Indra,
MADRID: The United States Navy has awarded a contract to Indra USA for the modernization of USMC (United States Marine Corps) AV-8B Harrier Flight Trainers. The contract value is in excess of US$23M, and work on the program will continue into 2011.
Indra USA will perform technology refresh upgrades to the simulators to incorporate the latest industry innovations, and to provide concurrency with the aircraft they replicate. Indra's engineers will undertake an extensive upgrade of several simulators, involving nearly a complete rebuild of the aging devices, and introducing the new capability of training in both night flight and radar night flight modes.
The program also calls for improving the simulators' visual systems, responsible for rendering out-the-window simulator images. Pilots will train in a detailed visual environment using geo-specific imagery with resolution as small as half a meter. High-fidelity modeling of radar and infrared sensors to provide accurate imaging in both air-to-air and air-to-ground modes is also included.
The simulators will be provided with a renovated station for instructors to supervise exercises. Using a three-dimensional viewer, a new feature developed by Indra USA, the instructor will be able to easily monitor the total tactical environment.
As a part of the upgrade, the simulators will be brought into concurrency with the latest version of the AV-8B's operational flight program (OFP), the embedded software that governs the aircraft. The rest of the components of each simulator will also be upgraded, providing Marine Harrier pilots with a state-of-the-art, high-performance training system.
Extensive use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment will considerably reduce operational costs and simulator maintenance requirements.
