Leonardo’s royal-virtual simulation system shows its potential. To win the saleswoman he will have to deal with Boeing-Saab, Lockheed Martin-Kai and Sierra Nevada projects
The assessments of the Leonardo M346 Master Aircraft as a competitor of the Undergrade Jet Training System (UJTS) competition, the supply of a trainer at the US Navy, thanks to the agreement between the Italian company and the historic American company Beechcraft of the Textron group, begin in the United States.
The simulation revealed by Flight Global
The Flight Global newspaper reveals that she has witnessed a flight simulation that took place on September 16 in which the Italian airplane intercepted and shot down – obviously virtually – a Sukhoi 27 aircraft “mysteriously” appeared (because generated by the computer), above the American meadows.
Within the M346n piloting cabin (n Sta per Navy), three screens showed the tactical situation, including an air-air radar hook on the enemy approaching, whose identity was visually confirmed on another screen showing a live black and white video from the “pod” of the pointing on board hanging under the wing.
The situation was such that the instructor to the simulator decided that the target was close enough to use a sidewinder (AIM-9x missile to search for heat, editor’s note) “. Then the radar display disappeared replaced by a silhouette of the plane that listed the weapons available to face the threat.
The realism of training
The IM-9X indicator flashed in white just as the jet performed a 3.5g turn (three times the acceleration of gravity) to orient themselves on the target. The pilots heads became heavy, the acceleration compressed their lungs and crushed their bodies against the seats. The anti-g suits swelling around the legs to hold the blood in the brain, the IM-9x indicator flashed briefly in green and a few moments after the Su-27 disappeared. Down.
But while the plane friend, took off from Wichita airport, was actually flying over the pastures of the Kansas with the pilot’s and officer’s officer in charge of employed weapons, the enemy and the missile that destroyed it were virtual, generated by the on -board training system.
The GBTS system and LVC technology
The Italian training system is called Ground Based Training System (GBTS) and is made up of a segment of earth that includes simulators, planning and management systems of missions, preceded by multimedia training courses.
Then there is Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) technology that integrates real activities with simulations in various virtual environments and in the scenarios generated by the computer, creating a realistic and complete training environment for recreating air-air and air-air fights.
And all this, daily used at the IFTS training school in Decimomannu managed by the Italian Air Force and Leonardo, is very interested in the US defense, so much so that in Sardinia, American drivers are also trained for the first time.
The American rules and the previous ones Leonardo
The rules of the competitions for the Pentagon have always been great opportunities for our industry, but to provide means to Uncle Sam the American law requires that these are assembled in the USA, as happened a few years ago when Boeing won the contract for helicopters with our AW139, which became “Gray Wolf” and in 2020 for the AW119 Koala that have become advanced training. having won the production of a maximum of 130 helicopters.
These then take on the military denomination Th-73a (TH is for training helicopter) to support the Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) program.
Competitors and strengths
The race that will see the M346N compete is an arduous challenge to be won: in addition to the Beechcraft/Leonardo M346N, the choice of the Navy will be between Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk (on the most expensive card), the Lockheed Martin TF-50 based on the Kai T-50, a South Korean trainer developed for 15% by the USA and the Freedom Trainer of the Sierra Nevada Nevada Corporation (snc).
The strength of the M346N? Be already used for the same purpose by the airlines of different nations. The weak point is only “political”: having been largely redesigned in Italy but starting from what remained of the agreement between the Aermacchi and the Russian Yakovlev in force between 1993 and 1999, or by the Yak-130 and The race includes the proclamation of the winner in January 2027.
