MS&T Magazine - Issue 6/2010

www.halldale.com The International Defence Training Journal

Training Technology

Saving Fuel, Increasing Fleet Readiness Training Transformation

Strategy, Technology and JFCOM Training Transformation

Atlantic Strike Training Technology

Approaching the Holy Grail of Visual Systems

ISSN 1471-1052 | US $14/ÂŁ8

Issue 6/2010

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Editorial Comment

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Chris Lehman

The New Battlefront: Targeting Infrastructure from Cyber Space As the first decade of the 21st century closes, we could be witnessing the opening salvos of a new, odious form of cyber-warfare that may alter forever how we look at our defence and security. Cyber threats have now crossed from the digital domain to directly threaten the real world and the complex infrastructure that underpins our societies.

Much of the conversation taking place about “cyber-warfare” over the past several years has been focussed on concerns about the security of financial and personal data, the often clumsy attempts at state censorship of the internet, denial of service, industrial espionage, and the apparent use of the medium to recruit and radicalize candidates for terrorist activities. And without doubt, we have also been concerned about the security of military mission-critical information, the robustness of command and control systems, even whether soldiers are inadvertently breaking security protocols with their digital devices prior to a deployment.

But now we are seeing something much more menacing. Far from being a plot in a science fiction paperback, someone - or some state - has designed and delivered a cyber missile.

Referred to as “Stuxnet” it is a sophisticated worm designed to hunt for and destroy a very specific industrial process, such as a factory, refinery, water treatment plant or nuclear power station. The actual target is still unknown, but experts know that the missile has been delivered and is either waiting to act, or in fact has already acted. Some believe the target was actually Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant.

At least 45,000 industrial control systems have already been infected, mostly in Iran, Pakistan, India and Indonesia, possibly from merely the inadvertent insertion of a memory stick – an internet connection is not required. But the Stuxnet worm is not generic, it is a directed attack designed to hit one specific industrial process control in one specific location, and without outside human guidance. While it may infect thousands of computers, because it “fingerprints” the specific machine it is meant to destroy, it leaves all others alone.

Precision sabotage from cyber-space at any time, from either state or non-state actors opens up a chilling new front for national and international security. In the case of Stuxnet, some believe that the source must be a nation state, due to the huge resources needed to develop such a sophisticated worm. The implications are enormous, with more directed cyber worms undoubtedly on the way. Stuxnet should be seen as a loud warning shot across the bow, particularly for the utility industry and the power grid.

Last month the US DoD stood up “Cyber Command,” a subordinate unit of US Strategic Command, at Fort Meade, Maryland. Army General Keith Alexander was named commander, and he will also continue to direct the secret National Security Agency, co-located on the same base.

According to a release from the Pentagon, Cyber Command will “direct the operations and defense of specified DoD information networks and prepare to, when directed, conduct full-spectrum military cyberspace operations in order to enable actions in all domains, ensure US/allied freedom of action in cyberspace and deny the same to our adversaries.” The mandate of the new command is to safeguard the military’s critical information systems. Civilian networks, on the other hand, are the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. Given new threats like Stuxnet with its implications for utilities and infrastructure - and hence national security the jurisdictional issues will need to be realistically dealt with. One hopes they already have.

Securing information, military or otherwise, is one type of challenge. Guarding against cyber-missile attacks on societal infrastructure is quite another. Vigilance is essential; but, ensuring that we have appropriate institutional - and mental - frameworks is also vital. And it follows that from both a policy and technical point of view, all actors need to very quickly obtain the education and training necessary to deal with a new class of threat. It’s the potential absence of the latter that poses perhaps the largest concern.

Chris Lehman • MS&T Editor-in-Chief MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

05

Training Technology

Saving Fuel, Increasing Fleet Readiness Training TransformaTion

Strategy, Technology and JFCOM Training TransformaTion

Atlantic Strike Training Technology

Approaching the Holy Grail of Visual Systems

ISSN 1471-1052 | uS $14/£8

Issue 6/2010

cover credit US Navy/K. Wilson

front cover

www.halldale.com The InTernaTIonal Defence TraInIng Journal

contents ms&T 6/2010

05 Editorial Comment

TraINING Transformation

8

08 Training Transformation Strategy, Technology and JFCOM. Group Editor Marty Kauchak explores DoD strategic level policy developments. Technology remains a mainstay; JFCOM programs are uncertain.

16 Training Technology Underway Alongside. The US Navy is meeting resource challenges with Fleet Synthetic Training. Chuck Weirauch writes.

22 Training Transformation Atlantic Strike. An exercise series that is all about trust and confidence.

Casey E Bain and Susan Hulker write.

16

Training Technology

27 Training Technology Visual Systems. Every year visual systems continue to improve. Chuck Weirauch looks at what we can expect at this year’s I/ITSEC.

33 Acquisition Going Global. Softening the blow of across the board defence budget cuts.

MS&T’s Dim Jones examines BAE Systems’ strategies for hard times.

38 Show Report

22

TraINING Transformation

AUSA 2010. MS&T’s Marty Kauchak explores some of the latest products and programs being showcased.

42 Training Application UAV – A Training Proposal. In the face of UAV accident rates of up to 25%, FlightSafety International proposes a new approach. Chris Long writes.

44 Training Technology The Ultimate Fidelity? G forces add to simulator fidelity at ETC’s Orange Flag.

Marty Kauchak observed.

46 Show Report 2010 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition.

T-X replacement and UAS training were prominent at this AFA show.

MS&T’s Marty Kauchak writes.

48 Conference Report

27

Training Technology

feature Articles

A New Challenge. Editor-in-Chief Chris Lehman ponders the impact of precision cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.

NMSG 2010. The 2010 NMSG symposium addressed blended LVC. Walter F. Ullrich files a report.

53 NEWS Seen and Heard. A round up of developments in simulation and training.

Compiled and edited by Chuck Weirauch.

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

07

Training Transformation The U.S. DoD’s training policy eyes cutting edge technology to help prepare service men and women for missions. And as the ink dries on the latest strategic level policy guidance, the recommended closure of U.S. Joint Forces Command casts a shadow of uncertainty over the oversight and continuation of current joint training programs, writes Group Editor Marty Kauchak.

T

his summer, DoDs’ training policy was aligned with recent technology developments and projected force readiness requirements.

