The Hindu : Karnataka News : Air Force to acquire ATC simulator

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Air Force to acquire ATC simulator

Ravi Sharma

BANGALORE: Having to take on a much larger and busier role in monitoring and controlling air traffic at a number of its airports where civilian flights operate cheek-by-jowl with military airplanes, the Air Force is acquiring a state-of-the-art integrated radar and air traffic control (ATC) simulator.

The 360 degree seamless visual system is expected to be operational by 2010.

Senior officers told The Hindu that the simulator will not only help the Air Force train its air controllers at a fast pace (and not on the job as is being done now), but will also allow officers and airmen who undertake ATC duties go through periodic refresher courses. It will facilitate training without blocking equipment that is being used for ATC duties. To be located at the Air Force Academy at Dundigal (Andhra Pradesh), the simulator and the building it is to be housed in is expected to cost around Rs. 30 crore.

Ministry of Defence sources told The Hindu that the products of six companies have been listed for technical evaluation. The competing vendors being CMC, Tata Power, Jupiter Aviation, Alpha Design Technologies, Varisis Advanced Engineering and Software Technologies and Pet Aviation Systems. All of them have tied up with foreign partners.

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