Aircraft

Alenia Aeronautica has delivered the first of two Eurofighter Typhoon enhanced aircrew cockpit procedure trainers (E-ACPT) to the Italian air force's Grosseto air base, where it will become operational by year-end. A second trainer will arrive at Gioia del Colle air base from mid-2008 under a service requirement issued last March.

Intended to fill a capability gap until the availability of Italy's first Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids full mission simulator at Grosseto in 2009, the devices will be used to support type conversion and currency training, and to perform emergency drills and mission rehearsal, including multi-ship activities using networked simulators.

© Alenia Aeronautica

Each E-ACPT has a 4m (13.1ft)-diameter dome, a cockpit mock-up with replica consoles and three touch-screen monitors showing flight instrumentation, and has a two-person instructor station.