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AgustaWestland launches training program

May 20, 2009 – AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, announced today at the ITEC 2009 exhibition the launch of a Helicopter Tactics Training Programme for military helicopter crews to help them prepare for deployed multi-national operations, especially in conflict zones where risks can be significantly reduced by pre-deployment tactics training.

The AgustaWestland Helicopter Tactics Training Programme is designed to train crews in how to best deal with threats present in current operational theatres and conflict zones, and improving the ability of crews to achieve their missions while reducing risk to aircraft and personnel. The training programme builds on initial work already carried out for the European Defence Agency and is supported by instructors with recent experience of deployed multi-national operations..

John Ponsonby, Senior Vice President Training, AgustaWestland speaking at ITEC said “With the growing demand for helicopters from many nations to support multi-national forces on deployed operations we believe the training we can deliver will bring major benefits to the safety and capabilities of these crews in theatre. There are many nations whose helicopter crews do not have the experience of operating in high threat environments or as part of a large multi-national force that will benefit significantly from our low cost Helicopter Tactics Training Programme.”

The training utilises low-cost, networked simulation devices which allow all crew members to train as a team and as a single or multi-ship formation in a collective environment. The training also develops the crew’s skills to maximise interoperability with other aviation assets or ground units in a multi-national task force environment.

AgustaWestland is a provider of professional training services to a wide range of military, commercial and industrial customers around the world. Operators are assured of receiving highly effective training solutions, designed to meet their requirements to achieve high levels of individual, team and collective performance and to enable customers to fully exploit AgustaWestland’s high capability aircraft by use of integrated learning environments.

AgustaWestland is committed to offering the best training services as essential enablers in the delivery of mission capability to operators. The “A. Marchetti” Training Academy in Italy and Training Academies located in Philadelphia, USA, and in Yeovil, UK, utilise the latest e-learning, part-task maintenance and procedures trainers through to full mission and state-of-the-art Level D flight and mission simulators.