Bangalore:French defence, electronics and aerospace major Thales has been chosen by aChennai-based pilot training academy Rudradev Aviation to supply four advancedflight simulators worth $60 million.

"Two of the flight simulators for Rudradev Aviation will beconfigured for the European Airbus family (A320 and A330-200) while two othersare for the competing, US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing (727-800 and the777-300ER)," officials said.

"We will commission the simulators for A320 and 737-800by October this year and the other two in a year's time," R. Ravi, chiefexecutive and managing director of Rudradev, said on the margins of the AeroIndia show here.

"We hope to train around 800-1,000 pilots a year andlargely help the country meet the acute shortage of pilots," Ravi added after signing the pact with Chris Gene, vicepresident of the Thales simulation business.

Orders have also been placed for formation system trainersand flight management trainers, which are lower level instruction systems butprovide full fidelity simulation in classrooms.

"The performance exactly replicates the aircraft byusing advanced software and simulation modules," explained Ravi, whose parentRR Group has interests in the construction business and developing townships inseveral cities in south India.

Gene said his company had secured orders for 10 full flightsimulators in Indiato emerge as the largest supplier of such equipment to the country.

 "We had beenexploring to develop our business opportunities in this area for several years,"hesaid.