www.halldale.com The International Defence Training Journal
Sea Training
Royal Navy Specialist Sea Training Acquisition
Potential Amidst Budget Cuts
ISSN 1471-1052 | US $14/ÂŁ8
Senior Leadership Interview
Air Education and Training Command
Training Technology
Training for High Tech Surgery
Issue 3/2011
MISSION READY. EVERY DAY.
Predator and Reaper crews control the game-changing technologies that impact battlefield success. To ensure these crews are prepared for any mission, L-3 Link has developed, delivered and upgraded the first ever remotely piloted aircraft high-fidelity simulation systems. To see how these immersive training systems are supporting the Predator Mission Aircrew Training System today, visit us at www.link.com.
Link Simulation & Training
L-3com.com
SATR-
GOING LIVE, VIRTUALLY. How do you make the most out of your training? We asked our customers how to broaden and complement the learning experience of live training, and the answer was clear; “Go virtual before going live”. So we did. We acquired E-COM – a leading virtual training company in Europe – to add this Virtual dimension to our training mission. E-COM’s domain knowledge and experience of designing and producing Virtual training solutions augments the training capability within Saab’s well established Live domain, supplying deployable instrumented training solutions world wide. Now we can provide you with all the tools you need to plan, execute and evaluate your training process every step of the way – whether Live or Virtual! At Saab we are continuously redefining the concept of training. We understand what is required to turn a training event into a learning experience. By combining virtual and live training your soldiers will be better prepared. Not only for what you know will happen. But also for the unexpected and the unknown. www.saabgroup.com/training-and-simulation
ANTICIPATE TOMORROW
SATR-146 Ad Virtual 205x278_110401_MS&T.indd 1
2011-04-01 11.00
NEW FOR 2011 MORE Visiting Naval Ships than the 2009 show
Image Copyright of Force Protection Europe
Image Copyright of BAE Systems
NEW Waterborne Demonstrations
NEW Static Vehicle Display for Land, Air & Naval Sectors
NEW Innovation Showcase
Image Copyright of Lockheed Martin Corporation
NEW Security Focused Exhibitors
Image Copyright of Smiths Detection
Infinite opportunities. One world-leading event.
NEW Security Demonstrations & Showcase
NEW Increased Air Capabilities
NEW Robotics & Unmanned Systems Showcase
With 1,300 exhibitors and a host of exciting features, DSEi is the world’s leading Defence & Security exhibition, allowing you to meet the whole supply chain in four productive days; 13-16 September 2011, ExCeL London.
REGISTER AT WWW.DSEI.CO.UK/EARLY FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT Platinum Sponsors
Editorial Comment
Managing Editor
"... how work gets done is where mobile technologies have the power to effect change and generate serious ROI."
On the cover: Royal Navy fire fighters tackle a blaze at the DISTEX site at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, UK. Image credit: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright.
paper work and gave me an estimated time to repair. As we were completing the transaction, the store manager came by, iPad in hand, of course. The purpose, to talk about shift schedules. So I asked her how that worked. There on her iPad were the schedules for all store associates – and she was scheduling on the run. We also spoke about what other data she had access to – and she said just about everything she needed to manage the store, while walking around! Then, as I was leaving the store, I bought an iPod Nano and experienced the “Apple Store Experience” – mobile point of sale. Sandeep Bhanote, CEO, Global Bay Mobile Technologies, has this to say: “By allowing store associates to service customers throughout the store, the “Apple Store Experience” has earned its leadership position in mobile retail. To Apple, mobile POS represents more than just swipe and go, line busting, and check out; it’s also about working with the customer, understanding purchase behavior and providing customer service at the point of contact rather than a fixed POS terminal. Apple has demonstrated that mobile POS can help retailers reduce or even eliminate long lines at check out, lessen lost sales due to walkouts, and increase actual sales by providing a better and more personalized retail environment.” He adds “A sophisticated mobile strategy allows store associates to look up inventory, determine product availability and location in real-time, access customer history for upselling and cross-selling, and more. All of this empowers sales associates and further contributes to increased revenue and a superior in-store experience.” Now, use your imagination and apply these concepts to your organisation. It’s easy to see how you can leverage mobile technologies to improve the way work gets done and to improve your bottom line – however you measure it. Visit an Apple Store and observe. While not for every organisation, m-work can change the way work gets done. Imagine m-work in a maintenance organisation. While there are plenty of barriers – institutional and otherwise – I’ll take m-work over m-learning every time. Jeff Loube, CPT Managing Editor, MS&T Magazine jeff@halldale.com
05 MS&T MAGAZINE
Jeff Loube
I Googled ‘mobile learning’. Judging by the over 1.3 million results, it looks like we’re seeing the new training flavour of the month; ‘Web based training’ trailed with only a bit more than 1 million results. Currently, there are as many definitions of mobile or m-learning as there are pundits. Some define it in terms of the delivery media e.g. instant on, battery for a day, familiarity, and fits in your pocket. Others, in terms of the learning environment – instantly available, any time, any place, including the workplace. Regardless of the definition, current technology is certainly up to the task of delivering content to users: however, speaking at the WATS 2011 (World Aviation Training Conference & Tradeshow, organised by Halldale Media and CAT magazine), John Alonso, CTO, OutStart, observed that ninety percent of m-learning pilot projects he is aware of have failed and suggested that the reason was that the implementations were not being driven by the business problem, but rather by the coolness factor of the technology – solutions looking for problems. Certainly, any environment that describes learning in terms of schedules, courses, modules, certifications, and even predicates promotions on course completions will have challenges with m-learning. Organisations need to get outside the course and into the workplace. Instead of m-learning, let’s look at m-work, at making it easier for people to do their jobs, and to do those jobs more effectively, and this may mean learning something new from time to time. Work is the starting point and how work gets done is where mobile technologies have the power to effect change and generate serious ROI. But it will affect your business processes. Let me give you an example. A few weeks ago the optical drive on my wife’s iMac failed. I phoned the local Apple Retail Store, and made an appointment. As I walked into the store, a young lady with iPad in hand welcomed me, logged me in and directed me to the back of the store – to the “Genius Bar”. As I approached the back of the store, a second young lady, glancing at her iPad, spoke to me by name, and advised me to take a seat at the bar, and explained a technician would be with me shortly. And shortly, a voice behind me asked, “Mr Loube, what seems to be the problem with the iMac?” When the fault was diagnosed and the corrective action decided, he printed out the
ISSUE 3.2011
M-learning or M-working
n aT i o n a l T r a i n i n g a n d s i m u l aT i o n a s s o c i aT i o n T H e w o r l d ’ s l a r g e s T m o d e l i n g & s i m u l aT i o n e v e n T
I/ITSEC
InterservIce/Industry traInIng, sImulatIon & educatIon conference
why I/Itsec? u 19,000 Industry Professionals u over 600 exhibiting companies u 160 technical sessions/tutorials
Save the da
te!
er – b m e v o N 8 2 1 December
w w w. I I t s e c . o r g 28 november-1 december, 2011 u orlando, Florida
CONTENTS
MS&T Magazine Military Simulation & Training Magazine Editorial Editor in Chief Chris Lehman e. chris@halldale.com Managing Editor Jeff Loube e. jeff@halldale.com Group Editor Marty Kauchak e. marty@halldale.com Europe Editor Walter F. Ullrich e. walter@halldale.com Procurement Chuck Weirauch e. chuck@halldale.com US News Editor Lori Ponoroff e. lori@halldale.com RoW News Editor Fiona Greenyer e. fiona@halldale.com
08 12 22
Advertising Jeremy Humphreys t. +44 (0)1252 532009 e. jeremy@halldale.com Mary Bellini Brown t. +1 703 421 3709 e. mary@halldale.com Sales & Marketing Karen Kettle Co-ordinator t. +44 (0)1252 532002 e. karen@halldale.com Marketing Manager Lizzie Daniell t. +44 (0)1252 532008 e. lizzie@halldale.com Director of Sales & Marketing Business Manager, North America
Operations Design & David Malley Production t. +44 (0)1252 532005 e. david@halldale.com Distribution Sarah Baker Co-ordinator t. +44 (0)1252 532010 e. sarah@halldale.com
Halldale Media Group Publisher & Andy Smith CEO e. andy@halldale.com
UK Office Halldale Media Ltd. Pembroke House 8 St. Christopher’s Place Farnborough Hampshire, GU14 0NH UK t. +44 (0)1252 532000 f. +44 (0)1252 512714 US Office Halldale Media, Inc. 115 Timberlachen Circle Ste 2009 Lake Mary, FL 32746 USA t. +1 407 322 5605 f. +1 407 322 5604 Subscriptions 6 issues per year at US$168 t. +44 (0)1252 532000 e. mst@halldale.com
05 Editorial Comment Mobile Technologies – M-learning vs. M-working. Managing Editor Jeff Loube chooses.
08 Senior Leadership Interview Commander Air Education and Training Command. MS&T speaks with Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr.
12 Acquisition Potential Amidst Budget Cuts. Budget cuts open up opportunity for the simulation business. Robert W. Moorman writes.
15 Senior Leadership Interview National Training Center. BG Terry R. Ferrell speaks with Casey E. Bain about the challenges of preparing warfighters for combat today and tomorrow.
18 Training Technology Robotic Surgery. As the technology of surgery evolves, so does the sophistication of the training. Chuck Weirauch writes.
22 Sea Training More Than Tactical Evolutions. Board and search and disaster relief. MS&T’s Dim Jones describes the RN approach to training for these high impact operations.
MS&T Magazine (ISSN 1471-1052, USPS # 022067), printed June 2011, is published 6 times per annum by Halldale Media Ltd, Pembroke House, 8 St. Christopher’s Place, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 ONH, UK at a U.S. subscription rate of $168 per year. Periodical postage rates are paid at Middlesex New Jersey New York U.S.A. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Halldale Media Inc., 115 Timberlachen Circle, Ste 2009, Lake Mary, FL 32746, USA.
Circulation audited by:
25 Training Technology
30 Conference Report
UAS. MS&T’s Dim Jones attended the
Alberto Tremori, and Marina Massei describe the addition of intelligence to computer generated forces.
IQPC UAS training and simulation
conference in London.
28 Show Report
31 NEWS
Intelligent Models. Agostino G. Bruzzone,
ITEC 2011. Despite stressful times, the
Seen & Heard. A round up of
show was, according to some, better than
developments in simulation and training.
ever. Walter F. Ullrich reports.
Compiled and edited by Fiona Greenyer.
ISSUE 3.2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – especially translating into other languages - without prior written permission of the publisher. All rights also reserved for restitution in lectures, broadcasts, televisions, magnetic tape and methods of similar means. Each copy produced by a commercial enterprise serves a commercial purpose and is thus subject to remuneration.
07 MS&T MAGAZINE
www.halldale.com/mst
Senior Leadership Interview
Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr.
Commander, Air Education and Training Command
ISSUE 3.2011
General Rice was interviewed by Group Editor Marty Kauchak on March 15, 2011. Topics included innovation, challenges, and, of course, new training aircraft.
MS&T MAGAZINE
08
MS&T: General, good afternoon and thanks for taking time to speak with MS&T. Let’s first discuss some of the recent innovations at AETC. General Rice: Thank you for this opportunity to talk about AETC. We have responded in a very rapid and responsive way to some of the requirements for Airmen to be trained and ready for the activities in Iraq and Afghanistan as they have evolved. For example, we stood up a new remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) training program and did that very quickly to meet the needs of the commanders in the field, and are now producing at a pretty rapid clip the pilots and sensor operators for those RPAs. Similarly, we have recently put together a course to ensure we are providing the right type of Airmen to work in the cyber space field. We have courses at the 100-, 200-, 300- and 400 levels to help better adapt to what we all believe is an area that will continue
to grow in importance in the future. We have also completely revamped the way that we produce navigators. What you and I grew up with in terms of the definition of a navigator is really no longer appropriate for today’s weapons systems. We are producing what we call a combat systems officer (CSO) – someone who combines all of the attributes of a navigator, a bombardier or a radar systems operator or a weapons systems operator, and an electronic warfare officer all rolled into one person who will be much more versatile than any one of those more stove-piped Airmen that we produced in the past. Our first graduate will come out of that course next month. We’re looking forward to getting feedback from the field commanders on how we have done in meeting their needs. MS&T: How does the length of the new CSO course compare to the legacy courses for navigator and other specialties it is replacing? GR: It is going to increase the length of
Above U.S. Air Force Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr. with the Airmen at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. Image credit: USAF/Kemberly Groue.
training time by 35 days from the legacy navigator course we taught here at Randolph Air Force Base. What we are doing is combining three separate pipelines into one. So, it is not taking by any means three times as long. To continue, we have just stood up a Command Learning Office with a Command Learning Officer. The thinking for establishing this office is that the generation of people we are bringing into the Air Force today is fundamentally different than previous generations. Our new Airmen have grown up since their cognitive period in an electronic age. They are what people have termed “digital natives.” Technology is very second nature and natural to them versus those
of us that people have termed “digital immigrants.” We didn’t grow up with this [technology] but we have adapted to it. We, like many corporations, institutions, schools and other organizations, are trying to think about how people learn, especially this generation, and how that is different from how previous generations have learned. We want to ensure that we are appropriately teaching, training and educating “digital natives” in a way that is forward-looking and not develop our Airmen with legacy processes. This office is designed to be a data collector for what is going on in the learning arena with respect to understanding how learning applies specifically to this generation, but not exclusively. We want to bring that understanding into AETC so we can look at what we can use and adapt to help us better develop Airmen for the future. MS&T: Describe the plan to field the Air Force Jet Trainer Replacement (TX) aircraft. GR: We don’t have a concrete plan in place today with respect to timing. The T-38 is 50 years old [the 50th anniversary of the delivery of the first airframe to the Air Force was March 17].
Above
support and sustain, both of those lines are moving in a direction that is causing us to think about what is the right timing for replacing the aircraft. We haven’t made a decision on that. We are completing what we call our analysis of alternatives (AoA). That is something that doesn’t pick an aircraft but lets us know whether there are viable solutions out there for the challenge that we have of replacing the aircraft and what those solutions might look like.
