Indra reveals new SIMCUI aircraft training simulator

Spain's Indra has developed a new multi-purpose and interoperable simulation system (SIMCUI) that it claims is transportable and can cut pilot training times by half.

SIMCUI is to function for all types of aircraft, including helicopters and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), the company said on 7 July.

“The reduced weight of the structure ... facilitates rapid transfer and installation,” Indra said. A company spokesperson told Janes the cabin for the system measures 140 × 90 × 100 mm and the screen 60 × 145 × 170 mm, while the total weight is 115 kg.

“In the military scenario this means it can be transported to an operations zone so that pilots can prepare for their missions,” the company noted.

The relatively low cost and maintenance requirements should enable academies to provide a simulator for every two or three students, “so that pilots can complete all their training on them, drastically speeding up their preparation”, Indra said.

Prices would depend on the size of the order and features, “but it's aimed so that even a small flight academy can acquire various systems”, added the spokesperson. It is based on commercial off-the-shelf components to keep costs down and make maintenance easier, he added.

SIMCUI could be used to improve training for “risky flights” such as formation flying or tactical movements, while artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms will measure and analyse each pilot's output, Indra said.

The system can be adapted to each client's needs and levels of realism, it added. Initially SIMCUI will cover 18 types of military and civil aircraft, ranging from the F18 fighter to Beechcraft trainers and Sikorsky and Airbus helicopters.