Bluedrop: Preparing for growth

This sponsored article was prepared by Insight magazine, the sponsored content division of MHM Publishing.

Bluedrop Training and Simulation is preparing for a year of continued growth and innovation as the Canadian company embarks on one of its largest contracts to date.

Halifax, Nova Scotia-based Bluedrop is part of the SkyAlyne team contracted to deliver the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. The next-generation aircrew training program will bring together three separate training programs into one, training all RCAF pilots, air combat systems officers, and airborne electronic sensor operators to wings standard.

Late last year, advanced training solutions specialist Bluedrop signed a 25-year FAcT contract with the SkyAlyne joint venture, comprising CAE and KF Aerospace. 

“Bluedrop’s role will be to build and maintain the required courseware, to provide software components [Learninglogics] and also provide simulator technicians for the upkeep of the simulators,” said Jean-Claude Siew, executive vice president of technology and simulation, adding that work has already started.

Participation in FAcT is a major milestone for the small-medium business. 

“This is one of the largest and longest programs for Bluedrop,” Siew said. “This is very important for Bluedrop in its strategy, which is to be a partner on the major programs and also to be part of the in-service support portion of a program to bring improved stability and recurrence.” 

The program will see Bluedrop undertake “major resource growth” and “continuous innovation” as part of the contract requirement, Siew said. 

In terms of resources, the company is looking to expand its existing 180-strong workforce in the middle of 2025. Late last year, the company moved into newer and larger locations in Halifax and Orlando, Florida, the latter home to its sister company, Bluedrop USA, in preparation for the growth.  

Bluedrop’s selection for team SkyAlyne follows years of establishing itself as a specialist supplier of advanced training courseware and simulation products. The company’s products include highly interactive courseware; technical publications; state-of-the-art virtual, augmented and mixed reality training simulation products; and in-service support. 

Its courseware services are primarily for defense programs, with Bluedrop working through primes, including CAE, to provide courseware to air, army and navy forces in Canada, Australia and the U.S. 

Bluedrop’s Learninglogics software for courseware development is used on almost all major Canadian defense programs for the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy, as well as several U.S. programs and those used by the Royal Australian Air Force, delivering clear benefits to customers. 

“While not published nor ‘scientifically’ demonstrated, internal tests have shown that the use of Learninglogics can improve efficiency anywhere between 30 to 75 percent based on complexity of the course and, most importantly, interactive content. As courseware build is mainly time and materials, the savings can be substantial,” Siew said.  

The company is looking to replicate its courseware success in Canada elsewhere. 

“Ideally, Bluedrop wants to gain the same credibility and trust in the U.S. as we have in Canada,” he said, adding that it is pursuing new partners in the U.S. with this goal in mind.

Its strong competitiveness and efficiency will support this effort. “Bluedrop’s know-how, program management, and reporting capabilities are well appreciated by primes. On the technical side, Bluedrop is able to offer interactive courseware and relevant training,” he said. “The combination of the right tool, business process, and training expertise makes Bluedrop somewhat unique in its market.”

Bluedrop is also filling a training gap with its simulator products, delivering efficiency, safety and cost-savings to operators. “Bluedrop’s simulation products are specifically designed for rear crew training,” Siew explained. 

The products comprise virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) solutions, including a rear crew mission trainer (RCMT), hoist mission training system (HMTS), and multipurpose gunnery mission trainer (MGMT). 

Customers include defense and parapublic search-and-rescue organizations, including the U.S. Air Force and Special Operations, as well as the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The products are also ideal for Coast Guards, wind farm operators, helicopter emergency medical services operators, and police departments.

Siew said that just as simulators have become the norm for pilot training, Bluedrop rear crew simulators should set the standard for rear crew training. “We believe that simulation training for rear crew can [achieve] more than 50 to 80 percent [of training objectives], saving cost and blade time, as well as being executed in a safe environment,” Siew said. 

The company’s future is firmly set on continued innovation. “Standing still is actually moving backward in our domain,” Siew said. “Continuous evolution will keep us ahead.”

Developments will occur in both simulation products and courseware. 

“The plan is to develop a proper training environment in addition to evolution of the product itself. The outcome we seek is a world-class simulation product with world-class teaching methodology that harnesses the capabilities of these simulators to achieve improved outcomes at lower cost,” he explained.

MR and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are playing an increasingly important part, keeping Bluedrop’s developers busy. “Bluedrop’s focus in the area of AI is firstly, how can we bring more interactive content and adaptive learning in our courseware? This will bring learning which is tailored to a student’s needs and differ from the one-size-fits-all approach,” he said. “In addition, we are considering bringing more unpredictability in missions, which maintains training outcomes.”

Siew is confident that Bluedrop will continue to grow and deliver exceptional outcomes for its clients. “There is still a lot of runway for Bluedrop, both for its services and products. Bluedrop will grow on major programs and will be a major player for rear crew training.”  

The post Bluedrop: Preparing for growth appeared first on Vertical Mag.