A Naval Staff Requirement for a Sea King Mk 5 Full Mission Simulator was issued to the Procurement Executive of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence in April 1981. The Full Mission Simulator comprises a Cockpit Dynamic Simulator and a Rear Crew Trainer consisting of three identical Rear Crew Trainer Cabins which provide multiple crew training.

As is normal with United Kingdom Ministry of Defence simulator procurements, contracts were awarded at a fixed price through competition. Ferranti Computer Systems was awarded the contract for the Rear Crew Trainer and overall integration, whilst Rediffusion Simulation was awarded the contract for the Cockpit Dynamic Simulator. Late delivery of aircraft parts and an unrelenting customer, requiring absolute replication of the real aircraft interior and systems performance, put great demands on management and engineering skills.

The requirement for cross-cockpit viewing and 200Â° horizontal field of view encouraged Rediffusion to develop its WIDE II Visual Display System. The additional requirement for a textured daylight Image Generator led to the visual system being a unique device in UK military helicopter simulation. Aircraft performance data shortfalls necessitated a programme of â€˜tuning' utilising the skills of Test Pilots resulting in a much improved and acceptable level of simulation.

Programme delays resulted in the Ready for Training date being two years later than planned, but with the benefit of an enhanced simulator performance.

Now in service at Royal Naval Air Station, Culdrose, England, the Full Mission Simulator has allowed a change in the training philosophy, and for the first time, given the Royal Navy a training system where operational squadrons can practice co-ordinated operations over prolonged periods in a realistic environment.

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Barry Fairhead