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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
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