The T-38 has been used to prepare Air Force pilots for the front-line for 50 years. Image credit: USAF/Rich McFadden.
And it’s still a great airplane. We use it. I fly it. It’s performing for us very well. But as we look to the needs of the future of an Air Force that will be predominately flying 5th Generation aircraft, and we look at the fact that it is a 50-year old aircraft and it costs us more every year to
P RIME M ENU
TM
DVI RGB/YUV, HD/3G-SDI DVI over Fiber
OUTPUTS
DVI DVI over Fiber DVI Output with Scaling
All Served with HDCP, EDID Management, Web Control Panel
SWITCHER
SERVING SIZE Petite (to 8x8), Queen (to 16x16), King (to 32x32)
EXTRAS Dual-Link Input/Output MultiPoint KvM Fries (just kidding)
ISSUE 3.2011
LINX PRIME
ENTREES
09
R G B SPECTRUM ® decision support systems™
950 Marina Village Parkway Alameda, CA 94501 Tel: (510) 814-7000
Fax: (510) 814-7026
SEE US AT INFOCOMM
Web: www.rgb.com
BOOTH #2217
ORLANDO, FL
E-mail: sales@rgb.com
JUNE 15-17, 2011
MS&T MAGAZINE
N OW S ERVING
INPUTS
Senior Leadership Interview
We’re finishing up that process that will then be evaluated by various groups. At the end of that a decision will be made to either pursue a certain type of replacement or not. At this point it’s premature to talk about a “hard plan” for replacing the aircraft – but we recognize the need. In my view it’s a matter of not if we replace it, but it’s a matter of timing. I think we’ll make some decisions on that either this year or next year depending on all of the other requirements we have for our investment dollars. MS&T: Is there TX program funding in President Obama’s FY 2012 defense budget request? GR: There is money for what is called RDT&E [Research, Development, Test and Evaluation]. There is money in there, so should we decide, and again I emphasize should we decide, to pursue an aircraft here in the near term, that money will keep us on schedule to do that. MS&T: When do you expect the AoA to be delivered to the next level, presumably the Air Force Secretariat? GR: I would say we’re currently looking at either this month or next month for it to be delivered to a deliberative body called the AFROC [Air Force Requirements Oversight Council] within the Air Force. And once it makes its way through the AFROC it will move on to other bodies, the JROC [Joint Requirements Oversight Council], OSD DAB [Office of Secretary of Defense Defense Acquisition Board] and other bodies. This will help us determine the proper way forward.
MS&T: How is AETC supporting the reconstitution of the Iraq and Afghanistan air forces? GR: We’re in the training business. We are involved in significant ways in helping to train the air forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Everything from English language training, which we accomplish as one of our AETC functions; to maintenance training for the maintainers of their aircraft; to training on such aircraft as the C-130, Cessna 172 and 208, King Airs, the T-6s and C-130Js they are bringing into their inventories; to technical training in air traffic control systems and then in airfield navigation aids to help modernize airfield lighting. To operate an air force even on a small scale has a large number of moving parts to it, to get it right. It’s not just the aircraft, the fuel, the weapons and other materiel – it’s the whole supporting infrastructure that you need. We’re helping them develop their air forces on that broad range of activities. We also have something called an Air Advisor Program where we have a group of people who go and work with a nation’s air force to provide them with training in their country on how they should think about standing up their air forces. We also bring their airmen here and provide them with training in our institutions. There’s a host of other related activities. We have something called the Aviation Leadership Program, which is a scholarship-based program that trains new Afghan students in the T-6A. We
Game Quality Visual Simulation Photo realistic Vegetation Volumetric particle effects (e.g. sand, smoke, fog) Real time terrain deformation | www.kmwsim.com |
have a T-6 International Flying Training Program – a type of undergraduate pilot training program that is flown exclusively in the T-6 and was designed to accommodate the Afghanistan Air Force’s immediate need for additional fixed-wing pilots who would require extra time in the T-6. There are a number of other programs that I could mention here. The big picture is we think we have a good, systematic way to allow them to get the fundamental elements in place that will allow them to have a functioning, up-and-running, viable air force on a small scale ready to move forward. MS&T: How are new technologies for the Air Force's legacy and next generation aircraft influencing the way the service recruits and selects its pilots and maintenance personnel? GR: We haven’t really so much changed the way that we recruit aviators or maintenance folks. We really, quite literally, look for the highest qualified people available. Then we have to ensure that when we bring them into our system it reflects the requirement of the field. So, it’s not so much about changing the way that we recruit. It’s both adapting our systems to a 5th Generation aircraft that has different types of capabilities than legacy aircraft and it’s about adapting training systems to the changes in the ability to move and process information so we’re better in the simulator world and we’re better in the academic classroom than we have been in the past. And so by the time a person
gets into the aircraft they have a much fuller and much more complete experience that gets them ready. One of the features, and this alone doesn’t make them a 5th Generation aircraft, on both the F-22 and F-35 is they do not have dual-cockpit version. You have to think differently about those first flights in an aircraft when you don’t have an instructor in the backseat and you’re going to be solo. So we have to bring more of what we used to do on the first flight into the ground training environment so that we can make that as realistic as possible, and those first flights are successful and accomplish our objectives. MS&T: As a follow-up, what are some of the technology upgrades your F-22 pilots and maintenance personnel will see in their training programs through 2011? GR: I don’t want to get too much in the weeds with the technical things, but we continue to upgrade the blocks of software on the F-22. Each software block makes the aircraft capable of doing either more things or improving on something it can already do. We’ll have another block coming online for the aircraft – we’re calling it Block 3.1. We’ll be training both our maintainers and pilots on how to take advantage of it. This is the first series of upgrades for the F-22 under what we call the Block 30 version of aircraft and it greatly enhances the air-to-ground capability of the aircraft. Since the flying training unit (FTU) of the aircraft won’t receive this
upgrade initially, the full mission trainer, one of the simulators that we use, and the weapons tactics trainer being the other simulator for the F-22, will both be upgraded with the new software. This will allow the students, after they have gone to the FTU, to get a “top off’ in those new software versions. When they get to their operational units where that software is uploaded in the aircraft, they are ready to go. And this [latest version] includes synthetic aperture radar and its capability, so it will provide them with some training and capability in that area that we haven’t had before. MS&T: Your help wanted list: tell industry and the academic community about AETC's three top learning technology challenges you need their help to solve. GR: It’s a great question. One of them we’ve talked about a little bit here. That is we are all trying to ensure that we both understand the limitations associated with and the opportunities associated with this fast, vast moving flow of digital information. I am not satisfied that we understand it sufficiently, or that we are applying it fully to our training and education systems. We are looking for best-of-breed and best practices from a host of places to include industry and academia on how might we better adjust training and academic systems to accommodate that. A second area would be performance measurement. We have a product that we can measure in terms of it meeting the requirements of our field com-
manders when we produce a pilot or a maintainer or a communications system operator or any one of the hundreds of technical fields that we qualify people in. When we send them out to the field, we want to ensure we are meeting the needs of the field commanders – and that involves them telling us what they want so we can train to it, and then giving us feedback on how we are doing. So the ability to measure performance is something that we can continue to work on so we are as accurate as possible in developing the right type of Airmen. There’s certainly a science aspect, an analytical aspect to this that we can use some help with. And before we even bring somebody into the Air Force – we touched on this a little bit earlier – we need to screen them so we can put them in the right job and we don’t put them in a job that’s beyond their capabilities or not a good fit for their capabilities. That, then, is not an efficient use of our training capacity. We have some areas where we have an attrition rate that is higher than we would like it to be. We believe if we had better screening tools, we would have a better success rate of getting the right people into those pipelines and have people who would have a better chance for success. We started to test a few things now. I suspect that there are either others out there or others that could be developed that would help us along this line. I think there is a huge payoff in terms of gained training efficiency from better screening tools. ms&t
TRAINING & SIMULATION Wegmann USA, Inc., Training & Simulation mailto: simulation@wegmannusa.com Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG, Training & Simulation mailto: info@kmwsim.com
Left
Acquisition
The USAF has moved approximately 3,600 hours of annual C-130 flight training to highfidelity simulators. Image credit: CAE.
There is a Silver Lining How will the training and simulation business be affected by the enormous budget cuts proposed for the U.S. Department of Defense? Robert W. Moorman explores a positive outlook.
ISSUE 3.2011
T
MS&T MAGAZINE
12
he U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) plans to cut billions of dollars from its annual budgets over the next five years and that has military contractors of all sizes very nervous — with one notable exception. The training and simulation business will likely spool up, in part because it saves money for the U.S. taxpayer by reducing the need for “live” training exercises and still keeps pilots, ship operators, weapons specialists and others trained. “With the reduction in the defense budget, the military is still going to have to train,” said Rear Admiral Fred Lewis, U.S. Navy (Ret.), president of the National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA). “There is still the requirement to maintain a high level of readiness. And the only way to do that is through simulation.” The Pentagon’s new found frugality accelerates a trend that has been underway for some time. “The military likes live training, but
with the budget pressures, it’s very clear that they need to find a way to provide training economically,” said John Lenyo, president of CAE USA. “We’re seeing all the forces [Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines] position themselves to do more in the synthetic training world.” Their comments might seem like a predictable industry stump speech were it not for the fact that this is a consensus view among leaders of military training organizations. “We’re poised to do just over $1 billion in 2011, which is just above what we did last year,” said Capt. Bill Reuter, commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division & Naval Support Activity (NAWCTSD). Unlike other military programs whose budgets have been cut or abolished, budgets for modeling and simulation have either increased or remained static, said Reuter. Over $100 million “have been moved from the operational accounts to investments in modeling and simulation,” he said. The savings of using simulators
and training aids is “15 to 20-1 less” than the cost of live training, Reuter added. With less money for new aircraft, ships and weapons systems, the military is also faced with using older equipment for a longer time. Consequently, commanders are looking to save wear and tear on these systems. Consider the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. This is a Cold War relic that first flew on April 15, 1952. While the aircraft has been upgraded over the years, the basic airframe remains the same. Simulation training can help keep this bird in the air longer. For the last decade, Lockheed Martin, in conjunction with partner CAE, has provided the U.S. military simulation and training solutions for the legacy C-130 and the C-130J, the newest model. The U.S. Air Force’s Reduced Flight Initial Qualification program, through the increased use of simulators, saves around $20 million annually in training costs for the C-130, said Lenyo. The Air Force reduced the number of flight hours for initial pilot training from 32 hours in the C-130 to 23 hours, and for flight engineers from 60 hours of initial training in the aircraft to 37 hours, for a total of approximately 3,600 hours of annual flight training moved to high-fidelity simulators. As part of the C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System program, a similar effort was initiated several years ago by the Air Force to reduce pilot and loadmaster reliance on aircraft training sorties. Additional simulator training events were added to the training programs for both C-130J pilots and loadmasters, resulting in the Air Force being able to reduce actual flight training hours in the C-130J by 1,000 to 2,000 hours annually. In the United Kingdom, CAE provides full motion simulators and training solutions for pilots of medium-lift helicopters at Royal Air Force (RAF) Benson. Since 2000, the number of synthetic training hours is roughly equivalent to 26 operational helicopters operating over the decade. Which translates into approximately £1 billion in savings for the RAF over that time.
It costs the Army approximately $5,000 per hour to train a pilot in the actual helicopter, while cost-per-hour for a helicopter simulator is around $300 per hour, according to Jim Comfort, assistant program manager for the U.S. Army Soldier Systems at Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) [Note: Training and operational costs vary from model to model.] At present, the Army provides helicopter simulator training at over 25 bases worldwide, including two locations in Germany; two in Korea; Hawaii, Alaska and several others in the continental U.S. Despite the obvious cost benefits, lawmakers and military leaders have raised legitimate concerns on return on investment (ROI) of acquiring a multimillion dollar integrated training package, which includes full motion simulators. “Generally speaking, it takes between two to four years,” said Comfort, to payback the initial investment in full motion simulators and training aids. Added Reuter: “It is not unprecedented to break-even within five years.” Another military training expert, who asked not to be identified, said payback “is much quicker because we use the systems more.”
In addition to adding new simulators, the military is enhancing legacy systems to further reduce costs and keep military personnel war ready. The U.S. Marines Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer (ISMT) is a mature Meggitt-made product, but the Marines keep enhancing its capabilities and dedicating new facilities. One new system was recently unveiled at the Marine base in Quantico, Va. At the facility, Marines can train on everything from 9 mm pistols, M-16s automatic rifles and 50-caliber machine guns to foreign made weapons, such as the AK-47. “That $2.4 million facility will pay for itself in one year,” said Col David A Smith, program manager, training systems, USMC Systems Command. If all weapons training were through live fire exercises, the USMC would have spent an additional $467 million in live training per year, Smith estimated. In some areas, there will be significant growth in modeling and simulation. The U.S. Air Force’s Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) program, which links simulators at different sites for mission training, is a case in point. The linked simulator-training program was confined initially to air combat aircraft, but
recently transport category, such as the Boeing C-17 became involved in brigade airdrop simulated training. The Air Force is also considering linking the actual aircraft flying with the simulators to further enhance realism. “We’re not immune to the cuts, but the major commands are going to rely more on using their training assets,” said Mark Adducchio, chief engineer for the simulation division at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Adducchio said the Air Force is also looking at enhancing air refueling training capability by linking it to integrated mission training. A boom operator, who controls the boom and fuel distribution in the tanker, will be linked with the C-17 simulator. “If we can conquer some of the technical issues, there will be a huge savings there,” said Adducchio. “There will be less flights that the C-17s and tanker crews will have to make to get qualified.” The continued use of high fidelity full motion simulators and related training aids is of paramount importance for new aircraft, The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) are both single-seat fighters and the Air Force has no plans to order twoseat training aircraft. Pilots will transition
The NEW online
Simulation Training Directory is now live.
FCORMPEANEY
LISTING ISSUE 3.2011
Register your company details today on this fully searchable, comprehensive listing of training, simulation and modelling products and services.
