Alpha Design Technologies Ltd. (ADTL) said it has signed the first of two-phase defense contracts, together worth ₹753 crores, with the Ministry of Defence and Russia’s RAC MiG.
The Bengaluru-based company, which is involved in military aircraft, electronic devices for the military, and satellite assemblies for ISRO, said it has been chosen by the two to build, own and maintain two types of simulators for fighter aircraft.
Pilots of the Indian Air Force will train on these simulators before flying the upgraded Russian-origin MiG-29 fighters.
Under the first contract worth ₹53 crores, Alpha Design would set up and run the MiG-29 simulator center at the Adampur airfield near Jalandhar initially for two years. The second 18-year contract would be signed after two years, said ADTL CMD Col. (retd.) H.S.Shankar.
Alpha has hired former IAF pilots as trainers. Training on simulators can save up to 75% of the cost of fuel and wear and tear of flying an actual plane, he added.
Earlier this year Indian Air Force bought 21 multirole mig-29 from Russia along with Su-30MKI. These were bought in light of the india-china standoff these were bought under an emergency procurement program these were most probably bought to fulfill the requirements of the Indian air force.
Why a simulator ?
The service plans to build vast, integrated networks of simulation tools to enable its forces to train together in realistic environments on a scale never seen before
