HAL, CAE ink JV for Helicopter Simulator Training Centre

Bangalore, Sep 26 (UNI) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and CAE, Canada inked an agreement here today to establish a joint venture company to open a helicopter simulator training centre in Bangalore.

The JV Company, Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF), would be owned equally by HAL and CAE. It is expected to begin operations in late 2008 by providing both civil and military helicopter pilot and maintenance training services.

As part of the joint venture, CAE would design and manufacture one full-mission simulator featuring CAE's revolutionary roll-on/roll-off cockpit design, which enables cockpits representing various helicopter types to be used in the simulator, a HAL press release said here today.

The statement said the two companies were planning to provide HATSOFF with cockpits for the three variants of the HAL-built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv (one cockpit each for the Indian Army/Air Force glass cockpit Dhruv, Indian Navy Dhruv, and civil variant of the Dhruv), as well as cockpits for the Bell 412 and Eurocopter Dauphin helicopters. Other military and civil helicopter platforms would be added as the market develops.

HAL Chairman Ashok K Baweja said in the press release "Our objective is to serve the fast-growing civil and military aerospace industry in India and become a globally competitive aerospace company". "HAL went through a very extensive technical and commercial evaluation of potential partners, and CAE is clearly the right choice for our joint venture given their leadership in helicopter simulation and training. We will continue to partner with leading companies like CAE to further HAL's position as India's premier aerospace organisation," Mr Baweja added.

CAE's Group President Simulation Products and Military Training and Services Marc Parent said " We are delighted to develop this potential business partnership with HAL.'' "There is a critical need for high-quality simulation-based training programmes in this region. This training centre will be the first of its kind in India devoted specifically to serving civil and military helicopter customers in the region," the CAE official added.

UNI