Register today
www.halldale.com/directory
MS&T MAGAZINE
13
Acquisition ISSUE 3.2011 MS&T MAGAZINE
14
directly from the simulator to the actual aircraft. So the simulator training must be top notch. Adducchio said there is a possibility of acquiring a full-blown weapons systems trainer for the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). That is significant because of the growing popularity of using UAVs in Afghanistan and elsewhere over piloted aircraft. While the simulation industry is not expected to suffer from DOD budget cuts, there is concern among simulator makers and trainers of military personnel about funds for future programs. “There is a budget paralysis brought about by the continuing resolution,” which only funds programs at 2010 levels, Lenyo said. Meaning, some programs, including simulator acquisition and training are not being activated. Example: CAE provides simulators and training for the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R surveillance and anti-submarine helicopter. The Navy wants more tactical operational flight trainers, but can’t acquire them because new funds have yet to be allocated. In addition, simulators for pilot and co-pilot, weapons tactics trainer can’t be acquired. Reducing acquisition costs of simulators and training aids would help convince a parsimonious Congress to free up the necessary funding. Look to India for a good example of how to reduce the acquisition costs of simulators. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., one of the largest aerospace companies in Asia, could not justify the expense of acquiring several full motion helicopter simulators, so it acquired one CAE full motion simulator, or “mother ship” that can be reconfigured with cockpits of four different helicopters. Two cockpits are for the civil and military variant of the HAL Dhruv; one is for Bell 412; the other for the Eurocopter AS365/EC 155 Dauphin. The versatile simulator is part of HAL’s and CAE’s recently opened joint venture helicopter-training center in Bangalore.
Culture Change For years, there was reluctance by some to letting go any live training and accepting an increasing role for simulators as a viable replacement. Not so much anymore. USS Trayer (BST21) is a 3/4-scale, 210 feet long mockup of an Arleigh
Burke-class destroyer enclosed within a 157,000-square-foot building on board the Navy’s Recruit Training Center. The trainer uses Hollywood-style special effects to create challenging and realistic training scenarios for recruits in their capstone “voyage”. The USMC, which historically has gotten the short end of the budget stick “has made significant investments in virtual and constructive training,” said Smith. As such, it has become a leader in this type of training. The Operator Driver Simulator (ODS), a FAAC Inc. manufactured surface vehicle trainer can simulate various types of terrain and weather. The Combat Convoy Simulator (CCS), a Lockheed-Martin product, provides linked simulation of four Marine Humvees in a convoy with two seven-ton trucks. In simulated exercises, the convoy encounters Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and shooting insurgents. Marines can practice tactics, techniques and procedures for responding to threats in an immersive environment. The Marines are also blending avatars with simulated systems and solutions. The Infantry Immersion Trainer (IIT) displays replicas of Afghan villages, replete with Afghan-speaking role players, avatars of women, children and other non-combatants and bad guys projected on walls. The IIT helps Marines hone their “shoot, don’t shoot” capabilities. Over 1,400 Marines have trained on the IIT housed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near San Diego, which became operational in November 2010. IITs are being built at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and at a Marine facility in Hawaii, an $85 million investment, according to Smith. Most military training experts agree that simulators will take on more responsibility as budgets tighten, but they will never replace live training, particularly for those pilots, sailors and soldiers headed to war. “I think that we’ll use simulations more than we do now as budgets tighten,” said Kevin Hottell, directorate of simulations program manager for Flight School XXI Services. “It’s an obvious cost avoidance that makes sense…” Nevertheless, Hottell offered this cautionary post-script: “We won’t do it at Ft. Rucker without ensuring the proper rigor has been applied to make sure the
sims are being used for the right things, at the right time in the training flow.” State-of-the-art simulation technology has been embraced by the military as a vital cost-savings and efficiencycreating training tool. DOD and other national security agencies also recognize its value as a mechanism for enhancing national security. NTSA’s Lewis told the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee in July 2010 that these agencies were using simulation technology “to depict large-scale cyber attacks against elements of our national energy grid, satellite and internet communications and other critical components of our infrastructure…” The savings of preventing cyber attacks against the U.S. national infrastructure is unknown but estimated to be in the billions of dollars, according to NTSA. The use of avatars, as part of an integrated simulated training package for various disciplines in the U.S. military, remains the technology to watch. The cost of adding avatars to simulation training will continue to drop, but it is the technology’s value as a life-saving training tool is what will really sell the technology, the industry claims. Within ten to 15 years, the simulation industry will have created “totally immersive worlds that will seamlessly place an individual in a three-dimensional artificial environment, there to interact with completely believable avatars, which will flawlessly mimic the full range of human behavior,” said John Williams, director of media relations for NTSA. For now, the military is taking a measured approach toward avatars. The Navy is evaluating the technology on “where it can add value and proficiency,” Reuter said. “We’re using avatars or second life as a familiarization tool.” NAWCTSD has developed a pilot program using avatar technology for the Defense Acquisition University at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, where students interact with their classmates via their assigned avatar. The go-slow approach to acceptance and procurement of avatars by the military doesn’t detract their trainers’ enthusiasm of the technology. Following our interview, Reuter headed across town to be the featured speaker at the 2011 Defense GameTech Users Conference, where his avatar gave half of his speech. Reuter then emerged from behind the curtain to deliver the remaining half in person. ms&t
Senior Leadership Interview
National Training Center In this MS&T exclusive interview, Brigadier General (BG) Terry R. Ferrell, Commanding General, NTC and Fort Irwin, speaks to the challenges of preparing joint and coalition warfighters for combat today and the threats of tomorrow with Casey E. Bain.
Above BG Terry Ferrell discusses the importance of preparing joint warfighters for a very challenging hybrid threat in the future. Image credit: Gus Bahena, NTC Public Affairs.
the training and facilitate system execution. If we’re not careful, the potential is to stovepipe the training – to only work the training objectives (or asset) that a particular Service wants to bring. The scenarios that we work at the CTCs drive us to bring the enablers to bear and accomplish multiple objectives for all assets that train here. So when we look in the realm of intelligence gathering assets (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance [ISR] assets), and we look specifically at how we employ those assets, we realize the great capability that exists in our sister Services. By bringing them here, I think we get to their Service-specific training
ISSUE 3.2011
tantly, to understand how those assets are employed. It’s tremendous what we can do here at NTC. We train Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines, here so that once they’re on a battlefield, they can integrate and work seamlessly together…and that includes training with our vital coalition partners, as well. The only way we can do that effectively is by training together at the CTCs. Q: Since NTC’s focus is preparing Army BCTs for combat, how important is it to help facilitate Joint, other Service, and coalition partner training objectives at the combat training center? BGF: I will tell you that it needs to be a delicate balance to ensure the force that provides those enablers have a set training agenda and training objectives. We have to work very judicially to ensure we meet those training objectives and, at the same time, bring those capabilities into the fight and work interwoven objectives to accomplish
15 MS&T MAGAZINE
Q: How does NTC view the importance of integrating Joint and coalition assets to train with Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) for deployment? Brigadier General Ferrell: I think, as you’re well aware of, and for anyone who’s been around the Service for longer than a day, since about 2004, we are a modular force. By integrating Joint enablers at NTC, we bring the full width, depth, and capability of the Department of Defense to bear. Specifically, for a modular force, we’re a brigade-centric Army; we’ve got to get those brigade organizations trained and prepared to employ those Joint enablers. After working with the Air Force, Marines, and many coalition partners on the battlefield, I’ve discovered that it’s a hand and glove relationship. By bringing combat experience and assets to the Combat Training Centers (CTCs), soldiers at all echelons are engaged early to understand their capabilities and what they bring to the fight, and more impor-
Senior Leadership Interview ISSUE 3.2011 MS&T MAGAZINE
16
objectives that they set because we have a similar mission set. Now, we bring them down to the brigade and get the brigade commander, the brigade staff, and subordinate commanders trained on their capabilities— truly trained on the integration of those resources…that is what the training centers do for you. Our relationship with the other Services allows those enablers to be deployed to the National Training Center; it’s a great benefit to the entire Joint team. Q: How does the Air Force’s Green Flag West program help improve the training conducted at NTC? BGF: Green Flag is an invaluable asset. Working out of Nellis Air Force Base (Nevada) and the base they have here, they complete multiple objectives established for their pilots of various airframes. We also work with international assets that come in to work with Green Flag. More importantly, the aspects from Green Flag – from fighter to jammer to air-refuel capability employed – ensures they can achieve the training objectives they need to reach and we see how they are going to employ in various conditions. We’ve got to work very carefully to ensure we are employing the systems in a Counterinsurgency (COIN) environment and see the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) and specific doctrine they’re using so that we know the best ways to employ those systems. Green Flag, and those enablers coming out of Green Flag, allow us to get after that. Similar to Green Flag, when we bring elements out of the Marine Corps and the Special Operations community, we’re able to employ them immediately into this environment and work to achieve their training objective. More importantly, we can integrate them into our organizations to see, specifically, the mission sets that they can perform, where we cross over, and where we’ve grown parallel so that we make sure we’re achieving maximum synergy when it comes to achieving mission accomplishment. What you’ll see happen too often – if you’re not nested or if you’re not working as a team – is that the Special Operations Forces (SOF) is after one target set, the conventional force is after a target set, and the Air Force is after another
target set. At the end of the day, they’ve all got to be integrated and nested in the desired outcome so the senior commander that’s fighting in that modular, enabled force is capable of bring all systems and capabilities to bear to defeat the enemy at the decisive place and time on the battlefield. Q: Do Joint organizations, like the Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team (JFIIT), Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and others, help enhance the training environment at NTC? BGF: Their support absolutely adds value to the training conducted here; we don’t want units deploying to combat and having to go through discovery learning because they haven’t had the opportunity to train with these Joint enablers at NTC. Yes, I think the formations we have here add tremendous value to the training environment. I have the opportunity to be dual-hatted as the Deputy Director of Training for JIEDDO. So not only do I work to get the aspects of the Army Center of Excellence for Counter Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) and all that comes to bear up and running at NTC, I also work with JIEDDO to ensure we meet the training objectives here and abroad – that is, in the Continental United States (CONUS) working with our forces and Services prior to deployment. Plus, we’ve got a multinational aspect, as directed by the Secretary of Defense, to ensure integrated training, and JIEDDO is working diligently to make that happen. They bring unique capabilities for our Soldiers and Marines who train here; the unique capability to train on systems, to train with capabilities that are not located at home station. Here, they can see it, touch it, and when they’re done with the training, they roll into theater and have all these resources available; it’s not discovery learning. By working with so many Joint enablers here at NTC, our forces (whether it’s a modular force or a functional or multifunctional organization) will be able to employ all assets at their disposal once in theater…that is a tremendous advantage we provide to the warfighter. Q: What do you see as the most significant training challenge for NTC and the Army over the next 12-24 months? BGF: One of the most significant chal-
lenges we will face will be the transition of our forces and our training environment and the infrastructure here to train the Army on hybrid threat operations tied to a full-spectrum scenario. I think we’re working very well in a COIN environment. We have excellent facilities and resources to train and prepare our forces for combat as they rotate through for the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, but starting in August and for 6 months next year, we’ll be doing hybrid threat, full-spectrum rotations. It brings a dynamic of a hybrid threat that consists of a conventional element, an insurgent element, a guerilla element, and a criminal element. That alone is very complex. Now set it on top of a different theater of operations. The force has to figure out how to combat that... how to work with the host nation or how to perform forced entry; things we haven’t done for many years... since about 2001-2002, and during that time, we were focused primarily on the conventional aspects. Over the next 12 to 24 months, we need to ensure what we get integrated is conventional, and we need to get back to the basics of the conventional fight by utilizing those enablers that we’ve developed such a great relationship with…by examining the complexities of the population – the criminal, the insurgency, and guerilla elements – so that a force has to deal with the full width, and depth and complexity of a full-spectrum environment. How do you do that or maybe more importantly, how do you bring the enablers from the Joint community to bear and how do those TTP or employment techniques morph, change, adapt to that environment verses a COIN environment? We’ll have to get relationships and training programs established that will allow us to bring those systems in and understand how they’re utilized in a much different environment. Q: How will NTC prepare Army BCTs for Full-Spectrum Operations (FSO) in the future and will the integration of Joint/coalition assets and capabilities be part of that training/requirement? BGF: The greatest thing about FSO training is that we’ve got an Army that is a very seasoned combat veteran force in COIN operations. What we see is that we have an Army that has gotten away from the doctrine, in some cases, of full spec-
Air Force is in their own specific areas of operation. As we refine our training program and blend it back with the Army and Marines, and as we start to see a drawdown in Iraq and an eventual drawdown in Afghanistan, we’ll need to put the lessons learned from across the Services into a training program that keeps all the Services relevant and integrates the training with our coalition partners. We must execute in a way that allows us to maximize time, training, and resources so that we’re constantly moving forward with our training programs and not wasting effort. As we see the changing condition for dollars and costs to perform these tasks, we have to be very efficient. We’ll need to package the lessons learned and continue the crosstalk and the development of training programs; I think that will be the key to getting us to a truly efficient force that maintains a combat relevancy. We must be relevant for whenever our nation calls. ms&t About the Author Casey E. Bain is a member of the JFIIT Public Affairs team.
ISSUE 3.2011
tor, but in most cases has conventional capabilities that can be integrated with all aspects of a hybrid threat. This gives you an environment in which you must be able to adapt, be very agile, and be capable of reading the battle, reading the situation, and understand the people and population. Many of these aspects are very familiar with the lessons that we’ve learned during the COIN fight over the past several years. How do we take that? How do we blend it and train the skill sets so that anywhere that we’re told to go that we’re prepared to do those initial operations and gain the foothold to continue the mission? That’s the challenge we have and what we’re prepared to support right here. Q: Any closing thoughts that you’d like to share with our Joint and coalition audience? BGF: I think that we as a collective force, as a Joint and combined force, need to take this concept of what the next battlefield will look like and take it to the next step and have everyone addressing the future fight. I think the Marines are doing that now. I know that Navy is, and I know the
17 MS&T MAGAZINE
trum, basic combat skills utilizing their systems – tanks, Bradley’s, howitzers – in a more conventional state: high intensity, major combat operations. Getting the forces back to the entry level, in many cases, and the experience to operate in that environment is the key. We have second lieutenants, first lieutenants, captains, and many majors now who have not operated or trained on major combat operations. What we really have to emphasize is the training; the training at home station, the training in our institutional Army, and then the training and execution here to give them the opportunity to learn and re-hone those important basic skill sets. I call it “re-bluing.” They’re there, they haven’t gone away. We just haven’t had a lot of emphasis placed on those skills because we’ve been very focused with the task at hand and the systems and employment for the COIN fight…that will be the challenge. You have to deal with the challenge of re-bluing your own individual and collective skill sets to operate a new formation against a living, breathing enemy that in some cases may be a near-peer competi-
Training Technology
Training for High Tech Surgery Medical educators are turning to simulation technology, with some of the research needed to support this approach coming from military simulation technology and funding. Chuck Weirauch writes about current developments
A
s new, innovative and challenging surgical procedures become accepted by the medical community and then demanded by the public, medical educators are embracing simulation as a way to provide effective and efficient training.
