22 May 2020: PC-21 full-mission simulator will now be added to French Air Force program to provide more flexibility while contributing to more effective live-flying training on the PC-21 aircraft fleet. CAE and Cognac Formation Aero have signed a contract amendment regarding the same. It will be delivered in 2022 to the Cognac-Châteaubernard Air Base in southwest France. On-site maintenance and support services on the new simulator will be provided by CAE just like the PC-21 ground-based training system.
Cognac Formation Aero is a joint venture of Babcock France and Dassault Aviation.
The French Air Force pilot training program is designed to train future French Air Force pilots and is and managed by DGA, the French procurement agency, and known as FOMEDEC (Formation Modernisée des Equipages de Chasse or Jet Pilots Modernised Training Program).
“The addition of a third PC-21 full-mission simulator will significantly increase the synthetic training capabilities of the French Air Force at the Cognac-Châteaubernard Air Base,” said Marc-Olivier Sabourin, Vice President and General Manager, Defence & Security International, CAE. “The PC-21 ground-based training system plays a critical role in the overall training program and an additional PC-21 full-mission simulator will provide more flexibility while contributing to more effective live-flying training on the PC-21 aircraft fleet.”