Joint Lynx Simulator Training Establishment helps Portuguese Navy reach 20,000 incident-free flight hours
On the eve of the International Training and Education Conference (ITEC), Europe’s leading showcase for military simulation and training, CAE announced that the Portuguese Navy recently completed 20,000 incident-free flight hours for its fleet of Lynx Mk95 helicopters.
The Portuguese Navy has been training its Lynx helicopter pilots for the past 19 years at the Joint Lynx Simulator Training Establishment (JLSTE), which was originally located at Naval Air Station de Kooy in Den Helder, Netherlands and is now based at Naval Air Station Nordholz in Germany. The JLSTE includes a CAE-built Lynx full-mission flight trainer (FMFT) that has been in-service since 1988 and provided nearly 100,000 hours of training to Lynx aircrews from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Portugal.
“Achieving 20,000 flight hours with no airframe damage or loss of life for the Portuguese Navy’s small fleet of Lynx Mk95 helicopters is a significant milestone and one that would not have been possible without the simulator training we have received,” said Paulo Jorge da Conceição Lopes, Navy Helicopter Commanding Officer and Helicopter Training Centre Director, Portuguese Navy. “The knowledge we have gained from training with Lynx aircrews from other nations, and the world-class simulation technology and support provided by CAE, has played a vital role in the training and safety of our aircrews.”
The CAE-built Lynx FMFT entered service in late 1988 and this year will celebrate 25 years of service to the German Navy, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Royal Netherlands Navy and Portuguese Navy. CAE has performed numerous upgrades to the simulator since it entered service, and maintenance and support of the Lynx FMFT has been handled by technicians from CAE Germany for the past 25 years.
“We congratulate the Portuguese Navy on achieving 20,000 flight hours with no accidents or incidents,” said Ian Bell, CAE’s Vice President and Business Leader – Europe. “Simulation-based training continues to prove its relevance and importance as a cost-effective means for improving safety, operational efficiency and mission readiness.”
