MOFT) for the Royal Danish Navy.

                                                                       A model for a comprehensive MH-60R training
        TRAINING TO PERFORM                                            system that could be followed by India already
                                                                       exists with the RAN, which also operates 24
                                                                       Romeos. The RAN MH-60R training systems
        As of yet there is no contract for MH-60R training systems for  deliver significant capability for training pilots,
        the Indian Navy. MH-60R training systems for the US Navy, Royal  co-pilots, rear crew sensor operators and
        Australian Navy, and Royal Danish Navy have all been provided  maintainers while ensuring the actual fleet of
        by the U.S. subsidiary of Canadian training giant CAE. One would  helicopters remains available for operational
        assume that the Indian Navy would aim to reap the benefits by  use. The CAE-developed MH-60R synthetic
        leveraging on the existing MH-60R training systems from CAE that  training system allow operators to take full
        are operational with these MH-60R operators. In fact, Indian Navy  advantage  of  MH-60R  capabilities  while
        personnel have visited these facilities at HMAS Albatross.     enhancing operational effectiveness, reduc-
                                                                       ing total cost of ownership and extending the
        “CAE USA has been actively engaged in briefing the Indian Navy  life of the aircraft.   A formal Indian contract for
        as part of the U.S. Navy foreign military sales team to provide all  Navy MH-60R training systems is likely to be
        the information and background the Indian Navy needs to procure  concluded next year but it is uncertain as to the
        the appropriate training systems.  As part of a foreign military sale  path that will be taken. However, the acquisition
        (FMS) program, the end-user customer – in this case the Indian  of these training systems could be delayed due
        Navy – needs to submit a “Letter of Requirements” or LOR to the  to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
        U.S. Navy for the MH-60R training systems,”  a CAE Spokesperson
        tells Asian Defence Technology. As the OEM which is the sole
        source provider of MH-60R training systems to the USN and RAN,
        CAE is keen to be chosen as the partner of choice for supplying
        these systems to the Indian Navy, which would also result in sig-
        nificant time and cost savings, the company official says.

        CAE has been deeply involved in the design and manufacture of
        MH-60R Tactical Operational Flight Trainers (TOFTs), Avionics
        Maintenance and Weapons Load Trainers (AMWLT), and Virtual


        32 | March/April 2020                                                      WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ ADT
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