ISSUE 3.2011
Robotic Laparoscopic
MS&T MAGAZINE
18
Contrast, for example, traditional open surgery where a surgeon opens the patient's body cavity to physically examine and manipulate that person's organs and tissue, to that of laparoscopic, or minimally invasive surgery. In laparoscopic surgery small incisions are made primarily in the abdominal region and extended instruments and a camera are inserted into the body, along with a camera, to provide a reach to and view of those areas suspected of disease and malfunction. Laparoscopic surgery emerged in the 1980s and in 2000 the US Food and Drug Administration approved the next
major advance in laparoscopic surgery, Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci surgical robotic system. With the da Vinci system, the surgeon controls the surgical instruments inserted in the patient through robotic arms via a console that can be located outside of the operating room. Surgical advances such as laparoscopic surgery lead to better patient outcomes, namely less chance for infection, shorter hospital stays and shorter times to full recovery. But with every new surgical methodology comes the need to provide a means to train the surgeon to perform that new procedure with a high level of competency. And reportedly the da Vinci system is no different. Even highly experienced da Vinci surgeon operators state that the system demands a steep learning curve. A number of cases where patients were seriously harmed or lost their lives during or after da Vinci surgery have emerged; however, subsequent investigations indicated that these
Above Florida Hospital's da Vinci robotic surgical systems in the operating room. Image credit: Florida Hospital.
incidents were related to the lack of adequate training and experience of the surgeon operators involved.
Robotic Surgery Curricula Just as a number of surgical education organizations, including the American College of Surgeons, developed the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery curriculum to frame surgeons' skills development and proficiency assessment, efforts are now underway to develop and establish the Fundamentals of Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery curriculum. And modeling and simulation technology is playing a significant role in this effort. One research effort to advance surgical medical simulation and the devel-
opment of the Fundamentals of Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery curriculum is a $4.2 million Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Center (TATRC) grant awarded to Florida Hospital’s Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement for the development of a Center of Excellence (COE) in Medical Robotics and Simulation Research. TATRC is a division of the US Army Medical Research and Material Command. The Nicholson Center, colocated at Florida Hospital Celebration Health in Orlando, now hosts the largest multispecialty medical robotics training program in the world. According to Nicholson Center Administrator Rick Wassel, the Center currently has six of the over $1million each da Vinci robotic surgical systems dedicated exclusively to training physicians from around the world in more than six medical specialties. While the primary use of the da Vinci system has been for laparoscopic prostate cancer surgery (more than 85 percent of such surgeries in the US), advances in robotics research have shown applications for its use in cardiovascular, thoracic, gynecological, urology and general surgery, as well as in oncology, Wassel said.
Global Training and Education Institute
in today's environment," Wassel said." The new model is see many, do many, teach many, and we can accomplish that through simulation, much of it translated from military M&S. Medical simulation allows us to change the way we train physicians and their interaction with patients, whether that is through avatars or not." According to Florida Hospital Chief Technology Officer Roger Smith, what will make the Nicholson Center's effort to develop the Fundamentals of Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery curriculum unique is that it will be created to be shared with all civilian and military medical education organizations, institutions and hospitals.
In October the Nicholson Center will open the 54,000 square-foot Global Training and Education Institute, which will house the COE in Medical Robotics and Simulation Research, Wassel said. The six da Vinci robotic systems will be located in this building, and be equipped with Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci Skills Simulator. The Institute also features a 25-station wet lab for simulation robotics and learning for new procedures and techniques and a Simulation and Robotics Lab for medical modeling and simulation, robotics, virtual, mixed and augmented reality, telesurgery and mobile surgery. Rounding out the facilities will be a 500-seat conference center. The purpose of the Institute is to advance medical simulation and robotics and be a leader in those fields, Wassel explained. He cited partnerships with the Orlando military modeling and simulation community, and the area's new Medical City and Veteran's Administration Hospital with its Medical Simulation Center, as catalysts for that goal. "The old medical model of see one, do one, teach one is no longer applicable
Simulation The "Robotic Surgery 101" course will incorporate medical simulation technologies and become a part of the process to allow medical education organizations to certify surgeons to be qualified to perform da Vinci robotic surgery, he explained. Simulation is well-suited to robotic surgery curricula because it can now accurately replicate the 360-degree, high
RUAG provides sophisticated training solutions tailored to meet armed forces’ changing requirements – including maintenance services and upgrades. Virtual simulation: • Driver and gunner training • Crew training for armoured vehicles • Tactical training Live simulation: High-tech harness • Laser-based precision training • Urban operations training • Real time monitoring • Counter IED training
Live and Virtual Simulation: Realistic Training for successful Missions.
ISSUE 3.2011
•
RUAG Defence Simulation & Training · P.O. Box · 3000 Berne 22 · Switzerland Legal domicile: RUAG Electronics AG · Stauffacherstrasse 65 · 3000 Berne 22 · Switzerland Tel. +41 31 376 55 24 · marketing.defence@ruag.com · www.ruag.com
MS&T MAGAZINE
19
Training Technology
John Armstrong. "This is a real opportunity to define how it is that robotics can enhance the outcomes for patients,. We are also looking at how to close training gaps in robotic surgery. The primary education gap for the learner is simply understanding the efficiency of the robot and the tissue handling relative to the traditional instrument, which is the surgeon's hand. This is the first gap that needs to be filled. Then we need to define just how many simulated procedures are actually necessary before someone becomes competent and all of the levels beyond competency to proficiency and ultimately expert performance. The overarching goal is to define learner outcomes as a way to define learner competence, their confidence and then on to expert performance."
fidelity view that the surgeon sees projected onto a screen by the high-definition da Vinci camera that is inserted into the body. "When we first started out, there just wasn't the capability to use the simulator for inside the human body," Smith said. "We are getting to the point where the graphics are good enough, and we understand how to create models of inside the human body. So now implementing that capability is much more straightforward. So it's a much more direct application of computer technology to robotic surgery than any other type of surgery."
Tough Learning Curve Dr. Vipul Patel, at more than 5,000 robotic prostatectomies, has performed more of these da Vinci prostate surgeries than anyone in the world. He is also the Director of Florida Hospital's Global Research Institute. In summarizing what is needed for the advancement of robotic surgery, Patel said that the next critical step in robotics is probably in simulation. "The reason is that there is still a very steep learning curve for the da Vinci procedure," Patel explained." And what we know is that this is a continuous learning curve. You continue to learn no matter how many you do. Simulation is probably the safest and most ethical way to practice surgery before you first do it on humans. One of the most critical areas is developing a fundamental knowledge for robotic surgery, and to do it we need to have simulation."
ISSUE 3.2011
Research
MS&T MAGAZINE
20
The Nicholson TATRC grant includes funding for a study to research how warming up and rehearsal with a da Vinci system simulator prior to surgery might help to reduce errors during surgery. Another research area is to examine the possibility of performing automatic surgery with the da Vinci system, where the system is programmed via the computer data recorded during an operation performed by an expert operator. This effort would be only to see if the system could perform the initial incisions on a dummy patient and tie sutures, Smith clarified. Yet another research aspect includes collaboration with the military to help understand which medical simulator would best be available near the battlefield for civilian surgeons who
Performance Metrics
Above Florida Hospital's Dr Vipul Patel poses with a da Vinci robotic surgery system. Image credit: Florida Hospital.
are in the services Reserves or National Guard so that they might keep their surgical skills sharp.
CAMLS Research on how to improve robotic surgery education through simulation will also be conducted at other medical education institutions, including the University of South Florida (USF)'s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS). The CAMLS will feature a Surgical Simulation Center that will house two da Vinci robotics suites that will include the Skills Simulator and a number of simulated operating rooms that will have an extensive array of medical simulation devices. As at Florida Hospital's COE, the USF Simulation Center will be employed to develop and provide courses for surgeons in the latest robotic laparoscopic and other minimally invasive techniques, as well as for OR teamwork training and medical simulation research. "We are interested in looking at the comparative effectiveness of robotics technology to traditional surgical approaches," said CAMLS Director Dr.
Defining the means to assess surgeons' performance skills in robotic surgery through simulation is also the goal of a study that will be conducted this summer at the Surgical Simulation Center at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC, according to Dr. Dimitrios Stefanidis, Director for the Carolinas Medical Center. The goal of the study is the establishment of criteria for proficiency-based training that incorporates simulation into the curriculum, he explained. "Our main focus or research area here has been about identifying the metrics of performance and optimizing the curricula, or in other words studying how people learn best and how to provide them with the best educational environment so that they can learn it faster and better," Stefanidis pointed out. "The best training paradigm is proficiency-based, using criteria-based on training goals." "One way to assess performance is to track surgical motion in simulators," Stefanidis continued. "Our study, which is funded by several medical associations, is to look at the ways to assess current surgical proficiency levels. We need to identify who is really lagging behind the other guys and bring them up to speed. Also, we know that there is a transfer of skills from the simulator to the clinical environment. However, this transfer in not a hundred percent complete, so we are looking at ways to improve it." ms&t
...Tactics never changed In a perfect world, enemy tactics would not exist. But our world is not perfect. Until that time, Raydon provides Convoy, Route Clearance, MRAP, Door Gunner, and Area Weapons training solutions for both collective and/or individual. Thousands of Warfighters demand Raydon’s training products every day. Check us out at www.raydon.com and see how you can train in an imperfect world. TM
Experience the Difference. SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARN MORE.
www.raydon.com l 386.267.2936 © 2011 Raydon Corporation. All Rights Reserved. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Juan Torres-Diaz.
Sea Training
Royal Navy Specialist Sea Training Board and search and disaster relief are two high impact tasks. MS&T’s Dim Jones observes and reports.
ISSUE 3.2011
I
MS&T MAGAZINE
22
n the last edition of MS&T, I followed the staff of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) as they put HMS Dauntless, a Type 45 air defence destroyer and the Royal Navy’s most recently commissioned ship, and her crew through their paces in the Thursday War. This was part of Basic Operational Sea Training, the syllabus through which newly commissioned or refitted ships demonstrate that they are ready to deploy on operations. However, in addition to the tactical evolutions practised in the Thursday War scenario, there are some specific tasks which any operational ship could be called upon to perform, and I had the opportunity to observe the training which prepares naval personnel for two of them. During 2010, HMS Manchester, a Type 42 Destroyer, carried out her last operational deployment in the Caribbean; she was decommissioned on 24 February this year. A TV documentary team accompanied the crew on that voy-
age, the aims of which were to carry out counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean waters which straddle the main drug-trafficking surface routes between South and North America, and to provide disaster relief as required during the hurricane season. The events which unfolded in the film coverage provided ample evidence that both types of activity are extremely complex, and require the highest levels of individual and team training – to say nothing of the ability to remain alert during long periods of inactivity and frustration, and to react promptly and effectively when required to do so. One of the tools by which warships on patrol police the seas is Boarding Operations, a task which has been carried out by RN personnel for as long as the Service has existed. For all operations, an RN boarding team, 15-strong and headed up by a Lieutenant with a Senior Rate as 2i/c, is drawn from various departments within the ship to
Above A Royal Navy sailor examines a burst water main at the DISTEX site. Image credit: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright.
ensure specialist knowledge. They will have undergone initial boarding training at the Royal Navy Board and Search School at HMS Raleigh, currently staffed by Lt Duncan Turner and his team of 5 instructors, working under 1 Assault Group, Royal Marines. Training in board and search techniques starts in the ‘Cossack Building’, a purposebuilt simulator named after HMS Cossack, whose crew were, in February 1940, the last RN personnel to carry out a board and search action using cutlasses as their main weapons. The object of their intervention was the Altmark, a German ‘merchant ship’, which actually turned out to be carrying some 300 British prisoners, the survivors of
Above Checking the documents. Image credit: Crown Copyright/ Dave Sherfield.
