Channel 9 anchor Jamie Holmes got a behind-the-scenes look Wednesday at Lockheed Martin’s simulation industry in Orlando.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Sikorsky S-97 Raider can fly nearly twice as fast as a normal helicopter, and it could be the military's next generation helicopter.
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The massive tractor-trailer-sized, portable, full-motion simulator is at the Lockheed Martin Training and Logistics Solutions Center near the University of Central Florida.
It's a full dome experience, like a theme park ride, and much of the simulator was designed and built in Orlando.
Weblinks: Search for jobs at Lockheed Martin
"This simulator isn't just for training. It's also for marketing, to show the capabilities of a helicopter that hasn't been built yet," system architect Dan Morrison said.
For Central Florida, the design work means high-paying jobs of at least $70,000 a year.
Lockheed Martin designs simulators for different types of military equipment, and a lot of the software and coding are created in Orlando.
"Between the 300 suppliers in our city that give us a lot of the components that we assemble here and build, you're looking at over 10,000 people connected to the defense industry, and that's only great news for Orlando,” director of communications Mike Rein said.
Lockheed officials said it's expanding the division.
“All of the great technology, the great technology that is being created, that is being used by military services to defend our nation every day, a lot of it being done right here," Rein said.
After tourism and citrus, simulation work is Florida's biggest money-maker. The industry pulls in more than $6 billion annually for the state.
This just in: We’re excited to partner with @UCF to develop a new cyber innovation lab! https://t.co/t4QUgfn5Cj #ThisIsOrlando #UCFsocial #GivingTuesday pic.twitter.com/dKBVY1VqPC
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) November 27, 2018
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