Vrgineers has been selected by Lockheed Martin to participate in a pilot training industrial cooperation project as part of the initiative to supply the Czech Republic with 24 F-35 Lightning II strike fighters.
The Czech government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US to purchase 24 F-35s on 24 January when Czech Minister of Defence, Jana Černochová called the agreement the most important project in the history of the Czech Armed Forces. “As a matter of fact, fifth-generation aircraft are the backbone fighters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Moreover, their procurement will significantly increase combat readiness of the Czech Armed Forces,” she said.
Vrgineers is responsible for the development and delivery of unclassified next generation simulators, specifically tailored to support the Czech Air Force pilots. While the simulators will not replicate the precise behaviour of the aircraft with 100 per cent accuracy, they will be designed to meet certain training procedures and familiarisation requirements.
A notable feature of the training simulators is a non-classified mode, allowing for operation in non-secure environments thus enhancing accessibility by eliminating the need for secure rooms and making the devices readily available for pilot training.
“The introduction and use of tactical simulators that can be easily packed, transported, and assembled to train tactical scenarios and the broad spectrum of missions outside of the main operational base will enable the currency of our pilots even during lengthy deployments,” Brigadier General Jaroslav Mika, Deputy Director of the Force Development Division of the Czech Ministry of Defence said.
“New trends of virtual and mixed reality enable this capability, and thanks to the cooperation agreement between Lockheed Martin and Vrgineers as part of the F-35 project, the Czech Air Force will have the opportunity to use such a system.”
The simulators will be engineered for quick and easy set-up and operations to ensure that pilots have continuous access which will optimise their training process and contribute to overall readiness and effectiveness.