had embarked, and repaired shoreward for tea and medals. Ships earmarked for operational deployments undertake Directed Continuation Training, which includes continuation boarding training, under the supervision of FOST staff. If the ship is deploying to certain riskier areas of operation, this is usually conducted with an additional Royal Marine Boarding team, which supplements the RN team and can provide a higher level of protection. On her Caribbean patrol, HMS Manchester was host to a specialist Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) from the US Coastguard, reflecting the fact that US has primacy for counter-narcotics operations in that area; the RN boarding party were on standby to back up as required. There is no such thing as a routine board and search operation; boarding teams, and those supervising and supporting them, must be constantly vigilant and expect the unexpected. Those engaged in the illicit drugs trade – or any other nefarious activity – have, of necessity, developed their tactics to avoid detection or, failing that, to evade apprehension; they are playing for high stakes, and their attitudes reflect this. The same holds true for the pirates currently operating off the Horn of Africa, and in other parts of the world. Over the weekend of 30/31 October
ISSUE 3.2011
Even if the crew of the boarded vessel are not disposed to violence, they may well have something to hide – something which needs to be winkled out by a team unfamiliar with the layout of the vessel. The instructors role-playing the principal characters are masters of obfuscation and evasion, attempting to establish a rapport with the boarding team designed to deflect them from their task. Paperwork is inspected, questions asked and a search carried out. It is important to emphasise that this is no smash-and-grab raid, even if, in February 1940, just 43 minutes elapsed between the boarding party approaching the Altmark and HMS Cossack sailing out of Jossingford Fjord with her 299 ex-prisoners. This is not the norm. After intercepting a suspect vessel, it can take hours to obtain the necessary permission to board, hours more to secure it, and literally days or weeks to conduct a thorough search of a large ship. Where possible, boarding team members will be allocated search areas associated with their expertise – a stoker for the engine-room, a cook for the galley. While all this is going on – and bearing in mind that the boarding team could be outnumbered by the host crew – support is provided by the RIBs, and by the ship and its helicopter, which have the necessary armament to deter misbehaviour. Of course, it can all go horribly wrong; the engine-room search of MV Brecon revealed a ticking time-bomb (simulated!) and, without waiting to ask further questions, the boarding team disembarked rather more rapidly than they
23 MS&T MAGAZINE
ships sunk by the pocket battleship Graf Spee. Once the basics have been mastered in the Cossack Building, exercise scenarios are conducted on board MV Brecon, formerly HMS Brecon, a Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessel, permanently moored off Jupiter Point, and owned by HMS Raleigh. MV Brecon, once distinguished as the first frontline RN warship to be commanded by a female officer (Lt Charlotte Atkinson), was decommissioned in 2005; she is now used for many tasks, not least giving new recruits their first taste of being ‘at sea’, and introducing them to disciplines such as watchkeeping. In the case of the exercise I observed, the boarding team under training was from HMS Somerset, and the exercise was conducted under the watchful eye of their Commanding Officer, Cdr Paul Bristowe. Following a briefing by Lt Turner on-shore, the team was left to prepare accordingly, while the instructing staff moved to MV Brecon to observe the plot unfolding and, where required, to role-play as crewmembers of the boarded vessel. The decision to board a vessel could be routine, or the result of some intelligence input, and will only be made when the necessary permissions have been granted. The first task is to secure the subject vessel, and check that all the paperwork is correct; a search can be carried out if the vessel is suspected of hiding something. The transport of choice is the Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), a fast and manoeuvrable craft, but one which takes some careful handling, and getting the team safely on board the vessel is an objective in itself – embarking, even using specially designed ladders, but laden with full assault equipment, personal weapon and body armour, is no more easy than it sounds, and arriving on board ‘in a clatter of bits’ is not the right way to establish the required authority gradient! The crew of the ship to be inspected might be armed, if only for their own protection, and it is essential that the boarding team personnel are confident and skilled in the use of their personal weapons – hence the emphasis placed on this during initial training. There will also be specific Rules of Engagement (ROE), and it is essential that every team member knows what they are and how to apply them in a quick-reaction situation.
Sea Training ISSUE 3.2011 MS&T MAGAZINE
24
2010, Hurricane Tomas struck the island of St Lucia, causing devastation and loss of life. HMS Manchester arrived off the island on 02 November, the first ship on the scene. During the next few days, her crew rendered assistance to the islanders in many forms, some entirely beyond their previous experience. Any ship could be faced with this challenge, and the ability to rise to it is, once again, the result of sound preparation and quality training, rather than good fortune. The command aim of RN disaster relief is “to save life and lessen suffering”. The former is self-explanatory; the latter could cover a multitude of tasks. Just as in the exercise at sea, some people will find themselves essentially performing their normal roles – medical, catering, supply, helicopter crew, chaplaincy – but in a different environment; others will be doing something entirely different – search and rescue, stretcher-bearers, water-carriers. The precise tasks are unpredictable, but the basis on which to build capability is organisation and forethought. I observed HMS Dauntless engaged in a Disaster Relief Exercise (DISTEX), another phase of Basic Operational Sea Training, on the day following the Thursday War. The scenario for this was slightly unusual, in that the simulated disaster was unfolding in home territory rather than overseas, and there was a continuing threat scenario which required the ship to stand off and be prepared to defend herself; this impacted on the number of personnel available for the shore party. Also, and in order to exercise the co-ordination needed for combined emergency services operations – police, fire service and ambulance as well as the military – some civilian elements of the command and control structure at the various levels of Bronze, Silver and Gold were present but, in terms of manpower, the RN were on their own. As an exercise venue, FOST simulate a disaster-hit village in a disused part of the Devonport Naval Base, known as Bull Point. The ‘exercise weather’ of the day was the aftermath of a hurricane – storm force winds and heavy rain. In the event, ‘exercise control’ could not provide the gales, but real torrential rain there certainly was – an extra challenge which made everything just that little bit more difficult. At Bull Point, the FOST staff had generated just about every scenario imaginable in the ‘village’ – casualties in all forms,
Above The disaster-hit 'village' harboured a variety of scenarios for the ship's personnel to overcome. Image credit: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright.
screaming babies in collapsed buildings, electrical hazards, fires, burst water mains, crashed cars in rising floodwaters, gas explosions, you name it. Time constraints were imposed for the provision of basics – food, water, shelter and medical aid. In this testing environment, the crew of HMS Dauntless proceeded to do what I had seen them do the previous day at sea; they just rolled their sleeves up - or, more accurately, turned their collars up and got on with it. The operation ashore was commanded by the ship’s Executive Officer; the nerve centre of the operation was a 10’ x 10’ lightweight gazebo with the ship’s name emblazoned on it, more usually seen on public display days. It’s amazing how many people you can cram into one of those things when the rain’s coming down like stair-rods, but the system seemed to work. The equipment in use to cope with the various challenges
was a mixture of stuff brought from the ship and anything which came to hand on the scene – alongside the portable generators, the 4 by 2 wooden joists were much in evidence, not least as a makeshift tripod erected to lift a lump of metal the size of a tank engine from the chest of a dummy casualty, which had been comprehensively flattened! There were specialist medical personnel about, but they were fully stretched, and everyone had to try his or her hand at casualty evacuation and care. Professional actors portrayed casualties and distressed villagers, and they were not always entirely co-operative, or appreciative of the assistance rendered! An added consideration – probably not entirely welcome but extremely representative of the real world – was the presence of the media. For this exercise, the professional FOST Media Ops staff was supplemented by a few ‘guest acts’ – media studies undergraduates from local universities. In a significant change of stance, instead of personnel ‘stonewalling’ media enquiries and referring all approaches to the next level of command or to a specialist media spokesperson, everyone, including the most junior, was encouraged to answer questions to the best of their knowledge. It was impossible for me to cover the multitude of situations arising, and being dealt with, simultaneously. However, the FOST staff has done so, and their objective debriefs will have enabled HMS Dauntless to do it better next time. Perhaps that is why the crew of HMS Manchester were able to meet the challenges which faced them on St Lucia, and acquit themselves with distinction. ms&t
Left
Training Technology
Testing command and control aids using IA-CGF generated UAV, ships and several vehicles within ST_VP HLA Federation.
Agostino G. Bruzzone, Alberto Tremori, Marina Massei, describe the status of 10 years of research at Genoa University into the addition of intelligent behaviour to CGF.
C
an you imagine what could happen if a main battle tank entered a University Campus? Probably students would be surprised and, may be, also alarmed if not worried, even if the tank had their own flag and colors. And what would be the impact on the population of an Afghan area if coalition forces built a school in a village? Will that village remain neutral or even move to be friendly? Or maybe that action would have a negative effect? In general sense, we would say that it is very important to consider human behavioral and population conduct in operational analysis, planning, in evaluating new equipment or a new procedure; obviously this is very critical in training sessions. But, how many models are available to represent and consider all the “grey” factors? Mission environments are becoming more and more related to PMESII (Political, Military, Economic, Social and Infrastructure Information) and it is evident
that the impact of the human factor is very critical for the success of operations. It is not surprising the growth of interest about creating human behavioral models, even if they are challenging. In this article we will describe the results and the outcomes of more than 10 years of research activities at the University of Genoa for the creation of a new generation of Computer Generated Forces managed by Intelligent Agents with human behavioral models and libraries.
History Prof. Bruzzone’s research team started to apply behavioral models for process re-engineering in the industrial case: the impact of human factors in company strategies and ergonomics in complex conditions such as company reorganization, off-shore platforms, crowd control, emergency management, etc. In 2001, the research team presented a new research track for the development of
25 MS&T MAGAZINE
Adding Smarts to the Mix
new generation military CGF with “intelligent” autonomous behavior, especially focused on human factors. In 2003 PIOVRA (Polyfunctional Intelligent Operative Virtual Reality Agents), the first large project funded by the European Defence Agency in this area, was launched. Since the beginning, the idea was to create intelligent agents, interoperating in federations and able to direct units or to process tasks based on their specific perception and situation awareness; as a result, in 2007, PIOVRA interoperability within JMRM federation with JTLS was demonstrated in several events in North America and Europe. Until now, several R&D activities on this subject have been developed with IA-CGF (Intelligent Agents Computer Generated Forces) as elements and frameworks for introducing human behavioral models in simulation. For example, IA-CGF was demonstrated in 2010 together with US JFCOM and presented during ITEC in London; in that case, within three months from the real event, it was possible to create and simulate a complex mission environment related to the Haiti earthquake where the Port au Prince population (over 2 million) was modeled and analyzed in terms of human factor evolution and behavior with respect to the crisis and the coalition food distribution operations. The presentation confirmed the potential of bringing together many different simulators and tools – JTLS, JCATS, IA-CGF, DI-Guy, VBS, Plexsys, etc – for supporting effective training. Now the research activities on this specific area are consolidated and focus on developing new IA-CGF modules as tiles to cover new areas over the wide spectrum of operations and scenarios that our forces are requested to face today. Currently several projects are being sponsored by national and international agencies, institutions and companies; some of them are unclassified, such as CAPRICORN (CIMIC And Planning Research In Complex Operational Realistic Networks) an EDA project devoted to develop new CFG representing not
ISSUE 3.2011
Image credit: Authors.
Training Technology ISSUE 3.2011 MS&T MAGAZINE
26
only units, but also regions, villages, parties and groups, extending the use of these models from training to operational planning. Another example of unclassified project is proposed by CGF-C4-IT, funded by the Italian MoD, where CGF are used in net-centric warfare for testing the capabilities of different C2 architectures, maturity models and communication technologies in urban operations.
Description When Intelligence is mentioned in relation to CGF, usually path finding and geometry avoidance issues are the main focus of the discussion, giving rise to unrealistic situations. For example, while virtual humans walk around an HMMWV simulating a demonstration, they would continue repetitively their activities as robots despite an event such as a soldier shooting down a woman in the crowd: the virtual graphics could be fine, but definitively this is not realistic. What reaction is most likely expected in this case? People running away, someone gets paralyzed, others, as berserks, attack armed soldiers. Many factors affect the reaction of the population, even in a small event such as: the behavior of the shooting private, the emerging leadership over the demonstrators, and the previous history on soldier/population relationships. For sure, today, we are not able to predict exactly what will be the proper reaction, therefore operative people & scientists are able to draw different alternatives and with the support of M&S experts it is possible to create stochastic models able to represent this aspect. Several CGF and simulators taking care of reproducing decision processes and human factors are available. This problem applies even in a simple movement context: traditionally CGF are defined intelligent, if they are able to move from point A to B by applying basic path finding, avoiding obstacles, using roads and considering terrain in order to minimize time and distances; therefore, in PIOVRA Project, for instance, one major focus was to develop new movement strategies for CGF considering risk factors. So a platoon executing a movement would choose its path considering its perception and information about threats such as snipers, opposite forces, terrain context, rules of engagement (i.e. avoiding contact) as well as support from their allies; this consideration is a major
driver for militaries in the field. Similar considerations apply even to everybody driving through traffic downtown, so it could be expected that intelligent CGF should address these aspects today. IA-CGFs address this problem by applying multiple techniques for modeling the environments and the decision making process of the intelligent agents; for sure a critical aspect is to create algorithms for reproducing human behavior modifiers as dynamic element of the simulation. For instance, the extensive adoption of fuzzy logic allowed to combine multiple feeling and different rules within the same scenario based on the unit perception, status and behavioral characteristics. So for instance, when two groups get in touch it is computed the mutual attitude, not in term of friend or foe (or neutral), but considering the concurrent weighted presence of indifferent, hostile, negative, positive and friendly feelings; in addition the occurring events and the simulation evolution change continuously the attitude among units and among groups and organizations to who they belongs, taking into account even the nature of the different evolution criteria (i.e. aggressiveness is accumulated slowly and explode quickly). Based on this approach ordering a patrolling within an area will generate deterrence, but will increase even tension and stress in IA-CGF. Obviously the tuning, verification and validation of the simulator requires specific procedures and the accumulated experience of operative people and subject matter experts are essential for this complex task. In fact it is evident that when dealing
Above IA-CGF simulating terrorist groups and organizing concurrent attacks to be prevented by multiple players in SIBILLA. Image credit: Authors.
with humans, these simulators don't represent a crystal ball; however, simulation based on IA-CGF is able to analyze many alternative course of actions, repeating the same scenario and considering the impact of stochastic factors. So, even if it is not possible to generate a perfect prediction, it becomes possible to quantify risks, costs/benefits and consequences of different hypotheses and decisions.
IA-CGF Family IA-CGFs are divided in three different elements: • IA-CGF Human Behavioural Libraries: human characteristics such as fear, stress, fatigue, field, aggressiveness, experience, and training level operate as a set of further characteristics to be added to each unit in constructive simulation (i.e. now in constructive simulation every unit in the scenario has information about status and type of ammo, IA-CGF adds dynamic information about level of fear and stress) • IA-CGF Units: are a set of interoperable units with capability to be integrated in constructive simulation. These units are intended to represent “special” or “non conventional” units: from local population to NGOs and Red Cross, insurgents and rioters etc… • IA-CGF Non Conventional Frameworks: an IA-CGF-NCF models a particular scenario that considers Political, Military, Economic, Social and Infrastructural
Information factors. These frameworks are intended usually to reproduce specific non conventional asymmetric mission environments and include: 1. Natural disasters and civil protection such as hurricanes (i.e. IA-CGF KL), Earthquakes (i.e. IA-CGF EQ) and humanitarian support operations (IACGF Haiti) 2. Country reconstruction (i.e. IA-CGF Capricorn) 3. Homeland security crisis such as pandemic (i.e. IA-CGF PANDORA), riots (i.e. IA-CGF RATS), crime activities (i.e. IACGF INDASTRIA), medium/small town context (i.e. IA-CGF PSYSOP), intelligence (i.e. IA-CGF SIBILLA) 4. Operations such as Piracy (IA-CGF Panopea) or Net Centric Command & Control (i.e. IA-CGF NC3, (i.e. IA-CGF ST_VP UAV) All the IA-CGF modules are interoperating through HLA in order to be ready for quickly becoming a federate in a large architecture.
