A ceremony to mark the introduction of the Hornet Aircrew Training System (HACTS) simulator into service was hosted by Raytheon Australia today at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales. Raytheon Australia was contracted in May 2004 to provide three replacement F/A-18 Hornet flight simulators to the Commonwealth of Australia as part of the Hornet Upgrade Project.

The HACTS simulator devices, which were developed and produced by Link Simulation & Training under contract to Raytheon Australia, were based on the latest production Hornet simulators for the United States Navy and Canadian forces. Two simulators and a debrief facility will be eventually located at RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales and one simulator and a debrief facility will be located at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory.

The first simulator and associated items were accepted into service at RAAF Base Williamtown on 19 June 2006, ahead of schedule. The second device, located at RAAF Base Tindal, has been installed and tested, and is expected commence training this week, some five weeks ahead of schedule. The third and final device, to be located at RAAF Base Williamtown, is programmed for early 2007.

HACTS will deliver significant advantages over the previous Hornet simulator systems. Most noticeable will be a 300-degree visual system in a dome configuration. This will enable aircrew to engage in far more accurate air-to-air and air-to-ground combat manoeuvres than is possible with the previous simulator visual system. Night vision goggle and joint helmet mounted cueing capabilities will be simulated, allowing Hornet aircrew to practice hazardous operations in a safe environment. The new simulator will arrive configured to reflect the current Hornet Upgrade Program baseline. The simulators will be linkable to enable multi-pilot training in a simulated tactical environment.

It is a credit to both the DMO and Raytheon Australia project teams that this project milestone has been achieved ahead of schedule, while delivering the required capability and maintaining project budget. Raytheon Australia is contracted to provide in-service support for the new simulator devices. The new simulator package of three full flight simulators and associated equipment and support will have a total cost of approximately $93 million.