Elbit Delivers New Lavi GBTS To Israel Air Force

The Israel Air Force (IAF) inaugurated the new Flight Training Center for the "Lavi" – M346 Trainer at Hatzerim Air Force Base.

Elbit Systems, the prime contractor, developed and delivered the new "Lavi" Ground Based Training System (GBTS) center together with Alenia Aermacchi (Finmeccanica Group), CAE and Sellex ES (Finmeccanica Group), following a selection by "TOR - Advanced Flight Training", which is responsible to the IAF for the operation of the trainer aircraft. Elbit Systems will provide the GBTS center with logistics services for twenty years.

With the introduction of the M346 trainer, more emphasis is being given to ground-based training in the IAF flight school's advanced training phases, for both fighter pilots and Weapon Systems Operators (WSO's). The GBTS consists of two Full Mission Simulators (FMS) and two Operational Flight Simulators (OFS), all linked together, offering an experience which is almost identical to real flight. Both pilots and WSOs will undergo training ranging from basic familiarity with the aircraft to the highest level of combat flight competence. This training will be performed based upon a new innovative concept where a high percentage of the syllabus is being practiced at the GBTS, with the trainees visiting the GTBS on a daily basis.  The GBTS, which serves as the training “Center of Excellence”, is based on Elbit’s SkyBreaker^TM concept and technology, previously known as the Mission Training Center (MTC), and will enable flight school cadets, as well as graduate pilots and WSOs, to practice unusual and in-flight emergency procedures, and at a more advanced level, to simulate complex combat scenarios in single aircraft or as part of a formation.

This comprehensive training solution was selected by the IAF, so the pilots and WSOs will be ready and qualified to progress directly to 4^th and 5^th generation fighter aircraft (F-16, F-15, F-35).  

Parallel to training in the Flight Training Center, the cadets, young pilots and WSOs will proceed to airborne training, using Elbit’s Embedded Virtual Avionics (EVA^TM) onboard training system, integrated by Alenia Aeromacchi into M-346 trainer, which transforms the aircraft into a virtual advanced fighter and allows the trainees to achieve an essential experience in operating advanced systems, such as virtual Radar, Optical sensors and Electronic Warfare systems, as well as virtual Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground weapons.