Russian simulator and avionics specialist Transas is expanding its flight-training portfolio for both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The company is also engaged in an ongoing program to equip Russian aircraft with the terrain avoidance and warning systems (TAWS) that they need to fly on international routes.
One recent initiative has been to establish a helicopter pilot training center near Moscow for Russian energy giant Gazprom. The facility features five full-flight simulators and is claimed to be the largest rotorcraft flight training center in Europe. Transas, which has ambitions to provide simulators for foreign aircraft, also has established a two-simulator facility in Tyumen for Russian operator UTair.
Meanwhile, Transas and Ilyushin Finance are preparing to set up flight training centers for the Antonov An-148 and Tupolev Tu-204 airliners. They are due to open late this year or early next year and initially will offer flight-training devices before full-flight simulators for the aircraft can be installed.
Separately, Transas (Hall 3 Stand D18) has received orders to install TAWS on some 160 Russian airliners. About 320 aircraft are expected to require this system, and the Russian air force has placed an order to similarly equip 10 of its transport aircraft that need to fly outside the country.
The company is also preparing to provide an alternative TAWS system for helicopters. Russian authorities are considering a new mandate for the equipment to cover the country’s rotorcraft fleet, requirements that could extend to some 500 aircraft.
Meanwhile, R.E.T. Kronstadt (Hall 1 Stand B13)–a training and electronic mapping company jointly owned by Transas and Russian military export agency Rosoboronexport–has significantly boosted its sales since forming a new division called Simulator Systems, which brings together its full portfolio of technical training aids for all branches and services of the Russian armed forces. The company has seen annual revenues increase from $8 million to around $100 million as it has won more export contracts.
