KUALA LUMPUR: Widad Business Group Sdn Bhd (WBG) will buy six units of parachute simulators from Havelsan Hava Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, Turkey’s largest military systems developer.

       In a statement, WBG said Havelsan’s parachute simulators are currently used by the Turkish commando brigade and special forces, and have been proven to reduce the cost of training paratroopers significantly.

       The company also pointed out that besides offering users training in repeatable and safe environment in a short time, its features such as a high-resolution database and virtual reality allow vital skills to be developed in real-time under a wide range of weather conditions, emergencies and variable wind conditions.This enhances the real performance of its user and contributes to more efficient use of resources by reducing the number of actual jumps from aircrafts.

       Besides the military, the Havelsan parachute simulator can also be used for civil purposes, fire departments and the police force.

       WBG executive director Datuk Cham Nong Aliap said, “We are excited to be partnering with Havelsan for their products in training and simulations technologies and bringing the expertise of one of the world’s top firms in this field to Malaysia.

       “There is a great service and cost-reduction opportunity here for the country, specifically on aircraft and logistic costs where training of paratroopers usually involves transporting a whole troop of jumpers to a site and back to their base.

       “According to our initial estimations, the usage of such systems will be able to achieve significant cost savings for training in the Malaysian defence sector.”

       Yesterday, WBG and Havelsan signed a memorandum of collaboration during the Defence Services Asia 2022 exhibition at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec).