F-16 Simulator Training Center Put into Service

The first four centers within the scope of the Project for supplying F-16 simulator training system that include F-16C full mission simulator and training assistants of which the contract between the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM)  and Havelsan based on the demands of the Air Forces Command have been delivered. Minister of National Defence Mr. İsmet Yılmaz, Air Forces Commander General Akın Öztürk, Undersecretary for Defence Industries Mr. Murad Bayar, General Manager and CEO of Havelsan Mr. Sadık Yamaç and military and defence representatives attended the launching ceremony of the F-16 Simulator Training Centers with “worldwide state of the art technology” that are to enter into the inventory of Air Forces Command. 

Minister of National Defence Mr. İsmet Yılmaz expressed that he was proud of the Turkish Armed Forces and Air Forces Command and continued, “As a nation, we owe our esteem and confidence to the strength of our Turkish Armed Forces and deterrence of Turkish Air Forces. Ingeniuity is an accumulation of experiences. I fully believe that Turkish Air Forces – our Commander and all our pilots - reached the highest skill level. I also believe that  our pilots would contribute to further strenghtening of Turkish Air Forces with the skills and knowledge they would gain in these F-16 training simulators and increase its deterrence to enemies while becoming more reliable for our friends and allies in the 21st century. I would like to express my gratitude to all those contributed to this project”. 

Air Forces Commander General Akın Öztürk mentioned in his speech that they were putting the F-16 simulator training centers that would contribute to the modernization of Turkish Air Forces while enabling the training of qualified war pilots for years into service. Öztürk said that these F-16 simulators were the outcome of a vision built years ago and result of a national system established with the efforts of Turkish engineers and Air Forces personnel. Öztürk stated that executing tasks bearing high risk, performing missile and bombing trainings, practicing complex task flights with numerous aircrafts, training pilots by simulating extreme climate conditions and/or aircraft system breakdowns shall be enabled with the help of these new simulators and continued, “Our new simulators shall greatly contribute to building a better trained and more deterrent Air Forces with the principle of ‘train the way you fight’. Today we are launching the first three centers and by the end of the project, simulator centers would be established in 6 bases in Ankara, Balıkesir, Merzifon, Diyarbakır, Bandırma and Konya. Each simulator has the capacity to function jointly with other simulators in addition to providing trainings to our pilots at relevant bases. Our pilots at simulator training centers situated in different bases shall be able to execute all air operation tasks simultaneously, night and day, under all climate conditions at the same virtual environment. At these centers our personnel shall be trained as well as our pilots. Advanced Air Control Simulator which will be established in Konya will enable target description and shooting instructions to the personnel trained in the same virtual platform with the pilots”.

In his speech, Undersecretary for Defence Industries Mr. Murad Bayar stated that with the help of these centers, the training costs shall reduce considerably and accidents that may occur during the trainings would be prevented. Bayar continued, “Major capabilities in pilot trainings were gained. Our pilots shall carry on their trainings with this system with our renewed and modernized fleet. These systems stationed in 6 different jet bases have been designed with high-end technology. As of today, integrated trainings from various regions would be possible with this best F-16 simulation system”. Bayar pointed out that most updated satellite and digital data have been used in the project and added that Turkey, as a whole, has been modelled and thus prepared for virtual training. Bayar underlined that Havelsan has become one of the leading simulation companies in the world and added that major investments have been made in this respect and that they started getting the feedbacks. 

Within the scope of the F-16 SIM Project, Simulator Training Centers will be opened in Ankara 4th Main Jet Base Command, Balıkesir 9th Main Jet Base Command, Bandırma 6th Main Jet Base Command, Diyarbakır 8th Main Jet Base Command, Merzifon 5th Main Jet Base Command and Konya 3rd Main Jet Base Command. Three centers in Ankara, Merzifon and Balıkesir have been put into service so far and according to the program schedule, Bandırma and Diyarbakır simulation training centers would be launched in the first quarter of 2014. The last F-16 simulation training center is intended to be put into service at the end of 2016 in Konya. Full Task Simulators, Weapon Tactic Trainers, Advanced Air Controller Trainer and Debriefing and other training support systems will be entered into the inventory of Air Forces Command within the scope of F-16 SIM Project. 

More than 20 pilots could operate tasks simultaneously

With one of the most important capabilities gained with the Project - the Full Task Simulator, continuous global 360 degree visualization will be enabled around the pilot who is being trained. The image provided would be almost the same as human sight. This simulator would be able to conduct all the tasks of the actual aircraft and it is the very first aircraft in this area with such qualities. Weapon tactical trainer could execute most of the tasks that could also be conducted by the Full Task Simulator and it could be used for extending the cost-efficient applications. With Advanced Air Controller Training, the Advanced Air Controllers that direct the pilots towards the target during air-to-ground attacks will be trained.  

At the Simulator Training Centers with communication capability via Turkish Armed Forces Computer Network (TSK-NET), more than twenty pilots at various locations would be able to execute the same task simultaneously for the first time. Moreover, with the help of the Tactical Surveillance Center at the facility, the tasks such Anadolu Kartalı or similar international tasks could be conducted virtually and be evaluated from a central point. 

Trainings considering the conditions that could not be experienced in actual aircrafts including emergency procedures could also be easily accomplished in these simulation centers.