SH-60B helicopter squadron receives flight trainer at homeport

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md.-- Naval Aviation Training Systems program office (PMA-205) delivered a SH-60B Seahawk Tactical Operational Flight Trainer (TOFT) to Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), in late 2010.

“With the new TOFT on location, the crews have more simulation time affording proficiency in mission readiness while staying close to home, thus eliminating cost associated with flying crews to the mainland. ” said Capt. John Feeney, Naval Aviation Training Systems program manager ,PMA-205 .

Previously, aircrews from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light THIRTY-SEVEN (HSL-37) homeported at MCBH would travel to Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., for simulation training.

The TOFT, built by CAE, Tampa, Fla., includes both an operational flight trainer (OFT) and a weapons tactics trainer (WTT) that can operate independently or jointly. It is housed in the newly constructed John K. Koelsch building.

The flight trainer is a full-mission simulator used to train pilots and co-pilots. It includes motion seats that provide vibrations and motion onset cues, and a Mylar window visual display used with operational night vision goggles. It also includes full mission and weapons system simulation. 

The weapons trainer replicates the back-end of the helicopter and is used to train sensor operators and airborne tactics officers. It features detailed simulations of underwater and atmospheric environments, as well as the aircraft weapons and sensors to prepare crew members for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions.

When the OFT and WTT are used jointly they become a TOFT, designed to provide total aircrew mission training. Operating in this mode, the pilot and co-pilot in the OFT and the sensor operator in the WTT can interact in the training scenario the same way they will during an actual submarine hunt or surface warfare mission.

“We are excited to have the device here at Kaneohe Bay [MCBH]. Not only is our own squadron utilizing the simulator, the forward deployed squadron HSL-51 [Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light FIFTY-ONE from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan] also uses the trainer to assist crews in combat simulation,” said Alan Jones, Aircrew Simulation Systems manager. 

The SH-60B Seahawk is a multi-mission helicopter used for anti-submarine warfare and surface attack, as well as search and rescue, vertical replenishment and medical evacuation.