CAE to provide additional P-8A OFT simulator hardware for RAF

CAE has received a contract from Boeing to supply simulator hardware for an additional P-8A operational flight trainer (OFT) for the British Royal Air Force (RAF).

Last year, CAE was awarded a contract to design and manufacture the hardware for the first P-8A OFT for the RAF. The contract also covered hardware for a P-8I OFT for the Indian Navy.

The company also developed and delivered a P-8 operational flight trainer integration asset for Boeing.

The integration asset serves as an engineering development tool and enables Boeing to evaluate aircraft and simulator upgrades for its customers, including the US Navy, and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

CAE USA president and general manager Ray Duquette said: “We are pleased to continue supporting Boeing on the development of P-8 training systems for the international customers acquiring this advanced maritime patrol aircraft.

“The UK and India will now join the US Navy and Australia in leveraging high-fidelity synthetic training as part of their overall P-8 training curriculum.”

CAE noted that the P-8 OFTs set to be delivered to the RAF and the Indian Navy will be similar to those already developed for the US Navy and RAAF. The RAF and the Indian Navy will receive the OFTs in 2021.

The OFTs will feature the 737-800 OFT software baseline and simulation-based software lab environment provided by CAE. The environment is used by Boeing for the P-8 OFT development and integration tasks.

After simulators are delivered, Boeing will design, install and integrate software specific to the P-8 aircraft.

The P-8A Poseidon will replace the US Navy’s existing fleet of P-3 Orion aircraft and is designed to perform long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. The US Navy intends to procure 117 P-8A aircraft.