Application and Benefits It is easy to imagine different benefits and applications of human behavioral models embedded in Computer Gener-
ated Forces both for training and operational planning. These models are able to support planners and CAX teams to complete an extensive analysis of complex scenarios considering PMESII “layers” over a geographic area. It is easy to manage events involving million of people and their human factors and attitudes towards other actors in the scenario because every entity is moving and acting autonomously based on behavioral models, boundary conditions, perception of the reality and rules of engagements assigned. In fact it is critical to remember, as already mentioned, that these models are far from being crystal balls able to predict a specific event; however, they are very powerful in investigating alternative courses of action and estimating risks and probabilities as well as considering interactions among the thousands of factors that are affecting humans. Based on the accumulated experience on several projects, the models are very effective, especially when operated by users with deep knowledge of their operative domain. In this context the IA-CGF becomes an effective tool for decision
makers, providing results that quantify costs/benefits and risks of the different alternatives. In training, the models make it possible to reduce manpower and to generate behavior for different units (i.e. grey and red forces, white cell activities) and to check the impact of different challenges on the training audience before finalizing the exercise. In operational planning, the introduction of the human behavioral models allows the consideration of many more hypotheses and the simulation of several courses of action quickly, so the planner skills and experience is more productive being applied on a decision making process based on risk analysis. In general extending simulation over human behavior domain is the new frontier and research in this area is very critical for further extension of M&S. ms&t About the Authors Agostino G. Bruzzone is full professor in Genoa University and Director of M&S Net involving 34 centers worldwide; Alberto Tremori and Marina Massei work as researchers at the MISS DIPTEM, Genoa University.
28-29 September 2011 • Singapore EXPO
Addressing military force readiness and warfare preparation in Asia
THE ONLY MILITARY SIMULATION EVENT IN ASIA
Dr. Umut Durak, Chief of Modelling and Simulation Division, DEFENSE INDUSTRIES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE, TURKEY
Organised by:
Lead Media Partner:
Media Partners:
Dr. Tag Gon Kim, Head Systems Modelling Simulation Lab, KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KAIST) Rob Carpenter, Deputy Director Simulation Development, AUSTRALIAN ARMY Hans Jense, Acting Chief, Defence Planning, NATO C3 AGENCY
DEFENCE and SECURITY of INDIA
DSI Worldwide Military Guide for Army, Navy & Airforce
1. Network with senior regional military, government and industry simulation experts 2. Evaluate the most effective training and simulation technologies, drawing on the experience of militaries across the region 3. Examine COTS requirements for military simulation & modelling from an Asian market perspective 4. Leverage the collective knowledge of one of the worlds biggest defence event organisers - Clarion Events - producers of ITEC, DSEi, UDT and LAAD
W. www.milsimasia.com E. AsiaDelegate@clarionevents.com T. +65 6590 3979 F. +65 6223 9196
ISSUE 3.2011
Group Captain Thanapant Raicharoen, Director of Information Technology Division, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, THAILAND
Benefits of attending:
27 MS&T MAGAZINE
Of the 20+ early confirmed speakers, highlights include:
Left
Show Report
The ITEC tradeshow – 150 exhibitors from 18 countries. Image credit: Elke Ullrich.
ITEC 2011 – Better Than Ever Visitor comments ranged from ‘best ITEC ever’ to ‘much better than we expected’. Walter F. Ullrich reports.
ISSUE 3.2011
S
MS&T MAGAZINE
28
ome 1,500 visitors turned up on the first day, plus an additional 500 conference attendees who had signed up for the various sessions. In the end, an all-time record of 3,142 people from 46 different nations visited the 150 exhibitors (including 24 newcomers) from 18 countries in Cologne, Germany, 10-12 May. Hardly an ITEC before it had more obstacles to surmount. Military budgets cuts meant no patronage by the German MoD; nevertheless, no previous ITEC has seen more military personnel in attendance – 500, including 47 senior officers. The importance of qualified visitors was confirmed by one manager from IABG, a private think-tank working mainly for the German Armed Forces, who said that they came to this ITEC ‘because we want to meet the working level of our national military customers, and these experts are mostly stationed at headquarters near Cologne.’ It appears that shrinking budgets did not dissuade industry from attending. Quite the contrary, all the big European players were there, as were most North Americans. ‘When competition gets even tougher, you have to show more presence,’ commented one booth captain. Despite the loss of national patronage, Anne O’Reilly, Mabway Ltd, the Confer-
ence Chair, and her Conference Committee put together a great conference. This year, ITEC looked into the future to 2025. Training to counter cyber warfare, emergency management training, and national and international non-governmental cooperation and global international partnerships were all on the agenda, as was the need for cost-effective and timeefficient procurement. A record-breaking 632 registered delegates attended the conference; the ITEC organisers’ offer of free conference attendance for serving military personnel seemed to have provided sufficient impetus. While the German Armed Forces were not officially present, other nations and organisations were. The presence of high-level representatives underlines the importance NATO attaches to events such as this. Major General Albert Husniaux, Director NATO Research and Technology Agency, was there, as was Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, Deputy Chief of Staff, Joint Force Training, ACT. ‘If we want to achieve something good in a short space of time for an affordable amount of money, we have to go in right here," said Viereck. NATO is looking for training solutions that people feel easily at home with. Viereck indicated that serious gaming technology could already take a foothold in NATO education and training
in the very near future. Lieutenant General Viereck also held a remarkable keynote speech in which he requested ‘radical solutions’ for future training that include ‘a more agile, responsive and affordable’ approach, as well as the pooling of the nations' training resources. Frank Di Giovanni, Deputy Director, Readiness Training Policy and Programs, Office of the Secretary of Defense, USA travelled to ITEC for a session about the strategic environment for S&T as well as to learn and to fully understand what the European coalition partners are thinking about. ‘This venue is extremely important. A lot of the time there is interesting information from Europe that is different from my perspective,’ he said. In his own session, Dr Jim Blake, Program Executive Officer, PEOSTRI, explained trends in acquisition, technology and the workforce. For him, too, ITEC is more than explaining capabilities, however. ‘We like to come out to let our coalition partners know what capabilities we have, and at the same time to see at the booths and in the sessions what progress they are making, so that we can leverage this.’ This approach is very much in line with Lieutenant General Viereck’s request that everybody should come out of their niche. For Capt. William Reuter, Commander Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division Orlando, ITEC provides a lower stress level environment than I/ITSEC that helps everyone to better understand each other’s problems and challenges. ‘We made new friends at ITEC; we talked a lot with people from within the MoDs. We all suffer from similar challenges,’ he explained. The Senior Officers’ Panel was certainly one of the best in recent years. The changing training paradigm was explained by Dr Chris Mace from the UK MoD, who said that training for tomorrow’s operations will not be the same as training for current operations. ‘Networking is crucial, agility is crucial, and disposability is part of it,’ he said. For him it is indispensable that training is delivered at the point of need and time of need. According to Greg Knapp from JFCOM’s
Above MSE Weibull’s Virtual Theatre offers the potential for dismounted soldiers to freely manoeuvre in a virtual environment. Image credit: Elke Ullrich.
Joint Coalition Warfighting Center, one area in which there will be increasing change is networked training. Such training is more flexible and better able to replicate the modern battlespace, he told a packed auditorium. The final presentation was by Alistair Halliday, Raytheon Technical Services UK Programme Director. He argued that the current fiscal challenges affecting many NATO nations ‘present an opportunity for innovation and the adoption of creative training solutions’. While there was general agreement from the floor, notes of caution were sounded by those currently engaged in delivering training – for instance, on the planning and funding of synthetic training systems with ‘a half-life of 18 months’ to support a platform with a projected life of 30 years.
The Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) demonstrated a simulator programme for evaluating Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) systems. The programme was the core of a successful education course for Britain’s Empire Test Pilot’s School (ETPS), marking the start of a partnership between the two. Saab emphasised its role as total training provider and the products of the recently acquired Czech virtual training provider E-COM. Saab’s Rapid 3D Mapping attracted attention. Thales presented SAGITTARIUS-Evolution. The scalable system is the common platform for various training modules. CryENGINE3, made by Crytek, provides very real video simulation and integrated 3D sound. Lockheed Martin’s presence included demonstrations of the mid-fidelity visual simulation software Prepar3D. Also presented were Instrumented Ranges, Digital Range Training Systems and Advanced Gunnery Training Systems. VBS2 is ubiquitous. The latest version has improvements such as underground spaces, increased terrain size and view distances, improved simulation of wounding and variable ground conditions for manoeuvring vehicles. VSTEP displayed the Nautis ‘Naval Task Force’ desktop trainer, which allows training and mission rehearsal in ship handling and bridge team management. Virtalis showcased what is, by its account, the only virtual winching application in the world, linking the winch operator’s position to the front crew Helicopter Crew Reality virtual training system. ITEC 2012 will be held at ExCeL London from 22 to 24 May 2012. ms&t
On the Show Floor
The missing hardware link between the live, virtual and constructive domains Enabling unlimited movement in your virtual environment Find out more at www.mseab.com
ISSUE 3.2011
The Omni-directional floor
29 MS&T MAGAZINE
Many companies focused on the new threats set out in NATO’s new Strategic Concept. Greater emphasis was given to disaster management planning and cooperation between governmental, military and civil structures. Really new ideas have become fairly rare at events like ITEC. The Swedish MSE Weibull AB proposed ‘Virtual Theatre’, a solution that provides the means for a subject to move freely in any direction inside a virtual environment. Rotating rollers arranged in a sector-shaped circular configuration on the floor allow omnidirectional movements, compressing X/Y dimensions. Effect control and position feedback is provided through an Ethernet network, connecting to any existing virtual environment. Effects can be flash, smoke, smell, heat, cold, wind and moisture. An optional 3DOF motion platform allows all sorts of cues such as slopes, rolling ship decks or nearby explosions. Rheinmetall’s large display included an embedded naval gunnery simulator and advanced MOUT training technologies. The company also showcased a collective, networked training platform that allows simulation cells to be combined and mixed for almost any training purpose, across all military forces within the same theatre of operations. CAE celebrated the 50th anniversary of CAE Elektronik GmbH, the company’s German affiliate which started in 1961 building F-104 Starfighter simulators for the Luftwaffe, a contrast with Caesar, a high-fidelity trauma patient simulator.
Above
Conference Report
No. 39 Squadron of the Royal Air Force has operated the MQ-9 Reaper since 2007. Image credit: Crown Copyright.
UAS Training & Simulation 2011 MS&T’s Dim Jones addresses the highlights of the conference.
ISSUE 3.2011
T
MS&T MAGAZINE
30
he second IQPC Unmanned Aerial Systems Training & Simulation Conference took place in London on 12 and 13 April. The late withdrawal of several speakers resulted in the originally-scheduled two days of presentations being condensed into one, and the planned third day workshop became the second day of the conference. Consequently, the programme lacked something in breadth although, as with last year’s event, this was offset by the positive contribution of the attendees, who were a good mix of military, industry and academia, including delegations from Oman and China. Despite cutbacks in many other areas of defence, UAS (aka Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS)) remains a growth industry. On the military side, the US is still on course to achieve its target of 65 Predator/Reaper CAPs worldwide, each using 4 aircraft to maintain a 24/7 capability, and requiring 1600 pilots and 1200 sensor operators to man them. In order to meet this target while maintaining front line manned crew levels, alternative potential sources of RPAS operators have been investigated. The
concurrent US and UK trial programmes (Beta and Daedalus respectively), which investigated the feasibility of training non-rated personnel for UAS, have concluded successfully. The USAF will continue to cross-train experienced aircrew, but they will be supplemented by a new career field dedicated to UAS, and the interim measure of taking a percentage of pilot training graduates will be phased out. All 4 of the Trial Daedalus trainees successfully passed their courses and are now on the front line, but the RAF as yet have no clear way ahead. There was a lively debate on the place of live flying as part of the training mix for nonrated pilots; this was broadened by presentations from the University of North Dakota, which runs a degree syllabus for those intending a career in the UAS field, based on a 190-hr FAA-endorsed CPL(IR) course. Civil employment of UAS in the US is seen as the next big growth area, particularly in fields such as Customs and Border Patrol and Homeland Security The most interesting part of the conference examined the future operation of UAS in National Airspace; although not strictly a training topic in itself, the regula-
tory requirements will drive the qualifications required of the pilots, and thus their training. The German Air Force is about to introduce Euro Hawk to its inventory, and will use only rated pilots to fly it, and a system of semi-segregated airspace to get the aircraft from its airfield into the upper airspace. Once there, and although the prior notification requirements will render it not quite a ‘file and fly’ operation, the aircraft will operate in Class A airspace alongside other users. The workshop examined the feasibility of a hypothetical plan to boost surveillance capabilities for the 2012 London Olympics by augmenting the Metropolitan Police’s helicopters with 3 classes of UAS, ranging from a Class 1 low-altitude hand-launched system, to a twin-engined Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) aircraft. Exploration of what might be required to make this a reality exposed some of the ‘cultural roadblocks’ which the UAS community rightly believe will be strewn in their path. For example, not only is the average air commuter likely to be unwilling to sit in the back of an Airbus, bound for Corfu but flown by someone in Clapham; he or she is also likely to baulk at the thought of sharing the ether with an unmanned 747 freighter. There is some work to be done on UAS airworthiness issues, but similar levels of safety to those currently pertaining in the airline industry are achievable. Substitution of the manned ‘see-andavoid’ (the validity of which, IMC in Class A airspace, is questionable in any case) by the unmanned ‘sense-and-avoid’ (which could arguably be more capable) is an emotive issue, and UAS proponents are acutely aware of the effect on public opinion of the first accident involving a UAS which results in fatalities in the air or on the ground. In sum, then, this was an informative and entertaining conference on a topic of increasing significance. Any lack of diversity in the formal programme was offset by the relaxed, yet authoritative role of the Chairman, and the active participation and exchange of views between the knowledgeable members of the audience. ms&t
A compendium of current news from the military simulation and training industry, compiled and edited by the MS&T editorial team. For the latest breaking news and in-depth reports go to www.halldale.com.
