New Horizons: Rheinmetall and Airbus Deliver Advanced A400M Simulator to Boost Bundeswehr’s Capabilities

The technology firm Rheinmetall and the European aerospace and defense company Airbus have delivered an A400M cargo hold simulator to the Bundeswehr’s 62nd Air Transport Squadron (LTG 62) located in Wunstorf, Lower Saxony. This Cargo Hold Part Task Trainer (CPTT) enhances the current simulators and training frameworks at the German Air Force’s A400M Training Centre. In Wunstorf, cargo hold personnel are already being trained (among other tasks) using the advanced Cargo Hold Trainer Enhanced (CHT-E).

Airbus, the producer of the European A400M military transport aircraft, engaged Rheinmetall in February 2021 to provide two CPTT training simulators to the Bundeswehr’s bases in Wunstorf and Altenstadt. The contract was valued in the lower two-digit million-euro range. The Air Movement Training Center in Altenstadt received its training simulator by the end of 2022. Cargo personnel and parachutists have been effectively training using this system since its introduction. The delivery of the second Rheinmetall simulator marks the successful completion of this substantial project.

The A400M CPTT serves as a precise replica of an A400M cargo hold, enabling cargo crew members, jumpers, and ground staff to practice in a highly authentic setting. The CPTT allows for mission-specific adjustments of the cargo hold, load preparations, as well as loading and unloading operations, both in-flight and on-ground, along with teamwork among crew members. The system is ideal for both initial and advanced training, refresher courses, and mission rehearsals.

Challenging scenarios and emergency conditions can be simulated safely. This ensures that training does not monopolize the original equipment, keeping it available for real-world missions. Beyond training applications, the CPTT also permits users to assess, test, and certify procedures and configurations for new types of loads.

In addition to the CPTT, Rheinmetall has provided numerous A400M operator nations around the world with other cargo training apparatus, including the Load Master Work Station Trainer (LMWST) and the previously mentioned CHT-E. With the transfer of the CPTT to LTG 62, a total of ten exceptionally realistic A400M simulator systems from Rheinmetall now guarantee a high standard of training and instruction within the A400M cargo sector.

In 2019, Rheinmetall delivered a CPTT to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Furthermore, CHT-E simulators have already been distributed to the Airbus International Training Centre (ITC) in Seville, the Royal Air Force in Brize Norton, the German Air Force in Wunstorf, and the French Army in Toulouse. An LMWST is located at the Airbus ITC in Sevilla, one at France’s national A400M training venue in Orléans, and another at the Royal Air Force National Training Centre in Brize Norton.