The DoD Strategic Plan for Next Generation Training, signed in September by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, William J. Lynn III, broadens the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense/Readiness’ ability “to look at training across the board, which is the policy focus of this office and the DUSD/R,” Frank DiGiovanni, Acting Director, Readiness and Training, Policy and Programs, ODUSD/R told MS&T. The precepts from the January 2009 version of the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations (CCJO) serve as the centerpiece for the Strategic Plan for Next Generation Training. “What the strategic plan does is go through each of the 17 operational implications from the CCJO and responds with training requirements for each. It also consolidates what was the Training Transformation Investment 08

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

Framework into the document – so there are two themes to the document, one focused on the broader topic of training readiness and a second focused on better enabling joint and integrated training capabilities” he explained.

This plan is different from its predecessors in that its expanded scope covers the entire ODUSD/R’s training portfolio.

In one significant development, ODUSD/R’s recent, successful efforts to support DoD civilians include the establishment of a curriculum, at the request of the DUSD (Civilian Personnel Policy)’s Civilian Expeditionary Workforce, to train all civilians who have volunteered to deploy out of country. “The other civilian training program we’re working is our stand up of a seven week training program to support the civilian defense advisors to both the Ministries of Defense and Interior in Afghanistan. This program has done very, very well. We have received great feedback from the field, in part to

their great flexibility, professionalism and effort that went to preparing them for this mission” DiGiovanni remarked. “In fact General [David] Petraeus and Lt. Gen. [William] Caldwell have asked for additional Ministry of Defense Advisors to be deployed to Kabul to support this effort by this summer.”

And at this early point, ODUSD/R expects that the initial policy direction will focus on standardizing training requirements in the contract vehicles that the DoD is using to hire contractors for DoD missions in contingency operating environments. DiGiovanni stated that his office is still in the early exploratory phases of policy development in this area.

Top Priorities During an interview with MS&T at the Pentagon, DiGiovanni also discussed his office’s priorities to advance training policy.

USJFCOM’s 2010 joint training efforts go beyond the multi-service construct envisioned under the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. Here, an Australian soldier and a U.S. Marine during exercise Golden Eagle 10 near Townsville, Australia, October 2010.

Image credit: U.S. Marine Corps/Jody Lee Smith.

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

09

Training Transformation

At the top of ODUSD/R’s list is establishing the direction for next-generation training. While this challenge was primarily addressed in the Strategic Plan for Next Generation Training, other opportunities are emerging.

A post-Iraq and Afghanistan era training model for servicemen and servicewomen would not omit the hardlearned, non-kinetic training lessons in those two nations, and would reemphasize service-specific, warfighting competencies and skillsets. For its part, the Army is moving in this direction, as it is including a full-spectrum of operations training rotation at National Training Center this October.

“Part of what our focus will be, and there are probably a lot of subsets to this, what will next generation training look like in the next two to five years and how can we leverage technology? You will have a lot of service members in garrison, returning from Afghanistan and Iraq,” Di Giovanni said, and added, “Training as you knew it will never totally go back where it was. Training will change in its focus and in the technology used to train people.”

One enabler of a new training model is expected to rely on the development of a virtual training environment/mixed reality construct. This is new work, DiGiovanni emphasized. “One example of what we’re talking about is a wearable device that could be integrated into your clothing or in a set of glasses or contacts.”

In one application of this construct, a training audience member would enter

Above Frank DiGiovanni, Acting Director, Readiness and Training, Policy and Programs, ODUSD/R. Image credit: U.S. DoD.

a current-era shoot house at a Military Operations in Urban Terrain site and see furniture, a mannequin and other material. Fast forward several years, where that same trainee would enter that same shoothouse and might see a digital image of two enemy combatants and one friendly-force member. DiGiovanni pointed out, “What you could do now, and this is 2008–era technology, is almost transparently, project an image that looked like a person was stand-

ing there onto the contact lens you [the training audience] are wearing, or a pair glasses.” Such a mixed reality application would conceivably be integrated into the trainee’s weapons system to allow completion of a mixed reality training mission that would be seamless to the user. Additionally, this approach to training will be something new recruits will be comfortable with given the digital environment we live in today.

A mixed reality construct would also move the department beyond the holy grail of the traditional live, virtual, constructive training environment. “The use of LVC allows you to put the capabilities ‘in silos of excellence.’ To categorize it as LVC training allows people to gravitate to their comfort areas without saying, what are you trying to do,” DiGiovanni said.

In reality what you are trying to build is a realistic, seamless, transparent training environment that replicates the real world.

This and any other evolving future technology will need to be cost effective as well as realistic, in order to align themselves with the department’s focus on cost savings and other efficiencies in future DoD budgets.

One implication for industry is a new business model is needed to provide increased flexibility, reduced acquisition time and other attributes. DiGiovanni offered the S&T industry one successful template – the iPhone business model.

“You have a different way to build applications or capability. It’s done in a universal and much larger approach.”

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A second enabler of a post-Iraq and Afghanistan training model focuses on developing human capital. “This means a complex decision making and adaptability, which a virtual or mixed reality training environment can be used to train you, too.” Microgames and microworlds are two technologies that could support this goal, allowing the individual learner to learn and reinforce specific cognitive tasks within a larger training context.

ODUSD/R’s second priority continues the department’s sustainable range program. This effort is expected to ensure the continued access of sea, air, land and other training domains for legacy and future weapons platforms and weapons systems.

USJFCOM’s Uncertain Future The Office of Secretary of Defense’s carefully orchestrated progress to advance department training policy may run into the granite reality of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ recommendation in August to eliminate U.S. Joint Forces Command. As part of a closure strategy, the command’s operational responsibilities would be assigned to other organizations. USJFCOM’s mission portfolio includes its designation as the department’s executive agent for numerous joint training responsibilities throughout the live, virtual and constructive training domains.

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the multi-service construct envisioned under the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. Today’s servicemen and servicewomen train as they operate, alongside personnel from allied and friendly nations, federal, state and local governments, non-government organizations and other entities.

The DoD leadership maintains it was military rationale, not a business case, that caused the secretary to recommend USJFCOM’s closure. And perhaps part of that military rationale may be the department’s leaders are ready to declare some victories on the path to achieving a joint training construct.

During a September 29, 2010 House Armed Services Committee hearing, Marine Corps General James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reminded the lawmakers that the command was established to “get more horsepower” behind having the services and combatant commands operate jointly.

“I’m not saying the journey to jointness is done,” Cartwright said. “But the hard work we put into building those training ranges and simulations has – by and large – been accomplished.

The question now is how to sustain it. Somebody has to be accountable for that activity, and we’re working on that.”

