CAE has selected Field Aviation to upgrade the fleet of 22 CT-156 Harvard trainer aircraft, which are used for the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program. The upgrade will consist of the addition of a Traffic Advisory System (TAS) and an Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder system.
The purpose of the TAS is to improve pilot situational awareness of other nearby aircraft by providing traffic detection and alerting appropriate for military flight training operations. A Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) GPS receiver will be installed with the ADS-B transponder system, allowing the aircraft to accurately determine and broadcast their position information to air traffic control (ATC), complying with the upcoming FAA NextGen ADS-B Out regulations. Field Aviation will be integrating this equipment into the CT-156 fleet, including designing the modification, manufacturing the parts, installing the kits and testing the equipment.
“We are proud to support the Government of Canada and CAE on this program,” said Rob Baseggio, Field Aviation’s vice president of business development. “This year both CAE and Field Aviation are celebrating 70 years in aviation, and how better to celebrate than by partnering together to demonstrate our collective capabilities, as well as the strength of the aerospace industry in Canada.”
This announcement follows news in January of this year that the Government of Canada had extended CAE’s contract for the NFTC program through at least 2023. CAE collaborates with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the prime contractor of the NFTC program, which delivers aircrew training for the Canadian forces and other NATO forces.