On 20 February 2024 the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) awarded the Spanish defence company, Indra, a contract to develop, produce and deliver a full mission simulator for the Airbus H225M military helicopter.
The simulator system will have Level D certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency.
It will simulate day and night operations, under all possible challenging environmental conditions and be equipped with motion and vibration platforms.
Indra’s system will enable training in normal and emergency helicopter procedures, with special emphasis on training in all possible missions to be performed by the RSAF, such as search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, among others.
It will also include advanced training analytics capabilities using biometric sensors to assist instructors in evaluating pilots and for more insights during de-briefing.
One of the most outstanding features of this simulator is its Roll-in/Roll-out capability, which allows future potential helicopter cockpits to be interchanged in a single simulator, optimising the use of the system.
The H225M (previously known as EC 725) medium-sized (11t), twin-engine helicopter is a member of the Cougar helicopter family by Airbus Helicopters, formerly Eurocopter. The aircraft has been developed in the military H225M version and a civil EC 225 version.
The rotorcraft is used employed by Brazil, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand and Singapore – the RSAF only operates one unit, according to GlobalData intelligence.
Indra is a pioneer in the integration of virtual reality, augmented reality and new digital technologies into simulation. It has extensive experience with various military aviation programmes, particularly with Airbus.
In the development of mission simulators, the company has worked on aircraft such as the Eurofighter, the Airbus A330 MRTT, the Airbus A400M, and other Level D civil simulators such as the A330, A320, Boeing 737 and the ATR 72.
It is also one of the companies which has developed simulators for a wide range of helicopters, which include the NH90, Tigre, Cougar, Chinook, Blackhawk and Seahawk amongst others.
