“In the sky, the Ukrainian F-16 carried American missiles under its wings. There was an order to fire, and the bullets rushed away and destroyed the target,” Ukrainian pilots said about their success. Proficient in simulation programs.
The press agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine revealed that in one of the tactical air force brigades, the country’s pilots are practicing combat missions on the simulated flight training system of F-16 fighters. The Czech Republic provides them.
The head of the simulation system maintenance team noted that Ukraine’s acquisition of this modern platform is a real “breakthrough”.
This expert recounts the difficulty in ensuring the operation of simulators for older aircraft: “I have been working on simulator trainers for aircraft such as the Su and MiG for more than 20 years. To put it mildly, we have been going through a difficult time. For a long time, the new equipment supply situation seemed to be approaching a critical level.”
“No, we never gave up. They did everything possible – they repaired, modernized, updated software, attracted Ukrainian manufacturers… The oldest simulators have become the platform for a little younger “colleagues” We often hear about a lack of capital or insufficient time, but thanks to the efforts of professionals who are ready to run all over the device. day and night with the welding machine in hand, we were able to preserve the equipment,” he said.
“But everything has its own time and resources. The majority of our flight simulators have long expired. Given the current situation, the Ukrainian Air Force is analyzing the technical possibilities to find effective, cost-effective solutions. One of them is the conversion to flight simulation using virtual or fixed reality, giving pilots a realistic feeling of flight as well as a large perspective. In advanced countries around the world, such simulators have been used for the past 5 years,” the expert said.
“Soon the F-16s will be put into service in our brigades, so there is simply no other choice but to switch to using new simulators,” he asserted.
According to this officer, the realism of the feeling, gravity overload (G overload), a wide selection of maps, modes, scenarios, the ability to practice using a variety of weapons, and simulation of actions operating in emergency situations, are amazing, this is a completely different level of technology.
Of course, “a simulation program does not make a warrior on the battlefield” and this is just the beginning. The Ukrainian Air Force added that in the near future all tactical air brigades will be equipped with such platforms.
Previously, on May 10, the Czech Republic transferred the first F-16 fighter jet simulation system to one of the tactical air force brigades. It is reported that its main module has been tested and prepared for operation by Ukrainian experts.
The Ukrainian Air Force explained that this is not a simulator but a complete flight simulator with a real F-16 cockpit. Next, the hydraulic system will be installed so that the pilot can feel the realism of the training flight as closely as possible to a combat situation.
