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Guardia di Finanza opens Air-Naval Operations Simulation Centre in Rome
February 9, 2023 By Helicopters Staff
The first and one-of-a-kind training centre in Europe headquartered at Pratica di Mari Air Base (Rome) is built on strong synergies between Guardia di Finanza’s operational and Leonardo’s technological expertise. (Photo: Leonardo) Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s Police Force, opened its Air-Naval Operations Simulation Centre on February 2, after Leonardo began its development in 2020. Leonardo explains the centre leverages the most advanced and innovative technologies in the simulation field, and is aimed at training Guardia di Finanza’s crews carrying out air-naval operations.
The new centre, a one-of-a-kind in Europe, integrates advanced network simulation systems in a single environment. The simulators fully mirror Leonardo’s helicopters and airplanes, which have recently been acquired by Guardia di Finanza and used for a range of operational roles, as well as on-board mission systems used for surveillance and identification, among others.
The training platform includes a scenario simulator, developed by Leonardo, which is able to virtually generate the environment where platforms and personnel collaborate on a single mission, a vessel instrument panel simulator which also introduces ships in a maritime environment – developed in collaboration with Cetena (Fincantieri) – and a ground-based command centre that coordinates the operations.
Leonardo explains the AW169/AW139 helicopters and P-72B aircraft all-new ‘mini motion’ simulators, designated Enhanced Training Device (ETD e-Motion), reproduce performance, avionics and cockpits with high fidelity, and are able to deliver an adequate physical feedback to the crews, thanks to the platform integrated actuators. Pilot training is complemented by rear crew training for those using the Leonardo ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance) mission system for the AW139 and P-72B as well as cabin hoist operations thanks to a highly immersive virtual reality for search and rescue missions.
Leonardo explains, thanks to these simulation capabilities, Guardia di Finanza’s personnel will be trained in an environment able to reflect with extreme realism the interoperability typically required in the current and future multi-domain scenarios, exactly those where Guardia di Finanza performs its missions such as security, surveillance, patrol, and rescue.
