Feature 4
‘e-Learning’
for Flight Deck
Controllers
Apart from the SAIF programme, SEA
has also recently been awarded a
contract to provide the UK Ministry
of Defence Maritime Trainers IPT with
a training system for Royal Navy
Flight Deck Officers and Type 45
destroyer Flight Deck Controllers (see
elsewhere in this issue).
The system will provide a
simulation environment for students
of both ashore and afloat aircraft
marshalling, including models for all
major Royal Navy ship types and
a wide variety of helicopters. It will
give the RN School of Flight Deck
Operations a new level of training
The initial phase of the project has developed a Ship/Helicopter Operating Limit (SHOL) capability, enabling it to prepare
prediction capability, utilising a networked version of the Merlin helicopter flight simulator qualified deck personnel for the
at the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose. operational launch of the Type 45.
for other platforms and applications. realistic simulation of the turbulent 2008, and will compare simulated results
The programme has received significant airflow around the ship. Previous SAIF against flight test data for the Merlin
support from the Directorate of simulation experiments have shown that operating from the existing Type 23
Equipment Capability, and has also this is a key area of the modelling, which frigate and Wave class auxiliary oiler.
generated considerable interest from drives the resultant pilot workload when The UK is also in discussion with
other navies.’ attempting to launch or recover to the Italy and other nations regarding the
SEA, as prime contractor, is flight deck of a ship. development of a cooperative ship/air
responsible for the project management The validation of the SAIF simulation interface simulation capability, for which
and overall system architecture, and is of prime importance. Experienced the SAIF simulation has been offered as
has developed, along with its sub- Merlin helicopter pilots from 824 the UK contribution. Such a capability
contractors, the networked software Squadron at Culdrose and the Rotary may allow aircraft operating limits from
models that can be linked externally Wing Test Squadron at Boscombe other nations’ vessels to be investigated,
with the aircraft simulation. Down have assessed the validity of the in support of joint operations.
The SAIF team includes experts SAIF system, and have proposed useful The flexibility of the SAIF architecture
from QinetiQ Ltd, experienced in both improvements to the simulation during also permits the assessment of the
simulated and real ship/helicopter trials; its development. performance of UAVs in a maritime
CAE, which manufactured and maintain The Merlin flight simulator is just one environment. Issues such as the safe
the Merlin flight simulator; and BMT part of a multi-million pound training recovery of the UAV under different
Syntek Technologies, which has provided facility, used to train the aircrew to fly environmental conditions, and the
expertise on the dynamic interface the helicopter and operate its complex required fidelity of data for any automatic
between the ship and helicopter. weapon systems, and continued support recovery system can be studied early in
The SAIF programme now also involves to the programme has been provided the assessment phase of a project. The
experts from Cranfield University by 824 Squadron, the Merlin Integrated SAIF system therefore has the potential
and the University of Liverpool in the Project Team (IPT), and Lockheed to predict the operational performance
development of an advanced ship air Martin, which is the prime contractor of a wide variety of maritime air assets
wake model. This new model will utilise for the Merlin Training Facility. and ship combinations in the launch
time-accurate Computational Fluid Testing of the new time-accurate air and recovery phase, at various stages in
Dynamics (CFD) data to provide a more wake model is scheduled for later in their lifecycle. WT
Warship Technology March 2008 23
WT Mar - p22+23.indd 23 03/03/2008 14:01:57
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