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The pair have confirmed that they are expecting to continue overseeing the Tiger’s helicopter simulators, with the contract scheduled to wrap up in 2025.
Rheinmetall and Thales have confirmed that the companies will continue overseeing the simulators for the French and German Tiger attack helicopters, following a 2021 contract issued through OCCAR (the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d'Armement). The new contract has the pair scheduled to oversee the simulators from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025.
As part of the contract, the companies will manage 20 Tiger simulators in Le Luc, Fritzlar, Pau and Phalsbourg. Of the simulators, eight are full-mission simulators and 12 are cockpit procedure trainers to help crews train using the latest aircraft. The latest aircraft in service are the Tiger Hélicoptère d’Appui et Destruction (HAD) Block 2 in France, and the Unterstützungs hubschrauber Tiger Step 2 Krypto in Germany.
The conduct of the training through the simulators is hoped to deliver realistic training components, ensuring the war readiness of both nations.
The companies are also expected to deliver service and maintenance advice as part of the contract.
According to a statement from Rheinmetall, both companies and OCCAR will continue to leverage years of cooperation in simulation and training, where OCCAR contracted the Tiger Aircrew Training Means (ARGE TATM) to modernise the simulators. The project was completed in 2019.
ARGE TATM is a joint venture between Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH and Thales AVS France SAS.
The announcement came as Rheinmetall received an order for illumination and smoke and obscurant shells from the DMO, the Netherlands’ procurement agency, with delivery of the munitions expected in mid-2023.
According to Rheinmetall, the contract is “worth a figure in the two-digit million-euro range” and is part of a multi-year ammunition agreement between the prime and the Dutch defence forces.
The contract will oversee the delivery of 155 millimetre illumination rounds including the M1808 Base Bleed and M1809 Boat Tails rounds, as well as the RH1901 Base Bleed and RH1902 smoke rounds.
[Related: Rheinmetall Defence Australia confirms Lynx IFV export deal to United States]
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