Thales has been selected by Airbus Helicopters to provide the Kuwait forces with flight and mission training solutions for the pilots and crews of its Caracal helicopters. The Kuwait forces has signed a contract for the purchase of 30 multirole Caracal H225M helicopters (24 for the Kuwait Air Force and 6 for the Kuwait National Guard) in order to carry out combat search and rescue duties, transport and ground support missions.

To meet the pilots and crews’ hands-on training needs, Thales will supply a Reality H Full Flight Mission Simulator (FFMS) as well as two trainer stations for flight procedures and tactical training.

Thanks to the Reality H Full Flight Mission Simulator, pilots will receive training - in a realistic tactical visual environment – in normal navigation procedures, instrument flight, how to handle failures and emergency procedures, which cannot be easily accomplished on real helicopters.

The communication systems, weapons and self-protection systems, as well as the in-flight refuelling function, are identical to those of the real helicopter, to ensure pilots are trained as in real-life conditions. Installed on the ground, the training stations will provide initial training in flight procedures for new pilots, and tactical training for captains and crews.

Thanks to the interoperability capacity, the two training stations and the Full Flight Mission Simulator can be networked for collective training exercises and to prepare the crews for complex missions.

The contract also covers the maintenance of the simulators in operational conditions for at least three years.