At that same hearing Deputy Defense Secretary Lynn went so far as to say the military has evolved to the point where collaboration between branches of the military is ingrained and can be enforced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

As this issue was being published the command’s future remained uncertain. Department officials now are considering which of the command’s centers and functions will be retained and where. In particular, it is uncertain how the command’s training portfolio would be apportioned to other commands and which training responsibilities, if any, would be eliminated if this disestablishment plan proceeds.

Several senior level DoD task forces are preparing in-depth recommendations for Secretary Gates, due just after this issue goes to press, on the disposition of training and other missions in a command closure scenario.

Capitol Hill Perspective Representative Randy Forbes, a House

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Training Transformation

PEO STRI has decided to move beyond the Products and Services Catalog to a Desk-Side Reference Guide providing a more comprehensive view of the breadth and depth of their capabilities. Halldale Media’s MS&T is proud to announce that for 2012 they will provide the publishing support for the PEO STRI Desk-Side Reference Guide.

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Armed Services Committee (HASC) member and co-founder of the Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus, is a strong proponent of USJFCOM and the joint training community.

Forbes told MS&T that his concerns through the current debate about the command’s future also include the department’s future training readiness and training budget.

“So it’s not just the Joint Forces Command,” Forbes said. “Training is one of the first places that people can go to cut. One of the things that we’ve been talking about for some time now that’s concerned us is the direction that we see.” In particular, Forbes pointed out his concern about the administration making military spending decisions based not on military needs but rather to support social budgeting agendas.

“This is very dangerous when it comes to training, when it comes to modeling and simulation.”

Forbes noted that to fund new federal non-defense budget increases, “there are only a couple places that they go and that’s down to defense. And again we come back to what worries me has been known for years – the way you see the services always going is taking away training and always taking away our preparation for tomorrow. Both of those are what modeling and simulation guys do well. And the last part of that that I really worry about is the whole jointness component.”

Forbes took exception during the September 27 HASC hearing with the DoD leadership’s statements that jointness has been ingrained in the department.

“Because of the great work of Joint Forces Command and because of Goldwater-Nichols, we have come light years in terms of where we are in terms of jointness.” As you know that didn’t come voluntarily. It came because it was legislated and because we had a command forcing that to happen. You have those natural tendencies for the services not to be joint. And we can say all day this is ingrained, but you will have those same natural tendencies pulling them away from jointness. So, I think members of the committee, including the Chairman [Rep. Ike Skelton], were kind of appalled by the fact that Secretary Lynn hadn’t thought that through and did not make the decision where this is going.” ms&t

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

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Saving Fuel, Increasing Fleet Readiness Fleet synthetic training is being used to save fuel, and increase training effectiveness.

Chuck Weirauch explains.

U

S Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has announced plans for the service to reduce its fuel consumption by half by 2020 and there are looming Department of Defense budget cuts. According to Admiral John Harvey, Jr., Commander of US Fleet Forces Command, the Navy has traditionally consumed large amounts of fuel for at-sea training prior to deployment.

The opportunity for at-sea training seems destined to diminish in the near future; however, this comes at a time when there has been a surge in demand for Navy services where operational readiness is a critical factor. 48 percent of the Fleet is currently underway, and 60 percent of the close air support in Afghanistan is being provided by aircraft taking off from the deck of a US aircraft carrier.

The challenge is to maintain capability and operational readiness while reducing training sea time. While the 16 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

Navy has always provided a mix of shore-based and at-sea training to achieve readiness goals, tradition has dictated that the majority of such training exercises are conducted at sea. A Navy-funded Rand National Defense Research Institute analysis of training for the DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class destroyer concluded that “although most exercises are done underway, many could be done in port. The fact that most of the training for [unit-level training] is done underway may be due to culture, policy, or practice.” One solution to this challenge is the increasing use of simulation-based training alongside.

FST Program The Fleet Synthetic Training (FST) program is the Navy’s primary pierside command and control training initiative.

According to the Chief of Naval Operations Vision 2010 document, simulation

Above Aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during an exercise while in port in San Diego.

Image credit: U.S. Navy/Patrick Heil.

is the service’s key to energy strategy, cost reduction and environmental focus.

According to an article in the December 2009 edition of Proceedings, a US Naval Institute publication, there has been a significant increase in FST training events since the program’s inception, from 59 in fiscal year 2004 to 98 in 2009, along with the addition of new simulators and systems, and more Joint, Coalition and interagency partners.

“Fleet Synthetic Training, or FST, offers the Navy a significant opportunity to save fuel and minimize our impact on the environment while we train and ensure we meet our warfighting requirements,” Harvey said. “FST is not the “cure-all” for our dependence on foreign

oil, but – as we realized with flight simulators – implementing FST on a large scale gives us an opportunity to practice our critical skills in port and then validate them at sea. We now have a few years of experience using FST from which we can assess its effectiveness. I’m convinced that we must, repeat must, continue to make real progress in improving both the quality and quantity of FST delivered to the Fleet, no matter what happens to our budgets in the next few years.”

The FST program is administered by the US Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va. Training exercises are distributed to ships pierside throughout the world through the Navy Continuous Training Environment (NCTE) network. The FST exercises are integrated into the ship systems via their onboard Battle Force Tactical Training (BFTT) systems. In an FST exercise, controllers send real-time data through the NCTE network to the ships’ displays, communications systems and combat systems, creating scenarios that put them in a certain geographical position and then introduce all manner of threats into the exercise.

The NCTE can also link with the Joint Training Environment Network

(JTEN) to conduct training exercises with the US Air Force and other services, as well as other DoD agencies such as the Missile Defense Agency. Major FST exercises have also been conducted with NATO and Coalition fleet elements for combined strike force training exercises.

While FST program exercises can be conducted as a final mission rehearsal for strike forces about to deploy, FST is also designed to train all the way from individual unit level to through and including

Vice Adm. Mel Williams Jr., commander of U.S. 2nd Fleet, discusses with the crew of USS Stout (DDG 55) what their role is during Operation Bold Spectrum.

Image credit: U.S. Navy/Brian Goodwin.

the battle strike force level, which would include multiple carrier strike groups, explained Robert Cullinan, Joint Training Program Manager for US Fleet Forces Command.

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 17

Training Technology

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The FST exercises include weapons systems training. For example, when the FST network is integrated with a sonar systems trainer onboard an Arleigh Burke DDG 51 destroyer, it can be interfaced with the ship’s BFTT to stimulate sonar contacts into the ship’s sonar system, Cullinan explained.

