Page 55 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec21-Jan22

A transformative training system
So, what makes this capability so appealing to these users? CAE’s MCS/TMT is able to help produce more qualified, combat-ready mission crew much faster than was previously possible, and in a more efficient and less expensive way.
Before the MCS rollout for the USN, students would go through primary training to get the basics of aviation and airspace utilization and were then sent to a fleet replacement squadron where they would learn the tactics and the performance of operational aircraft. Now, this training is introduced much earlier in the NFO training syllabus because of the flexibility and fidelity of the MCS.
“Our objective is to produce combat-quality Naval Flight Officers,” said Capt. Ken Russell, Commodore, Training Air Wing 6 (CTW-6) for the U.S. Navy. “The Maritime Command and Control training program, which uses the Multi-Crew Simulator extensively, has enabled us to deliver mission-oriented Naval Flight Officers to the fleet who are at a much higher standard of proficiency and readiness. The adaptability and flexibility of the training system allows us to readily expand to new type-model series and future mission sets, such as remotely piloted aircraft operations.”
CAE’s Laedlein suggests the Multi-Crew Simulator has helped streamline the NFO training pipeline and graduate NFOs are more prepared for advanced training and their operational assignments.
“When they hit the fleet, they are experienced at a level that I would say is roughly two years ahead of what those Naval Flight Officers used to be prior to the introduction of the Multi-Crew Simulator,” said Laedlein.
Not only are students more advanced in their training by the time they hit the fleet, this simulation-based training approach also means the in-aircraft training can be more advanced and focused on mission scenarios, and there is increased availability of the aircraft fleets for operational use. Though not the driving factor for the Navy, an added benefit of simulation-based training is it being far less expensive than using the actual aircraft, and time to train from start to finish is significantly reduced.
U.S. Navy Naval Flight Officers leverage the CAE-built Multi-Crew simulator for a range of mission crew training tasks before graduating for training on aircraft such as the P-8A Poseidon.
Flexible and scalable
The proven experience of using CAE’s MCS/TMT with key NATO nations shows that this hybrid synthetic and live training approach is disrupting the way that mission crews are trained.
The scalability and flexibility of this integrated training system, combined with new digital training capabilities such as virtual reality, could be the ideal choice for other nations seeking transformative mission crew training.
CAE’s experience as a training systems integrator is well suited to the Australian Defence Force’s AIR5428 Phase 3 Aviation Mission Training System requirement, through which the Royal Australian Air Force will provide its students with mission aircrew training.
The Aviation Mission Training System will prepare students for their operational training on RAAF aircraft, including the P-8A
Poseidon, E/A-18 Growler electronic warfare aircraft, and the E-7A Wedgetail air battlespace management platform.
CAE has already trained a sizable cadre of mission crew for the USN who have progressed to aircraft such as the P-8A. With the flexibility and reconfigurability of CAE’s training systems, adapting to the mission crew training requirements of other aircraft types such as the Growler and Wedgetail is a low-risk endeavour.
“The ability to deliver more qualified mission crew faster and more efficiently is what the Royal Australian Air Force requires, and the CAE-led Team AUStringer in Australia is ready to develop and deliver a sovereign Aviation Mission Training System tailored specifically to the RAAF requirements,” said Matthew Sibree, Managing Director, CAE Australia Pty Ltd.
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