Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M), the prime contractor for the comprehensive support of the French E-3F AWACS fleet, and its industrial partner Exail, have delivered a new flight simulator to the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA). Designed, developed and assembled at Exail’s site in Lannion, the simulator is now operational for the benefit of the French Air and Space Force.
Ordered by the DGA under the comprehensive AWACS fleet support contract awarded to AFI KLM E&M, the new simulator represents a major milestone in sustaining France’s airborne early warning and control capabilities over the long term. It will be used by crews of the 36th Airborne Command and Control Wing (36e EC2A), providing both initial qualification training for pilots, navigators and flight engineers, as well as recurrent training to maintain their operational proficiency and readiness.
By replicating the flight dynamics, systems and profiles of the E-3F AWACS, the simulator provides a realistic and demanding training environment. Equipped with a 6-axis motion system and an extended high-resolution visual display, it supports the training curriculum and enables aircrews to develop and maintain their operational skills. The simulator also helps optimise flight hours on actual aircraft while supporting the responsiveness and readiness of the French Air and Space Force, including for overseas operations and the maintenance of permanent alert postures.
The project highlights the close collaboration between the DGA, the French Air and Space Force (FASF), AFI KLM E&M and Exail. As prime contractor for the comprehensive support of the French E-3F AWACS fleet, AFI KLM E&M managed the overall project, while Exail mobilized its technological expertise to engineer and deliver the simulation solution at its Lannion site.
“The delivery of this AWACS simulator demonstrates our ability to turn a challenge into a strategic opportunity for our forces," François, E-3F AWACS Program Director at DGA said. "The success of this project, which the DGA is leading as the contracting authority, is a testament to the excellent collaboration between Exail, AFI KLM E&M, and the Ministry of the Armed Forces. We are therefore now looking at an indispensable tool that the DGA has delivered to the Air and Space Force to help keep the AWACS aircraft flying through 2035."
“In September 2026, the French company Exail delivered its first state-of-the-art three-dimensional flight training device to the French Air and Space Force," Stephen, Chief of the Fleet Office of the Assault and Projection Air Brigade (BAAP) at the FASF, said. "This simulator is a key component of the initial qualification and recurrent training of our E-3F flight crews. Its realistic representation of the E-3F cockpit and flight characteristics enables trainees to progressively master their aircraft during an intensive six-week course, as if they were flying the real aircraft. As a result, the first actual flight unfolds just as it did in the simulator.
"Furthermore, the accurate modelling of all aircraft systems provides a major asset for recurrent crew training, particularly in managing high-stress situations that cannot be safely practiced in flight, such as the failure of two of the four engines, Dutch roll recovery, or a complete electrical failure. In conclusion, this new E-3F simulator is a cutting-edge training asset that contributes to the excellence of our E-3F flight crews. Last but not least, it offers a sovereign solution readily accessible not far from their home base.”
“This delivery reflects our strong commitment alongside the DGA and the French Air and Space Force, with whom we share a long-standing, trusted partnership for AWACS fleet support," Béranger Sénéchal, General Manager, Military Product at AFI KLM E&M, said. "As prime contractor, our mission is to provide the armed forces with the technical capabilities that support the availability and operational effectiveness of their aircraft. Through our close collaboration with Exail and the guidance of the DGA, we are pleased to deliver a simulator tailored to the initial training and operational proficiency needs of E-3F aircrews.”
“With this delivery, Exail confirms its capability to engineer and deploy turnkey, high-fidelity full flight simulators for strategic defense programs," Charles Le Bot, Managing Director of Simulation Activities at Exail, said. "Alongside AFI KLM E&M and the DGA, we provide the physical and operational realism required before taking off on critical missions.”