At the beginning FST phases, the exercises are conducted for such individual ship operations as anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and air defense. The highest phase is an FST-Force, which is sometimes used as a training certification event for multiple strike groups prior to their deployment. The US Second Fleet has recently been conducting FST-F exercises this year that are dubbed Bold Spectrum. FST at this level can be used for mission tactical training, and a new FST program development that is just getting started is operational training at the component commander level.

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18 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

One measure of return of investment of the FST program is in the reduction of underway days during an at-sea Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX), Cullinan said. The JTFEX exercises were previously much longer before the advent of the FST, he explained.

“This is one of the big reasons why FST was originally created,” Cullinan said. “Typically when you did JTFEX exercises before the FST program was started, during the first two or three days some of the training value was lost while things got organized. Now we will do an FST exercise prior to a JTFEX as a rehearsal so coordination problems can be ironed out before they get underway. In this way they are not wasting fuel while they are trying to sort out command and control issues.”

While Cullinan did not cite estimates of total dollar savings provided via FST-based training, the number of FST training events have increased significantly, overall reducing at-sea training time. In 2009, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group became the first flotilla to run an entirely synthetic JTFEX via the NCTE network and the FST system, having trained earlier at sea in a traditional training unit exercise.

This Second Fleet exercise was conducted with the command staff of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle employing a simulator in Toulon, France, with the Eisenhower tied up at the pier, and the command staff of the US carrier Enterprise employing a Tactical Training Group Atlantic simulator at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dam Neck, VA. Second Fleet officials estimated the cost of the FST exercise to be about $500,000, while the actual at-sea exercise cost, had that exercise taken place, was estimated to be about $25 million.

Other savings come in the reduced number of naval aviation flight hours, saving fuel and the wear and tear on the aircraft, cost of ordnance that was not fired or dropped and a number of other first, second- and third-order ROI items, Cullinan said. For example, FST training also gives crews time to work out their tactics, techniques and procedures without spending at-sea fuel dollars, resulting in better-trained crews before their ships get underway, he added.

Validation “We can feel the pressure of the budget, and we do have some initiatives in place to make sure that we get a return on investment,” Cullinan said. “These ROI are not just always about

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Training Technology

saving money, but there are some components to that. One of these ROIs may be that a sonar operator is better trained than he would be without synthetic training. This is one way that synthetic training can help us with maintaining operator efficiency without having to deal with environmental issues. But depending on the fidelity of the training device, we still want to validate synthetic training with live at-sea training further down the line.”

And validation of such pierside FSTbased training at sea is the answer to critics of pierside training who insist that at-sea training is the only realistic way to get the true feel of the environ-

ment in which naval operations are performed. The Navy advocates a mix of virtual and live training to achieve the highest level of crew readiness.

To make sure that Fleet Forces training planners implement the Navy’s overall call to increase the use of simulation for training while understanding the need for live training as well, the Fleet Forces command staff recently developed and released a Fleet policy for simulator use, the “Guiding Principles for Training Simulator Use” document. This document features a list of 12 such principles. One is to “Train in port and validate at sea, or training on the ground and validate in the air, or

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train at home base and validate in the field.” Another is “Training simulators should be used to replace live training to the maximum extent possible where training effectiveness and operational readiness are not compromised,” while another states “Some live training events cannot or should not be replaced by a simulator.”

“This document is the sum of Admiral Harvey and Admiral Walsh telling their subordinates that we would like you to use simulators more than they are currently being used, but only if it can be done without degrading readiness,” Cullinan explained. “We want to increase the use of simulated training when we can, but we have determined that there are just some things that you can’t do in simulation, such as air combat maneuvering. Sometimes you just can’t get the whole experience with a simulator, so you have to validate it during live at-sea training.”

Because the FST system has proven to be able to provide cost-effective training, the Navy intends to continue expanding its capabilities and reach.

One of the efforts is to upgrade simulators aboard ship so that they can provide more fidelity to achieve a more atsea training environment. Some frigates do not have an onboard BFTT system, while legacy simulators aboard some ships are not fully compatible with the NCTE network requirements. Eventually the Navy’s Total Ship Training System (TSTS) will provide a replacement for the BFTT, and once that occurs the TSTS will provide a much better interoperability for stimulating systems on the DDGs and other surface ships through the NCTE, Cullinan said.

“A lot of the feeling of being at sea has to do with the fidelity of the simulators on the unit,” Cullinan pointed out. “The NCTE compatibility problem often has to do with the actual simulator, because sometimes the technology does not move along fast enough for us to do the modeling that will provide the fidelity for a particular operator. In order to get integrated training to be better, we need the individual simulators to be better. If you want to increase the fidelity of the network, you have to increase the fidelity of the individual component simulators that you are trying to hook together. This is the biggest challenge.” ms&t

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Training Transformation

Building Trust and Confidence Atlantic Strike 10-01 and 10-02 trained coalition close air support skills. Casey E Bain and Susan Hulker write.

S

oldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, along with other Service members and two coalition partners recently improved critical close air support (CAS) skills during Exercise Atlantic Strike 10-02 led by Air Combat Command (ACC) and U.S. Joint Forces Command’s Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team (JFIIT) at the Avon Park Air Ground Training Complex in Florida.

Atlantic Strike 10-02 trained warfighters to find, fix, track, target, engage, and assess both fixed and moving ground targets.

This second exercise in the series focused, like the first earlier this year, on improving joint air-to-ground synchronization and training of Air Force JTACs, Army JFO teams, the Air Support Operations Center (ASOC), and aircrew.

This was achieved by fully incorporating intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets along with real-time, full motion video to replicate a realistic and stressful combat environment similar to operations in Afghanistan.

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“For an exercise that primarily focuses on improving CAS skills for all participants, I think they’ve got it about right,” said Army Maj. Nathaniel Edwards, fires support officer, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, Texas. “The experience we gain by integrating our JFOs with this joint and coalition training audience will pay dividends on the battlefield where it matters most.”

“One of our key challenges is to figure out how we can conduct sustainment training to maintain the certification of our Army JFOs,” Edwards added.

“Atlantic Strike offers a superb realistic, live training venue where we can provide our JFOs with the experience they need to hone their skills, keep them up to date on current CAS Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs), and have them better prepared to support the maneuver force during stressful combat conditions.”

Partners More than 240 participants, CAS subject matter experts, observers, and support

Above An Air Force JTAC calls for close air support during exercise Atlantic Strike at the Avon Park Air-Ground Training Complex, Florida.

Image credit: Casey Bain, JFIIT, USJFCOM.

personnel participated in the exercise, including representatives from all four U.S. services and our coalition partners from Canada and Slovenia.

