Farnborough 2024: Airbus to build simulator for NATO tanker fleet
Airbus secured a contract at Farnborough 2024 to build a Full Mission Flight simulator for the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF). (Airbus)
Airbus has secured a contract from NATO's Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to build a Full Mission Simulator (FMS) for the Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) Fleet (MMF), the company announced at Farnborough International Airshow 2024 on 23 July.
Spanning 10 years, the simulation and training contract includes the provision of an Airbus A330 MRTT FMS, encompassing a Full Flight Simulator, an Air-to-Air Refuelling Operation Station, and an Original Equipment Manufacturer Data Package for the six MMF countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway.
The FMS will be based at the Air Mobility Training Centre in Rijen, the Netherlands, replicating the flight and refuelling operations of the A330 MRTT aircraft. CAE has been selected as the primary subcontractor.
In addition to the simulator, Airbus will offer maintenance, operation, and training services. The contract also encompasses several other services packages, although the FMS package is the main offering.
An Airbus spokesperson informed Janes that the company will be “responsible for the delivery and setup of these simulators during the first three years of the contract, followed by their maintenance and operation activities for the next two years after the Ready for Training phase. Additional services for the operation and training of pilots and air-to-air refuelling operators (AROs) may be added at any time for up to ten years”. The spokesperson did not disclose the contract value.
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