The Chilean Ministry of National Defense, the Chilean Air Force (FACh), and the National Aeronautics Company (Enaer) launched the Pillan II Integrated Flight Instruction System challenge that may exchange the present fleet of Enaer T-35 Pillan plane of the FACh with 33 new plane manufactured in Chile, for an quantity of US$142 million.
The ceremony was held on October 26 on the National Aeronautical and Space Museum in Santiago and was presided over by the Minister of National Defense, Maya Fernández, and was attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Air General Arturo Merino, and by the CEO of Enaer, Henry Cleveland, amongst different authorities.
TRAINING NEW FIGHTER PILOTS
In his speech, General Merino identified that “this is a vital exercise for the Chilean Air Force. This exercise has materialized due to the assist of the Government and the Defense authorities.
“Today, we’re right here to current and launch the Pillan II challenge, designed for the integral primary flight coaching of the pilots of the Chilean Air Force.
“The Tango Tres Cinco Pillan plane, constructed by Enaer within the ’80s, has nearly 40 years of service within the establishment.
“It has lived a long life, and many generations of military aviators have been trained in its cockpit, having demonstrated in more than 200,000 flight hours the validity it represented as a basic training aircraft”.
He added that “over the last two years, we’ve invested time and work within the seek for an answer that will permit its substitute, and in coordination with the Defense authorities, we’re finishing up this challenge that may permit the technology of a brand new primary flight coaching system for the Chilean Air Force.
In this sense, the event of the strategic capabilities that the Defense Policy imposes on our establishment essentially calls for to have professionally competent pilots and personnel, duly instructed and educated, since it’s the women and men who lastly function the programs, make choices and supply flexibility, adaptability, and resilience to our effort”.
“Under these ideas, the proposal introduced by Enaer integrates, in an progressive means, programs in step with the present improvement of know-how within the fields of aeronautics, computing, and simulation, all of this along with a brand new plane as a central piece, forming an instruction system that may permit an integral coaching of pilots in all areas of primary flight.
“The design of the new aircraft considers in its construction the most modern technologies available, complying with the standards required for the training of our fighter pilots, according to the current technical and operational requirements of our institution, which will allow an easy transition to the aircraft currently operated by the Air Force”.
DEVELOPMENT OF CHILEAN AEROSPACE CAPACITY
The components related to the Pillan II – developed by DTS, an Enaer subsidiary – embrace a blended actuality flight simulator, a mission planning, and plane management system, in addition to a debriefing system, which collectively will facilitate the transition to fight plane outfitted with higher capability and know-how, such because the F-16.
In this regard, Enaer’s government director defined that “this program could have a big social affect since it’s estimated that near 300 certified, high quality jobs will likely be created straight for technical, administrative, and repair personnel for a number of years, benefiting quite a few households.
“In addition, the work of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) supplying products and services for the program will require a supply of 200 direct jobs.”
He additionally introduced that fifty nationwide SMEs have been employed within the present Pilllan program.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
For her half, the Minister of Defense emphasised that “the decision that our government has taken to continue with the development of this project expresses the political will and the aspiration to continue being leaders in the professional training of airspace fighters”.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the initiative contemplates the development of 33 plane and related programs, with an funding of US$142 million for eight years.
The challenge will permit from 2027-2028 to have a brand new technology of latest pilots by means of a brand new coaching system that will likely be on the degree of the very best know-how worldwide.
During the presentation of the challenge, the broad collaboration of nationwide universities and analysis facilities within the initiative was highlighted; taking part within the preliminary design of the Pillan II programs – along with Enaer and its subsidiary firm DTS – researchers and college students from the colleges of Chile, Concepción, Bernardo O’Higgins, Talca, La Serena, and Federico Santa María, in numerous disciplines.
This program contemplates the creation of direct jobs for engineers, technicians, and operators with totally different specialties in areas equivalent to plane design, course of improvement and manufacturing of metallic and composite structural components and assemblies, electrical elements, implementation of meeting strains, and meeting of the plane and its programs, in addition to their testing and certification.
Both building firms may also contract the providers of SMEs all through the nation. As indicated within the presentation, thus far, 20 areas of cooperation have been recognized with potential suppliers within the metal-mechanic, electrical, and electronics industries, engineering providers, and prototyping for the availability of metallic and non-metallic components.
On the opposite hand, with out contemplating doable gross sales overseas, the work derived from the contract with the FACh will likely be prolonged for eight years.
The after-sales assist will stay throughout your entire helpful lifetime of the fleet, which will likely be greater than 30 years, producing on this interval further jobs to satisfy the technical and logistical necessities of the Integrated Flight Instruction System.
In addition, contemplating the dimensions of the fleet, it’s estimated that 100 everlasting jobs will likely be created to hold out the upkeep processes of the plane and their related programs all through the system’s service life.
It must be famous that the Enaer T-35 Pillan was commercialized in Chile, Ecuador, Spain, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic.
With data from InfoDefensa