“Atlantic Strike gave us an excellent opportunity to work with the U.S. military and other partners,” said Canadian Forces (CF) Capt. Jonathan Cober, instructor, CF Forward Air Control Cell from Camp Gagetown, in New Brunswick, Canada.

“Our primary purpose at this exercise was the opportunity to look at the digital CAS technologies used here and to practice key air-to-ground linkages with some of our most important partners.”

Key exercise outcomes include the ability to foster trust, increase confidence, and help build vital relationships between members of the air-to-ground team that will be essential to our forces’

Training Transformation

continued success today and on future battlefields, according to U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. David L. Goldfein, Director, Air and Space Operations, Air Combat Command (ACC) at Langley Air Force Base, Va. “Those important relationships are being forged here just like they must be on the battlefield when you can look your comrade in the eye and know you can count on each other,” he said.

“That’s what Atlantic Strike provides our warfighters.”

An added advantage of Atlantic Strike is its ability to focus on the training audience’s needs, according to senior leaders at Atlantic Strike 10-02.

“One of the strengths of Atlantic Strike is that it is scalable and still able to focus on specific (training) objectives,” Goldfein said. “We’re 100 percent focused and committed to the current fight as we keep an eye on the next threat. We know to accomplish that task we must be good joint partners, and this exercise is an example of that commitment.”

During Atlantic Strike, JTACs and JFOs train on critical CAS tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) during several near-real-world scenarios, including convoy operations, cordon and search, counter sniper, counter ambush, and counter improvised explo-

sive device operations in both day and night conditions “Atlantic Strike is the quintessential air-to-ground training exercise that provides joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs), joint fires observers (JFOs), and aircrews with the skills they need to effectively work together to achieve both lethal and non-lethal effects on the battlefield,” said Marine Corps Maj. Jabari Reneau, JFIIT’s Atlantic Strike exercise director.

“This training will ultimately improve our combat effectiveness while reducing the potential of fratricide and collateral damage during combat operations.”

Real World “Our primary goal was to get as many controls of live CAS aircraft as we could,” said Senior Airman Benjamin Schmidt from Detachment 2, 1st Air Support Operations Squadron, Baumholder, Germany. “Atlantic Strike gave us the opportunity to work with a variety of aircraft and the entire air-to-ground kill chain just like we will in combat. This is as about as real world as it gets for us, and it will ultimately help us perform our mission downrange.”

More than 500 participants and CAS subject matter experts participated in Atlantic Strike 10-01; including repre-

sentatives from all four services and coalition partners from the Netherlands.

They held similar opinions.

“Atlantic Strike is a key joint airto-ground training exercise that prepares joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs), joint fires observers (JFOs), and aircrews for what they will experience once in combat,” said Marine Corps Maj. Brendan Powell, exercise director. “Our goal is to train joint and coalition forces for the tactical employment of airpower in support of Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom CAS operations.”

“At the end of the day, the experience that our warfighters will take away from this event will serve them well when they’re deployed,” Powell added. “Atlantic Strike allows them to hone those mission-essential CAS skills that will ultimately improve our joint and coalition air-to-ground combat effectiveness while reducing the potential of fratricide and collateral damage on the battlefield.”

Atlantic Strike gave us a real-world like experience that will ultimately serve as the foundation for our success one we’re deployed,” said Army Sgt. Benjamin Hyder, joint fires observer, 1st Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division from Fort Bliss, Texas. “This

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will allow us to improve our critical airto-ground skills here before we actually need to use them in combat.”

Part of this training included the integration of Air Force Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft to help replicate assets that are available to the maneuver forces in theater.

“We are the air-to-ground platform that provides mission-essential command and control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to the maneuver force,” said Air Force 1st Lt. Ruth Freeman, JSTARS liaison officer from the 12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, 116th Air Control Wing, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.

“Though we’re really a jack-of-all-trades in the air-to-ground mission area, our primary role is the counter-land fight. Our weapon is the aircraft’s radar and the intelligence that we provide to the joint and coalition forces on the ground.”

Leveraged Numerous air platforms and capabilities, including the F/A-18A Hornet, B-1B Lancer, B-52 Stratofortress, and JSTARS, are leveraged during the exercise to enhance the training of the entire air-toground team.

Atlantic Strike also emphasized video

Above Soldiers and Marines work together with other services to provide close air support for maneuver forces during exercise Atlantic Strike.

Image credit: Casey Bain, JFIIT, USJFCOM.

downlink technology, to enhance CAS training. Through use of equipment such as Remotely Operated Video Enhancement Receiver (ROVER) and VideoScout, JTACs and JFOs can view near-real time video from airborne sensors.

“Everyone will benefit from the training that’s conducted here,” said Navy

Lt. Cmdr. Jason Hutcherson, director of flight operations at Atlantic Strike. “Our JTACs and JFOs train using ROVER and VideoScout to direct urban CAS during realistic scenarios that recreate the conditions faced by our forces currently deployed. It’s an absolutely crucial part of their go-to-war training.”

“The value of this exercise is it allows our personnel to look at new TTP, technologies, and best practices from theater to be better prepared when called upon,” Maj. Gen Goldfein concluded. “We’ve got to stay one step ahead of the enemy, and Atlantic Strike helps us to do exactly that.” ms&t

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26 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

Training Technology

Approaching the Holy Grail of Visual Systems More pixels, more resolution, more contrast, more infrared – see them all at I/ITSEC. Chuck Weirauch surveys some visual systems technology exhibitors.

A

ttendees of this year’s Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) will find a number of new projectors and visuals displays highlighting the exhibit floor, some approaching the “Holy Grail” – images as clearly defined as if viewed by a person with 20/20 vision at any distance. This move towards ever-higher megapixel count and resolution, as well as enhanced night vision goggle (NVG) training capability, are two of the current visual technology trends that will be found in abundance on the show floor.

Although there will also be some demonstrations of 3D stereoscopic applications at the show, the jury is still out as to whether such technology can be proven to increase training effectiveness.

Projectors According to CEO Terry Burns, Equipe Simulation will showcase its new

WQXGA 2560 by 1600 pixel resolution DLP (digital light processing) projectors in a 120 by 60-degree visual display.

A second, smaller display will be used to demonstrate the company’s 120Hz WUXGA projectors at 1920 by 1200 resolution. One of the most recent developments for the firm was to supply two high-resolution 24-foot dome visual display systems that feature 16 Equipe Contour-series DLP front projectors in support of the UK MFTS Hawk T-2 Advanced Jet Trainer mission simulators provided

by CAE. “These are front projected large domes, which do not give you the problems with small eye relief,” Burns explained. “We have also developed an image generator to run at 120 hertz. The new breakthrough technology is to be running the whole visual system at 120Hz, since the motion blur common to digital projectors will disappear at that rate.”

