HENSOLDT delivers radar training system enhancement to RAAF

By Editor 10-May-2021

HENSOLDT Australia has delivered an enhancement to the RAAF’s Radar Operational Maintenance Trainer (OMT). The OMT training solution is provided to the RAAF to enable technicians to develop the skills required to operate and maintain radar systems in a controlled, ‘real life‘ environment. Developed in Australia, the Antenna Control Unit (ACU) Stimulator emulates a working antenna and pedestal system. The RAAF technician who is undergoing radar training can now interact as if it were an actual antenna, enabling them to learn how to operate the complete system and respond to issues and malfunctions in a realistic and timely manner.

This enhancement aligns the OMT software with that used in the operational radars, rather than it being a modified and unique training software release. This reduces the life cycle costs for the system and allows the OMT to be used as an effective rollout platform for future software releases, minimising the downtime requirements for operational system through its 20-year life-of-type.

HENSOLDT Australia has been providing operational and maintenance support, installation, testing and evaluation of radars across a number of RAAF bases and naval platforms. This gave the development team a clear understanding of the end user environment. HENSOLDT Australia has expanded its engineering, technical, repair and manufacture capabilities, and this allowed extensive work to be undertaken to explore the system environment and assess sources of risk, and to develop requirements and formulate design.

The ACU Stimulator was designed and manufactured in the HENSOLDT Australia workshop. Acceptance testing was completed, and it is now operational in the OMT.  With this success, the second and spare system will be manufactured and delivered in 2021, with the product available for export to support not only HENSOLDT Radars, but also other ATC radars.

 HENSOLDT Australia Pty Ltd (HENSOLDT Australia) is a technology solutions company. Providing system integration and engineering services, HENSOLDT Australia is recognised for introducing leading technologies, delivering radars, electronic warfare systems, electro-optronic devices and air traffic control equipment to customers. The company has been introducing cutting edge technologies, delivering radars, electronic warfare systems, electro-optronic devices and air traffic control equipment to customers in Australia for over ten years.

HENSOLDT Australia is part of HENSOLDT Group. HENSOLDT is a German champion in the defence industry with a leading market position in Europe and a global reach. Headquartered in Taufkirchen near Munich/Germany, the company develops sensor solutions for defence and security applications. As a technology leader, HENSOLDT also continuously expands its Cyber portfolio and develops new products to combat a wide range of threats based on innovative approaches to data management, robotics and cybersecurity. With more than 5,600 employees, HENSOLDT generated revenues of 1.2 billion euros in 2020. HENSOLDT is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the SDAX stock market index there.