Only the ninth worldwide: Defense puts the first Airbus A400 flight simulator into use | Interior

Official plans for the purchase of the simulator date back to the end of 2018. Construction of the device could start in 2021, and it will be installed on the site in Melsbroek from October 2022. After a thorough test period, the simulator has been used by Defense pilots since January of this year.

“This simulator is the closest we can get to reality,” says Major Josse Van Hellemont. “Both in terms of images and in terms of movement, we can simulate situations down to the smallest detail. The absolute added value for me is the safety: you cannot simulate an engine failure or a fire on board in a real aircraft. You can do that in the simulator. And if the exercise goes wrong, rewind three minutes and do it again.”

Until now, pilots had to go to Spain or England to work with a flight simulator. Training with a real A400 quickly costs several thousand euros per hour. Thanks to the new simulator, the number of training hours with the real transport aircraft can be limited, and the Belgian pilots do not have to travel further than Melsbroek to practice. In addition to cost savings, the investment is therefore also a win in terms of sustainability, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The Belgian A400 aircraft were recently deployed to provide humanitarian aid to the earthquake in Turkey. “This shows that we need these transport aircraft as a country,” says Minister Dedonder. “It is therefore important to have our own capacity in terms of training and education. In addition, when the A400s are on mission, the other pilots can easily continue training.”

The cost of the simulator, to which Luxembourg also contributed, amounts to 93 million euros. The aircraft is located in the new BeLux National Training Center, which was also inaugurated on Monday.

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