The Norwegian company projec-

Above projectiondesign’s new F35 series DLP projector.

Image credit: projectiondesign.

tiondesign will display its new F35 WQXGA DLP 4.35 megapixel projector, which has the highest resolution and pixel count for a single IG solution, according to Anders Lokke, the firm’s International Marketing and Communications Manager. Such higher resolution is a requirement for flight simulation, he said. The projector also has visible and invisible infrared projection capability for night vision training, he pointed out. The company will also demonstrate its new FL 32 ReaLED projector, which also features IR capability.

“There is intent to look at alternatives to LCoS projectors for better reliability, since they don’t seem to last too long,” Lokke said. “We have always been a DLP MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 27

Training Technology

house, but have now come out with LED lighting which can run for long periods of time, which also takes away some problems of DLP such as sequential color artifacting, or rainbowing. We have been deploying LED projectors quite widely.”

Show attendees will also be able to take training classes up to 20 minutes long at this year’s production design exhibit, something that is unusual at the event, Lokke added.

JVC will be demonstrating its fifthgeneration VS 2100 LCoS ILA projector, which is an enhanced version of its VS 2000 model, according to company Special Projects Manager Tom Stites.

The new projector features new driver circuitry for display devices, about a 40 percent brighter projected image and includes smear reduction technologies, which are important in the military marketplace, he said.

Also on display will be the new 10-megapixel, 4096 by 2400 native resolution SH-7 projector, which features smear reduction and mechanical shuttering technology. This projector has a fairly low operating cost, since it was introduced with dual UHP lamps

as opposed to Xenon, reducing operating costs by a factor of five, Stites reported.

“With that technology, we can achieve one of the goals of most of the military training environments, and that is eye-limiting resolution,” Stites explained. “It takes that kind of pixel density to achieve that capability. The real movement in the visuals industry for the simulation market is towards

Above Christie will be demonstrating the capability of its Matrix StIM visual display system.

Image credit: Christie Digital Systems.

higher resolution and NVG capability because of the high contrast ratio required for NVG applications.”

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Training Technology

StIM visual display system to simultaneously display the visible night scene without night vision goggles along with the stimulated IR scene with the goggles, said Director of Simulation Solution Management Dave Kanahele. This is possible because of InfraScene technology, which has the ability to drive the rear IR channel with a second independent input from the image generator, he explained. Christie will also be showcasing its new Matrix SIM display system, which will not have the IR channel for those applications where this technology is not required, Kanahele added.

The Barco exhibit will feature its new Sim 10 LCoS projector with a native resolution of 4096 by 2400 pixels as the engine for a 360-degree rear-projected dome, according to Business Development Manager Kurt Doornaert. The Sim 10 is billed as “the world’s only 10 megapixel projector that carries all the necessary features for the best training experiences.” The visual display system, which includes 13 projectors, has been developed as a full-immersion trainer for pilots.

“The Sim 10 has a 25 to 1 contrast ratio, and that’s an important parameter for night training,” Doornaert said. “Very high contrast is important for NVG stimulation, since it is able to show very dark scenes and distances and details. The projector also has advanced IR with three LCoS chips that significantly increase the lifetime over other LCoS projection systems.”

Doornaert also noted the industry trend as a quest for eyelimiting resolution “like for the Holy Grail” for the 20/20 vision effect and beyond.

Visual displays A variant of one of the most recently developed and deployed training systems at the show will be located in the Immersive Display Solutions exhibit area, according to company president George Forbes. The system is the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Warfighter Readiness Research Division’s F-16 Experimental Deployable Tactics Trainer (X-DTT). The only difference is that this simulator will have used fabric instead of the fiberglass material for the 220-degree immersive portable dome that was a part of the two X-DTT simulators delivered this fall to the Air Force Base in Aviano, Italy, Forbes explained.

Along with the Immersive dome system, the X-DTT simulator features six projectiondesign FL32 LED projectors, MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) technology and Scalable Display Technologies’ EasyBlendFX software for geometry warp and the auto-alignment of all VRSG channels. The X-DTT simulator will be linked to an Immersive/MetaVR Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training Rehearsal System (JTAC TRS) in the AFRL exhibit area for air-ground attack exercises during the show, he said.

“The LED projectors allow us to orientate them any way we want and put them into portrait and landscape mode,” Forbes said. “They also don’t have the costs of replacing lamps.”

“The exciting thing about the AFRL X-DTT deployment is seeing our partners getting refined, elegant and sophisticated in building simulators at price points that have not been previously seen,” said Adam Biehler, Scalable’s Manager for Simulation and Training. “I think that this AFRL simulator is an example of that. Deployability drives a lot of the cost out of these systems, and as a result there can be more deployments.”

At I/ITSEC, VirTra Systems will demonstrate what it considers to be the world’s highest resolution simulated shooting

range. According to President and COO Don Andrus, by employing such high-resolution with its VirTra Range MIL simulator, the company is able to replicate the visual experience of an actual indoor and outdoor shooting range. This visual accuracy is possible by providing a resolution of over two million pixels per each individual shooting lane, Andrus explained. The new simulator employs Epson 1920 by 1080 HD 3LCD projectors that incorporate 3LCD technology with a three-chip optical engine, he reported.

Stereoscopic 3D applications While stereoscopic 3D technology is not new to the visual display industry, the technology has been slow to migrate from the entertainment, science and educational arenas to the military training field for a number of reasons. One reason has been cost, while the other is that it may not increase training effectiveness and value in certain applications. However, with the advancement of technology and lower costs, there have been some recent applications of the technology for such training, some which will be demonstrated at I/ITSEC. Kanahele reported that Christie will have a maintenance trainer that employs stereoscopic 3D projection technology at its exhibit, but information on exactly what application was not available at press time. The company has delivered a number of such projection solutions for visualization customers over the years, but primarily for the oil and gas, manufacturing, medical and entertainment industries, he said.

“We’re starting to see the emergence of applications where 3D stereoscopic displays do add to the training fidelity,” Kanahele said. “Aerial fueling training applications are one example where true stereo augments and is critical to the training function that they are trying to perform. There are also some sort of

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 31

Training Technology

maintenance training applications where stereo is important to the level of training you are trying to achieve. We need to find new and effective ways to accomplish training tasks, IED removal training for example, and we think that 3D stereo is certainly one of the technologies that can add in that training value.”