Training Aircraft $85 Million Contract – AEL Sistemas has been awarded a follow-on contract from a subsidiary of Embraer S.A. for the
upgrade of eleven F-5 aircraft. The contract is valued at $85 million, to be performed through 2013. The contract will include engineering services and the delivery of all system equipment, including the mission computer, display systems, radar, EW system, ammunition management system and other avionics products. In addition, as part of the contract, AEL will supply a flight simulator, spares and ground support equipment. Morocco Takes Delivery of 12 T-6C Trainers – The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) has received the first 12 of 24 T-6C trainers from Hawker Beechcraft. The RMAF is replacing its existing fleet of T-34 and T-37 jet trainers. BAE Systems Contract – BAE Systems has been awarded a twelve month contract extension worth $23.8m from the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) to support and maintain the UK's fleet of Hawk TMk1 jet trainer aircraft. Under the Hawk Integrated Operational Support (Hawk IOS) contract, BAE Systems is responsible for ensuring the Hawk TMk1 training aircraft are available
Above UK's RAF Hawk TMk1. Image credit: RAF/Crown Copyright.
to carry out agreed levels of training sorties. This extension to the contract will see a continuation of the support currently delivered for flight line operations, providing fleet and supply chain management, forward and depth maintenance and technical support.
Flight Simulation F/A-18C TOFTs Upgrade – L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) has been awarded a contract from armasuisse to provide upgrades that will keep the Swiss Air Force's F/A-18C Tactical Operational Flight Trainers and associated training system equipment concurrent with modifications being made to the service's F/A18C aircraft. The hardware and software training system upgrades will be accomplished in two phases. During phase one, L-3 Link will integrate the aircraft's 23X(S) opera-
ISSUE 3.2011
NATO M&S COE Initiative – Italy has set up a Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence (M&S COE) in Rome, Italy. The mission of the M&S COE is to support NATO and Nations in their transformation efforts by providing subject matter expertise on all aspects of M&S activities. The M&S COE, which is directed by Col. Francesco Mastrorosa, will focus, but not limit its activities to the cooperative aspect of the core areas of education and training. In addition to these activities, the COE will seek collaborative relationships with industry, academia and other organizations. As one of the first tasks, the M&S COE will organise the sixth NATO Joint Computer Assisted Exercise Forum (CAX '11) taking place from September 12 to 15, 2011 in Rome. Military Training & Simulation Asia – Clarion Events is hosting Military Training & Simulation Asia on 28-29 September 2011 in Singapore. The conference will bring together the military simulation community in Asia, featuring top regional military presenters who will be addressing the latest simulation requirements for Asian militaries. The conference will cover how regional militaries are optimising their increased budgets in the acquisition and implementation of simulation and training platforms and technologies. Keynotes from military simulation subject matter experts will 'set the scene' for the rest of the conference where technical, operational and strategic presentations will be given from industry, academia and military. For more conference and exhibition information go to www.milsimasia.com.
31 MS&T MAGAZINE
World News & Analysis
Seen&Heard
World News & Analysis
tional flight program and simulate the Swiss F/A-18C's Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared sensor using L-3's HD World™ database generation technology. Phase two of the program will include integrating the trainers with the aircraft's 25X(S) operational flight program, in addition to simulating the AN/ALR-67(V)3 digital radar warning receiver, solid-state recorder and upgraded multi-function cockpit displays. Super Hornet Trainers for RAAF – Boeing has delivered six F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircrew and maintenance trainers to the Royal Australian Air Force at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. The suite of aircrew devices includes two tactical operation flight trainers (TOFT) and two low cost trainers (LCT). Each TOFT is built on Boeing's and L-3 Link's F/A-18 simulator common hardware and software baseline and is integrated with L-3 Link's 360-degree SimuSphere visual display and SimuView image generator and Boeing Training Systems & Services' mission computer emulation, simulated radar, electronic countermeasures, and Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System.
ISSUE 3.2011
Pilot Training
MS&T MAGAZINE
32
F-16 Mission Training Center Contract Option – L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) has been awarded a contract option by the US Air Force to build a fourth F-16 Mission Training Center (MTC). The MTC will consist of four L-3 Linkbuilt high-definition simulators that will enable pilots to detect, judge the orientation of, recognize and identify targets from the same distance as they would when conducting an actual sortie. Up to 20 four-ship F-16 MTCs could be ordered by the US Air Force for delivery to installations in the US, Europe and Pacific region. These simulators will be delivered in Block 40/42 and 50/52 configurations and will accurately model all of an F-16's weapon systems and ordnance. First F-35 FMS to Eglin AFB – Lockheed Martin has delivered the first F-35 Lightning II full mission simulator (FMS) system to Eglin Air Force Base's 33rd Fighter Wing. The Joint Strike Fighter FMS includes a high-fidelity 360-degree visual display system and a reconfigurable cockpit that simulates all three aircraft variants for US and international partner services.
and Security Forces. The project will be operated under a PFI (Private Financing Initiative) concept, in which Elbit Systems will provide a comprehensive solution, including the setting up of the training center, acquisition of aircraft, supply of full mission simulators and operation of the center for a period of eight years.
Training Systems
Above The F-35 FMS includes a high-fidelity 360-degree visual display system. Image credit: Lockheed Martin.
The system is the highest fidelity trainer in the F-35 pilot-training-device suite. ADF Interim Flying Training – BAE Systems Australia Limited has won a six-year, $86.6 million contract to provide Interim Basic Flying Training to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) until Project AIR 5428 delivers a new pilot training system. Under the contract, BAE Systems will continue to provide basic flying training at Tamworth using the CT-4B Airtrainer aircraft. The contract begins in January 2012 and includes annual extension options for Defence for up to six more years. Preferred Fighter Training Base – US Air Force officials have named Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, as the preferred location for consolidation of the Introduction Fighter Fundamentals training units. The Air Force produces 450 IFF graduates per year, however, the current graduate requirement is 380. As a result of this decrease, officials are consolidating IFF training to three locations in a move projected to save approximately $55 million over the next eight years. In the consolidation, Randolph AFB will accept 15 additional T-38 (Talons) and train approximately 80 additional students annually. Pilot Training in Macedonia – Elbit Systems Ltd. has been awarded a €43 million contract to establish a Helicopter Pilot Training Center for Macedonia's Defense
Advanced Training Systems – Saab has secured a long-term framework agreement with the US Army PEO STRI for radio systems for communication (L2-IRS) for live training with a potential total sum of approximately SEK 260 million (US$41 million). The agreement covers the production and fielding of seven radio based communication systems over the next three years. Bridge Training System – The German Federal Agency for Military Technology, Koblenz, has commissioned the German learning software specialist szenaris GmbH to develop a training system for the operation of makeshift bridges. To reduce costs for the Federal Agency, szenaris will implement the project on an existing hardware platform, the "CoCBT system" (Co-operative Computer Based Training), also called Virtual Reality Team Trainer. The platform has been installed since 2003 and was refurbished in 2010. So far, the bridge systems Amphibian M3 and Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) are implemented on the CoCBT system. The CoCBT platform supporting the training of completely different systems on one hardware platform constitutes a system which is unique in the world. The development of the Foldable Long-Span Bridge (FLB) computer based training equipment is scheduled to be completed in March 2012. EW Simulator – AAI Test & Training has been awarded a $9.7 million contract to deliver an electronic warfare (EW) radio frequency (RF) simulator for the US Air Force’s EW Avionics Integration Support Facility (EWAISF). The simulator will be integrated onto the larger EWAISF Simulator Network for simultaneous testing of multiple EW systems. Advanced Tactical Training Systems –Elbit Systems Ltd. has been awarded a contract valued at $32.7 million to supply an Asian army with advanced training systems for its armor and infantry forces. The project will be performed over the next three years.
The new system will allow US soldiers, leaders and units to train in a virtual environment to increase the quality of instruction and combat preparedness, while reducing traditional training expenses associated with large-scale instruction facilities. Implementation of the system will be led by the Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI). Intelligent Decisions will spearhead development of the $57 million system with key partners Advanced Simulation Research, AVT Simulation, L-3 Link, and RealTime Immersive. New Radio Simulation Product – The DiSTI Corporation’s GL Studio is being used in the creation of CNR-Skins, the newest addition to Calytrix Technologies' Comm Net Radio (CNR) family of radio simulation products. GL Studio allowed Calytrix developers to rapidly generate interactive faceplates for the new CNR-Skins product. CNR-Skins is a set of highly realistic, interactive, graphical faceplates of military radios, coupled to Calytrix’s Comm Net Radio Simulator (CNR-Sim). This combination of CNR-Sim for radio communications and CNR-Skins for realistic radio controls and displays provides the highest level of radio simulation for training.
ISSUE 3.2011
tenance Training System (MTS) programs under a single contract. L-3 Link will oversee the program management, training device modifications, courseware development, instruction and concurrency management between the training system and aircraft platform. SAIC Awarded M&S Contract by US Army FORSCOM – SAIC has been awarded a follow-on contract by the Department of the Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command Center to support the US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) by providing planning, modeling, simulation and training services and solutions to the Army and the Department of Defense (DoD). The contract has a oneyear base performance period and four one-year option periods with a total value of $2.5 billion. SAIC is one of 35 contractors (13 large and 22 small businesses) that will compete for task orders under the contract. First Fully Immersive Virtual Simulation Training for Soldiers – The US Army will be using Intelligent Decisions, Inc.’s new dismounted soldier training system, the first-ever, fully immersive virtual simulation training program for soldiers.
33 MS&T MAGAZINE
The project comprises driving simulators for various armored vehicles (tracked and wheeled), and an advanced gunnery and tactical simulator. Cassidian to Modernise German Air Defence Training – Cassidian will modernise the STINGER air defence training system of the German Armed Forces which will help increase the protection of German soldiers. The contract with the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) calls for Cassidian to deliver a picture and scenario generator for the STINGER dome trainers at Fassberg and Todendorf bases. The modernisation involves implementing a new technology for presenting environmental and mission scenarios to increase the training operation for the STINGER/Fliegerfaust 2 air defence system. The upgraded system is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2011. C-17 Training System Program – L-3 Communications’ Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) unit has won a contract to operate the US Air Force's C-17 Training System (TS) program. L-3 Link will operate the C-17 TS program as prime contractor, combining the former stand-alone C-17 Aircrew Training System (ATS) and Main-
World News & Analysis
Urban Operations Training Urban Operations Training Systems – Riptide Software, Inc. and Lockheed Martin, Global Training & Logistics has been selected by PEO STRI to develop the US Army’s Urban Operations Training Systems. The contract has an estimated lifetime value of $500 million. The intent of Urban Operations is to provide dynamic, modular and scalable solutions to fulfil various aspects of individual, collective, and combined arms training.
Training Ranges Targetry for British Army – The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded Meggitt Training Systems, Inc. a £10 million ($16m) contract to meet an enhanced targetry requirement for the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Alberta, Canada. The contract will modernize all targetry with more than 1,000 light and heavy deployable smart targets, near miss sensing systems to assess the effectiveness of suppressive fire and battle effects simulators, providing a customized after action review system.
Small Arms Training Mobile Small Arms Trainer – Cubic Corporation is introducing a new system for the US Army, a mobile version of its virtual small arms trainer that can be deployed to installations in the US via tractor-trailer, or shipped by sea to any overseas location. M-EST 2000 consists of a 40-foot-long unit mounted on a 53-foot-long trailer. Both sides of the unit fold down hydraulically, creating an environmentally controlled and self-powered training area. Inside is a standard five-lane EST 2000.
ISSUE 3.2011
Software and Support
MS&T MAGAZINE
34
4C Strategies Launch Mobile App – 4C Strategies has launched its beta version of Exonaut™ Exercise Manager as an android application. Exonaut Android App allows the user to view scenario information as well as add evaluations with attached video and photos. This mobile capability is a further enhancement to the software tool for exercise management, enabling Exonaut
Exercise Manager users to plan, deliver and evaluate their exercise activities 'on the go', irrespective of geographical location. AVCATT Post Deployment Software Support Contract – L-3 Communications has been awarded a five-year contract for the US Army's aviation combined tactical trainer (AVCATT) post deployment software support (PDSS) program. All work on the program, which was awarded under the US Army's STOC II contract, will be performed by L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link). L-3 Link is responsible for PDSS program management and will oversee all aspects of changes to trainer hardware and software, operate the AVCATT's Software Engineering Environment lab, and integrate Synthetic Environment CORE (SE CORE) products and SE CORE common visual components. Complete Characters HD – Rocketbox Studios GmbH has released Complete Characters HD, a 3D model library of highly realistic animated human characters. A key feature of these new generation character models is their facial bone rig, making them much more lifelike and believable. A wide collection of facial expressions including emotions and phonemes for lip-synched speech are already included. Apart from many different casual and business style characters, special 3D models are now also available such as soldiers, special forces, Middle Eastern civilians, rebels, and workers. Launch of VBSWorlds – Caspian Learning and Bohemia Interactive Simulations
Above Cubic's Mobile Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 (M-EST 2000). Image credit: Cubic Corporation.
have launched VBSWorlds 3D simulation technology which is designed to solve major educational and training issues experienced by defence customers. VBSWorlds allows 3D training to be delivered at the point of need via mobile devices or the internet and is the first of the VBS suite of products to fully support browser-based and IOS (iPad/iPhone) distribution. The new product is an amalgamation of VBS2 and Thinking Worlds, and has been in development for almost six months. It combines the rapid creation and deployment strengths of Thinking Worlds with the capability to use VBS2 art objects and complete content library. Remo 3D Released – Remograph, providers of products and services for the visual simulation and 3D modelling markets, has announced the release of Remo 3D v2.1. Remo 3D is a tool for creating and modifying 3D models intended for realtime visualization. The new version brings substantially improved rendering performance, a more natural mouse control of the model view and official Windows 7 support. Interoperability Between Simulation and Games – Simthetiq continues to push forward with reusable virtual content across the most popular simulation and serious game run-time engines available. Recent development of interoperable military 3D vehicle models for a Germanbased armament company proves just
in Urban Environments" at the Innovation Showcase. NATO e-ITEP Development Contract – Raytheon Professional Services LLC (RPS) has received a NATO contract to develop an electronic Individual Training and Education Program (e-ITEP). The e-ITEP is a Web-based, commercial, off-the-shelf software application customized by RPS for the alliance. The system will allow near real-time visibility by users to ensure transparency and improve the communication of training requirements and opportunities. TerraSim Releases TerraTools 4.0 – TerraSim has released Version 4 of TerraTools® Core, its 3D geospatial database construction product supporting correlated virtual and constructive simulation systems. One of its new processing features includes major updates to Urban Details™ processing, a functionality completely integrated in TerraTools Core and is supported in each of the optional TerraTools export plug-ins. Fully correlated simulation database generation means buildings constructed within TerraTools Core can be exported as fully functional models in diverse runtime formats.
