CAE USA has secured a contract to deliver Phase 1 and Phase 2 military pilot training to the Irish Air Corps.
The US Air Force Security Assistance Training (AFSAT) Squadron, part of the USAF Air Education & Training Command (AETC) awarded the contract.
Under the contract, training will be provided to 14 Irish Air Corps students over the next 18 months.
Phase 1 training will take place in Florida at CAE USA subcontracted small business partner SkyWarrior Flight Training. The business will provide an airforce-approved initial flight training (IFT) programme.
Phase 2 primary flight training will take place at the company’s Dothan Training Center in Alabama, US.
In this phase, academic, simulator and live-flying training will be provided in CAE-owned and operated Grob G120TP military trainer aircraft.
Irish Air Corps student pilots will start training ‘leveraging the CAE Trax Academy pilot training continuum’ upon arrival at the CAE Dothan Training Center.
Finally, live-flying training will be delivered in the Grob G120TP aircraft.
CAE USA president and general manager Ray Duquette said: “We already train US Army, navy, and airforce pilots at the CAE Dothan Training Center so we are excited to welcome the Irish Air Corps as the first international students to our state-of-the-art training facility.
“Many militaries around the world may be looking for initial and primary pilot training options and leveraging our existing infrastructure and syllabus can be a cost-effective alternative to establishing a homegrown pilot training programme.”
In January, the USAF awarded CAE USA an eight-year contract to continue providing complete KC-135 aircrew training services.