Scalable recently showed an immersive desktop display at an NVIDIA conference that was running active stereo 3D which earned the company a number of plaudits, Biehler said. However, overall the technology has gotten mixed reviews on efficiency for training applications, but here just is not enough data to support any conclusions at this point, he added.

Stites said that JVC has worked on some stereo 3D applications at extremely high resolutions, but that performance seems to be beyond the capability of today’s image generators, he concluded. Doornaert reported that Barco is already showing many 3D stereoscopic applications, but that they would not always be ideal for such things as flight simulation. A driving simulation might be a better application, he pointed out.

“While the 3D stereoscopic effect

32 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

can create some exciting effects in an entertainment setting, it has not been shown to increase real-world skill development with firearms, and 3D may actually retard firearms training,” Andrus said. “However, the 3D stereoscopic effect can have a place in other military simulators. It depends on the exact simulation requirements.”

“We’re just not hearing or seeing the applications for 3D stereoscopic in the military training market, and we also

The US Air Force Research Laboratory Warfighter Readiness Research Division’s F-16 Experimental Deployable Tactics Trainer (X-DTT).

Image credit: AFRL.

have not found the applications to help us train better,” Forbes said. “I think that stereo can achieve that level of furthering the training, but it’s not for every application.” ms&t

& NEWS

MILITARY SIMULATION & TRAINING Military Simulation Training News

Issue no. 23 Fall 2010/Winter 2011

Australian Defence Force readies plans for new ab initio pilot training programs

Also in this issue Executive Corner

2

Enhanced preparation and reduced cost through new approach to training

Feature Story

3

Australian Defence Force readies plans for new ab initio pilot training programs

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth of Australia

Technology Developments CAE VICTOR for disaster training and planning Evolving human behaviour modeling for more realistic virtual environments.

Program Spotlight Home of the Herc down under

6

4

Capabilities Focus

7

Upgrades and updates help efficiency, concurrency and training effectiveness

News & Notes 8

Enhanced preparation and reduced cost through new approach to training Everyone involved in the global defence industry knows that our military customers are operating in increasingly challenging times. Operational demands remain constant and always the most important objective for defence forces, yet budget pressures and drastic cost-cutting measures are forcing militaries to do “more with less”. Fortunately, simulation and synthetic training can be looked at as one solution to these challenges.

Simulation offers a number of advantages, not the least of which are cost advantages, that simply cannot be ignored in todays economic and threat environment. The increased cost of fuel, environmental impacts, and significant wear and tear on weapon systems all point to the greater use of simulation and synthetic training. As one of our military customers in the United Kingdom told a group this summer – “…despite all of the uncertainties surrounding the strategic defence review, the one certainty is that simulation activity will increase going forward given its compelling value proposition.”

Just as important, simulation is the ideal tool for mission preparation and rehearsal, which is critical for ensuring the readiness of defence forces as they face new and changing threats.

At a macro-level, this is all good news for those of us in the simulation and training industry. It does not mean, however, that improvements are not needed. One area I would argue that government and defence forces need to look at closely is training systems integration.

In many countries, platform-based acquisition of training systems has created stovepipes, which in turn leads to much higher costs and significant wastage. At the same time, the lack of interoperable training systems impacts negatively on preparedness and readiness.

These stovepipes lead to disparate training systems and no consistency in the training infrastructure. Do any – or perhaps all – of the following sound familiar – different visual systems, proprietary databases, different training management information systems, difficulty interconnecting and networking training systems, limited re-use, and inconsistent courseware?

Given the challenging budget environment most governments will face, likely throughout the coming decade, the time is now for defence forces to seriously consider a more integrated and “holistic” approach to training. This is where an independent training systems integrator

2

that is platform-agnostic with experience, focus and capability can help. A training systems integrator, or TSI, can work closely with the government and defence forces to lead the design, optimization, integration, implementation, delivery and support of a comprehensive, cross-platform training solution.

The overall intent is to maximize commonality for increased efficiencies, cost savings, and most importantly, enhanced capability for mission preparedness. Common synthetic environments, databases, courseware, training management systems, instructor methodologies, maintenance services and through-life support can all work together within a common framework. In other words, a more holistic view of training can help deliver better quality and enhanced preparation while lowering risk and producing significant cost savings.

Canada has recently taken this more integrated and holistic view of training.

Under the Operational Training Systems Provider (OTSP) program, CAE is serving as the training systems integrator – outside of the platform acquisition – to develop and deliver a comprehensive training capability for Canada’s new CC-130J and CH-147 aircraft, and potentially other platforms in the future.

CAE has overall responsibility for designing, developing, and executing the turnkey training required for support of these aircraft and the Canadian Forces over the next 20 years, and we have partnered with a number of other companies to support this effort. While still under development, Canada has already experienced some benefits and expects a range of others, including consolidating resources, eliminating duplication of effort, reducing risks, saving money, and being able to integrate and network a range of training systems.

Martin Gagné, Group President, Military Products, Training & Services

CAE has all the requisite skills and capabilities of a training systems integrator, and we believe this approach to training will be increasingly attractive to governments and defence forces in other parts of the world, particularly as militaries look for ways to save money while not impacting preparedness and readiness. We look forward to more discussion and dialogue with governments and defence forces around the world to share how a training systems integrator can contribute to accountability, commonality and scalability.

Executive Corner

Australian Defence Force readies plans for new ab initio pilot training programs Australia plans to introduce new ab initio fixed-wing as well as rotarywing pilot training systems for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in the next several years. As outlined in Australia’s Defence Capability Plan, the intent is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the entrylevel training programs so undergraduate pilots are better prepared to make the transition to the operational aircraft currently used by the ADF or planned for use in the future.

Eurocopter Squirrel (Navy) and Bell OH-58 Kiowa (Army) training helicopters. The Navy and Army also plan to make more extensive use of synthetic training, including full-motion simulators, flight training devices, part-task trainers and computer-based training. The ADF needs the helicopter aircrew training system to produce more than 100 pilots, rear crew, and loadmasters annually. The request for proposal is expected during 2011 and the ADF anticipates an initial operating capability in the 2014 to 2016 timeframe.

AIR 5428 Under the project called AIR 5428, Australia’s Department of Defence plans to provide the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and Australian Army with a new fixed-wing pilot training system. The comprehensive pilot training system will provide the required flight screening processes and cover all facets of undergraduate pilot training, including curriculum, instruction, simulators, infrastructure, training aircraft and through-life support. The aim is to better prepare pilots for entry into the RAAF’s lead-in fighter and operational conversion units for other aircraft platforms, as well as provide candidates for rotary-wing training for both the Army and Navy.