ISSUE 3.2011
Brunei Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence to analyze force structure options, evaluate and validate capabilities, develop doctrine and tactics, and support training and mission rehearsal exercises. Linking Gaming and Real-World Geospatial Data – Havok has announced its collaboration with TerraSim Inc. The alliance will enable the research and development of new capabilities which will link Havok's simulation technologies to TerraSim's rapid generation of correlated virtual, constructive, and serious game environments from geospatial source data. Human Simulation Software Suite – DI-Guy has released DI-Guy 11, an integrated suite of real time human simulation products and tools that includes DI-Guy SDK, DI-Guy Scenario and DI-Guy AI. Soldiers created with DI-Guy AI can now maneuver as squads with multiple formations and tactics, and react realistically to gunfire and other environmental stimuli. A new scheduling capability eases the creation of civilian populations who go to work, school, restaurants, etc at particular times, creating a realistic pattern of life backdrop. At the recent ITEC, DI-Guy presented "Authoring Dynamic Populations
35 MS&T MAGAZINE
that. The contract involved the creation of a variety of fully functioning models including the Fennek and Leopard 2A5 and to meet the client's specific training requirements, the integration of common 3D visuals in both OpenSceneGraph (OSG) and Bohemia Interactive's Virtual Battlespace2 (VBS2). Trinigy Vision Game Engine – Trinigy, the German 3D game engine provider has announced that Rheinmetall Defence Electronics has signed a multi-year contract to use the Vision Game Engine in the development of advanced training simulators across various disciplines. The Vision Game Engine provides advanced authoring tools, an extensive feature set and a flexible architectural framework with out-of-the-box integrations to industry-leading middleware solutions for advanced physics and artificial intelligence. Development of Brunei NMSC – Presagis has announced that it will provide its COTS modeling and simulation software and services to CAE for use in delivery of the state-of-the-art National Modelling and Simulation Centre (NMSC) for the Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam. This facility will be used by the Royal
ISSUE 3.2011
World News & Analysis
MST_27
MS&T MAGAZINE
36
Global Business Partner Programme – Antycip Simulation Ltd. has become the sole distributor of AGI software in the UK, Netherlands and Scandinavia. AGI’s UK office and its engineering staff will continue to play a vital role in the global marketing operations and support the technical needs of its software users.
Maintenance Training F-22 Maintenance Program – Lockheed Martin has chosen to integrate NGRAIN's Virtual Damage Repair and Tracking™ software into the Integrated Maintenance Information System (IMIS) software suite for the F-22 aircraft. The software provides maintenance technicians on the flight line with an advanced, mobile, and interactive maintenance and repair tracking solution. The IMIS software suite designed by Lockheed Martin supports the exterior maintenance, supply and training operations for its aircraft. NGRAIN will configure its software to provide aircraft maintainers of the F-22 with a detailed exterior representation of the aircraft which will be deployed on a ruggedized Microsoft Windows-based device. Maintainers will be able to accurately map damage of the aircraft exterior on the digital representation provided by NGRAIN. The automatic transfer of data and its subsequent integration with the F-22 IMIS software platform is designed to improve the accuracy in data capture and overall workflow. First-Time-Right Performance – NGRAIN has announced that the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has chosen the NGRAIN CAT® 3126 Engine and M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun Virtual Task Trainer™ (VTT) solutions to support training at the British Army's engineering schools. The configuration and deployment of the VTTs will be led by channel partner PulseLearning. The VTT solutions will be used at the schoolhouse for new students entering the Royal School of Military Engineering and by more experienced engineers at the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. AWACS Contract Awarded – Aviation Training Consulting LLC has been awarded a $17.2 million contract to provide system support for the E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System maintenance training system at Tinker Air Force Base, OK.
Partnering with NCI, Inc. ATC's team is responsible for program management support, contractor logistics support, and the training system support center for the E-3 AWACS MTS.
Naval Training $4.6M PC-based Navy Training System Contract – Alion Science and Technology has won a three-year, $4.6 million task order from the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) to design a high-fidelity serious game to train sailors for the Littoral Combat Ship-2 (LCS) Readiness Control Officer (RCO) position. Alion will expand its PC-based Virtual Maintenance Performance Aid (VMPA) from the current system to an updated solution designed for the LCS-2 environment. The VMPA will include a ship-specific Electronic Control System graphical user interface, the ability to integrate with the Surface Warfare Officers School’s LCS Bridge Training System and the virtual ship simulation that allows trainees to learn the new equipment in a 3-D environment.
Visuals Cassidian Selects projectiondesign for STINGER Training – projectiondesign® is supplying 26 F32 projectors and Multiple Image Processors to Cassidian for the upgrade and retrofit to the STINGER dome training system. projectiondesign’s F32 projectors will be integrated with multiple image processors for display on to the 20-meter wide dome projection surface. The processors will be automatically calibrated to align images on screen during soldier training. Close Air Support Virtual Strike – MetaVR’s 3D real-time visuals were used in five different types of simulators as part of a Close Air Support exercise during the Virtual Strike 11-1 warfighter tactical training exercise. MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) visuals were used for the joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) first person simulator and for a simulated UAV feed at the DMOC, out-the-window and sensor views for the A-10 full mission trainers and first person JTAC mode. All the sites were linked together using the Air Force’s secure long haul network infrastructure.
IED Training Virtual Clearance Training Suites – FAAC Incorporated has received a $63.4 million contract award for the design, development, production, and delivery of 28 Virtual Clearance Training Suites (VCTS). VCTS simulates the wide array of large and small technical devices, purpose-built mine-protected detection and clearing vehicles, and evolving tactics and techniques used by the US Army to combat improvised explosive devices. This base order is to be delivered incrementally over a 36-month period and including all priced options the award is valued at up to $93.9 million. Enhancing CIED Training – Three years after developing counter-improvised explosive device training lanes, the Army is getting ready to standardize and enhance the technology that helps soldiers defeat the signature weapon in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 39 training lanes are located at 37 Army installations in the US, Germany and Korea and help soldiers build the skills they need to detect and defeat IEDs by learning the basics on a computer called Virtual Battlespace.
Gunnery Training Army Gunnery Tactical & Driving Simulation Systems – ST Electronics has won a S$68 million contract to supply Army Gunnery Tactical & Driving Simulation Systems to the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). Work on the contract commences immediately and the systems are expected to be delivered in 2014. A highly flexible simulation system will be developed for various armoured vehicles and will be designed to accommodate existing components where possible by applying a roll-in-roll-out concept to both the gunnery and the driving simulators. This will allow users to easily configure the systems with any combination of turrets and vehicles. Lockheed Receives IR/DRTS Contract Award – Lockheed Martin is to provide the Instrumented Ranges / Digital Range Training System (IR/DRTS) for the US Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract award includes an initial $17.6 million delivery order, with a
MST_277x206_Layout 1 24/05/2011 16:27 Page 1
27-29 Sept 2011
Duxford Helitech Duxford is Europe's largest dedicated helicopter event, encompassing every tier of the supply chain in one exhibition. No other helicopter event offers you a face to face business platform which brings together helicopter solutions providers with senior buyers of helicopters and helicopter products, services, parts and accessories.
Find out more and register free at www.helitechevents.com/mst Supported by
Organised by:
Join our social media networks
World News & Analysis
maximum estimated value of $450 million over a five-year base ordering period. The system will provide armor vehicle crews with collective gunnery training and qualification for Abrams, Bradley and Stryker platforms. Gunnery Trainers – The US Marine Corps have awarded Lockheed Martin a $24 million contract to provide four new systems and upgrades to 36 of its gunnery trainers for M1-A1 main battle tanks and LAV-25 Light Armored Vehicles. The new features being deployed on the systems include an upgraded, more realistic visual image-generation system – Lockheed Martin’s Scalable Advanced Graphic Engine – as well as upgrades that reduce the number of instructors required to staff training exercises. The base order also includes updates to the instructional system that will allow greater flexibility in training exercises.
ISSUE 3.2011
Helicopter Training
MS&T MAGAZINE
38
Synthetic Helicopter Tactics Course – AgustaWestland has signed a contract with the European Defence Agency to provide an Interim Helicopter Tactics Training Service. In this Category B EDA programme the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom (the contributing Member States) agreed to collaborate in the procurement of this training service. The training will help prepare helicopter crews for joint deployment on allied military operations while developing their own indigenous tactics training capabilities. It applies the latest developments in gaming technology to deliver a high fidelity virtual environment for helicopter crew mission training. First Dhruv Helicopter Simulator Certified – The simulator cockpit for the civil/conventional variant of the Dhruv at the Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF) was certified to Level D by India's Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA). The civil/conventional Dhruv simulator cockpit was integrated with the CAEbuilt full-mission simulator currently in operation at HATSOFF. The simulator features CAE’s roll-on/roll-off cockpit design that allows cockpits representing various helicopter types to be used in the simulator. It is the world’s first full mission simulator for the HAL-built Dhruv helicopter.
UAS Training Meeting Canadian ISTAR and Strike Needs – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and CAE have signed an exclusive teaming agreement to offer the Predator B UAS to meet Canada’s Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) needs. Under the program presently referred to as the JUSTAS program, the Canadian Government will establish a requirement to field and support interoperable, network-enabled UASs to provide ISTAR and all-weather precision-strike capabilities in support of its operations worldwide. GA-ASI and CAE will jointly compete for this program. CAE would have overall responsibility for a comprehensive In-Service Support (ISS) solution, including operator and mission training systems. ms&t Correction: Steffen Großmann one of the authors of Understanding in 3D, MS&T 2/2011 works for ESG and not the Bundeswehr Transformtion Centre.
Index of Ads CAE www.cae.com OBC DSA 2012 www.dsaexhibition.com 33 DSEi 2011 www.dsei.co.uk 4 Helitech www.helitechevents.com/mst 37 HTP Ostravia Cz a.s. www.htpostrava.cz 17 I/ITSEC 2011 www.iitsec.org 6 KMW – Krauss-Maffei Wegmann www.kmwsim.com 10-11 L-3 Link Simulation & Training www.L-3com.com IFC Low-Cost Training Conference www.andrich.com 35 Military Training & Simulation Asia www.milsimasia.com 27 MSE Weibull www.mseab.com 29 Raydon www.raydon.com 21 RGB Spectrum www.rgb.com 9 RUAG www.ruag.com 19 SAAB www.saabgroup.com/training-and-simulation 3 SAIC www.saic.com IBC Simulation Training Directory www.halldale.com/directory 13
Calendar Simulation & Training Events Organised by Halldale Media 20-21 September 2011 APATS 2011 – Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok, Thailand www.halldale.com/apats 8-9 November 2011 EATS 2011 – European Airline Training Symposium Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Czech Republic www.halldale.com/eats 22 November 2011 Low-Cost Training Trends & Technology Seminar Westminster Conference Centre London, UK www.andrich.com 17-19 April 2012 WATS 2012 – World Aviation Training Conference & Tradeshow Rosen Shingle Creek Resort Orlando, Florida, USA www.halldale.com/wats
Simulation & Training Events MS&T Magazine: Supporting Media 27-29 June 2011 Future Land Forces Singapore www.futurelandforces.com 5-7 September 2011 Levels of Fidelity VIII Walenstadt, Switzerland www.levelsoffidelity.com 13-16 September 2011 DSEi ExCel, London, UK www.dsei.co.uk 27-29 September 2011 Helitech Duxford, UK www.helitechevents.com 28-29 September 2011 Military Training & Simulation Asia Singapore www.milsimasia.com
Advertising contacts Business Manager: Jeremy Humphreys [t] +44 (0)1252 532009 [e] jeremy@halldale.com Business Manager, North America: Mary Bellini Brown [t] +1 703 421 3709 [e] mary@halldale.com
Enhance Collaboration in a Virtual 3-D World SAIC’s On-Line Interactive Virtual Environment (OLIVE™) is a dynamic software platform that enables users to collaborate over computer networks using a 3-D user interface. OLIVE-based virtual worlds bring together physical presence, action, voice, data, and media in a contextspecific, simulated environment. OLIVE supports virtual world implementations in healthcare, financial services, energy, transportation, retail, government, and higher education. To learn more, visit us at saic.com/olive
Energy | Environment | National Security | Health | Critical Infrastructure © Science Applications International Corporation. All rights reserved. OLIVE is a trademark of Science Applications International Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
NYSE: SAI
technology leadership
No other company can match CAE’s technology leadership and innovation specific to modeling, simulation and training. And nowhere is this technology leadership and innovation more evident than our design of world-class ground-based training systems. A perfect example is CAE’s role on Aermacchi’s M-346 advanced lead-in fighter trainer, also called the T-100 in the USA. As the preferred simulation provider for this platform, we are already developing a range of M-346 training systems for customers who have selected this modern and advanced aircraft to help prepare their pilots for 4th and 5th generation fighters. As militaries look to leverage high-fidelity synthetic training for an increasing portion of the overall curriculum, it becomes even more critical to have the right ground-based training system partner. CAE’s global presence, focus, experience, innovation and technology leadership all come together in our development of state-of-the-art ground-based training systems. We look forward to continuing this leadership as we help our customers stay one step ahead to achieve their objective: mission readiness.
CAE’s state-of-the-art simulation technology is incorporated into the ground-based training systems CAE has developed for the M-346 advanced lead-in fighter trainer.
one step ahead
cae.com