Specifically, the fixed-wing pilot training system will be designed to increase the number of graduate pilots, develop pilot skills that are consistent with the requirements of advanced fourth and fifth generation combat aircraft and integrate more synthetic training systems into the overall ab initio undergraduate training program. Like many global militaries as well as the civil aviation industry, the ADF anticipates a greater use of simulation as part of its pilot training system because of significant cost advantages, safety considerations, training effectiveness and reduced environmental impacts.

The ADF needs the fixed-wing pilot training system to produce between 100 and 120 pilot graduates annually. While the request for proposal has not been released yet, it is expected sometime during 2011 and the ADF anticipates an initial operating capability in the 2015 to 2017 timeframe.

AIR 9000 Phase 7 Under a project called AIR 9000 Phase 7, also called the Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS), Australia’s Department of Defence aims to provide the Navy and Army with a new rotary-wing training capability.

Once a student graduates from the fixed-wing undergraduate pilot training program and plans to continue a flying career with the RAN or Australian Army in helicopters, they will transition to the helicopter aircrew training system. The HATS will include a combination of live, synthetic and classroom training designed to prepare pilots for the advanced operational helicopters in the ADF’s current or future inventory, including the Tiger, CH-47 Chinook, MRH90, and a new naval combat helicopter which will be either the MH-60R Romeo or NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter).

Capability and Experience While many know CAE for its high-fidelity full-flight and full-mission simulators, the company has become much more over the past five years and its capabilities align directly with the requirements for both AIR 5428 and AIR 9000 Phase 7. For example, did you know that the CAE Global Academy is now the world’s largest network of ab initio flight schools and is currently producing more than 1,800 cadet pilots annually? One of these schools is a CAE/China Southern joint venture called the China Southern West Australia Flying College located in Perth, Australia, which produces more than 200 pilots annually. CAE has also expanded its training service offerings, including in Australia on programs such as the RAAF’s C-130H/J, Australian Army’s upcoming MRH90, and the RAAF’s upcoming A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT). The company has all the requisite skills and capabilities of a training systems integrator, which includes training needs analysis, knowledge and skills transfer, instructional systems design, courseware development, learning management systems, maintenance and support, facilities and more. CAE also has extensive experience with a range of financing solutions, including public/private partnerships and private finance initiatives. All of these skills and capabilities will be important components on both the AIR 5428 and AIR 9000 Phase 7 programs.

“CAE is definitely unique in being a company focused exclusively on training, and perhaps the only company with the ability to leverage best practices from both the civil and military markets,” said Alan Johnson, managing director of CAE Australia Pty Ltd. “As the Australian Defence Forces look to improve and enhance their undergraduate training programs through AIR 5428 and AIR 9000 Phase 7, we believe CAE can bring innovation, capability and relevant experience to help the ADF achieve its objectives.”

The overall HATS program will include the acquisition of a commercialor military-off-the-shelf helicopter to replace the current fleet of

Feature Story

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth of Australia

3

CAE VICTOR

for disaster training and planning Traditionally, disaster planning and training has been conducted by individual agencies, primarily at the local level. However, recent events such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Iowa floods and tornadoes in 2008, and the earthquakes in Haiti in 2009, have served as devastating examples of the need for an integrated response and improved training. For catastrophes like these, multiple local, state, national, and international government agencies as well as not-for-profit relief organizations, corporations, and community action groups come together to assist in times of crisis. Coordinating such multi-agency response efforts is a massive undertaking, but through proper planning, training, and exercising, the roles and responsibilities of each agency can be understood and a coordinated response can have maximum effect.

In an environment where no force responds alone, coordinated disaster response demands a technology-enabled virtual environment that facilitates distributed, multi-agency exercising and planning.

To address this need, CAE has developed CAE VICTOR, a simple yet powerful simulation engine that supports small and large-scale training and planning exercises. CAE VICTOR, which stands for Virtual Incident Command for Training and Operations Research (VICTOR), integrates cutting-edge computer generated forces with dynamic artificial intelligence software developed by MASA Group to provide realistic, doctrinally-correct behaviours. Using CAE VICTOR, emergency managers can validate their all-hazards plans, reduce exercise costs, increase exercise frequency and readiness, and enable a distributed, cross-border exercise capability.

Virtual Incident Command for Training and Operations Research CAE VICTOR is a complete constructive simulation solution for training multi-jurisdictional agencies along with civilian and military response teams. Thousands of autonomous units can be simulated on a single laptop or workstation, including asymmetric threats, weather obstacles, and urban populations. Using intelligent automation, CAE VICTOR enhances exercise realism and reduces the need for the number of humans in the loop required to control the movements and behaviours of computer generated forces (CGF).

CAE VICTOR can also be integrated with the emergency management system in the operations centre and military command and control systems. Entities and events are stimulated in real-time within the simulation environment and fed into the operational system, thus providing realistic scenarios for training and planning. Commanders are able to direct their subordinate units and receive event information as they would during response operations.

Increasing your training return-on-investment It is estimated that simulation-based training produces a 60 percent faster learning curve and a retention rate that is 50 percent higher than traditional training methods such as classroom instruction and live exercises. CAE VICTOR affords organizations the flexibility to conduct training and planning exercises more frequently than traditional live and table top exercises and address more potential scenarios. It can take 12 to 18 months to develop and coordinate live exercises depending on the complexity of the scenario. CAE VICTOR allows the scenario manager to quickly develop and script the scenario event, sometimes in a matter of hours or minutes. The events are managed through a user-friendly, fully-integrated scenario management tool that maintains the master scenario event list (MSEL). The scenario can be easily managed and altered on the fly by a single scenario manager during the course of the exercise. The cost and time associated with scenario development is reduced significantly.

Solving today’s multi-agency training and planning challenges The iterative nature of simulation allows planners to test alternative response strategies, conduct trade-off studies, and validate new plans prior to operations. Using CAE VICTOR, response organizations take advantage of CAE’s new solution offering that integrates the latest in dynamic computer generated forces for enhanced scenario realism to support analytical studies, planning, and individual and team training.

CAE VICTOR is helping prepare civilian and military disaster relief organizations for joint operations so the response to any disaster is coordinated, timely and effective.

CAE VICTOR is helping prepare civilian and military disaster relief organizations for joint operations so the response to any disaster is coordinated, timely and effective.

4

Technology Developments

Evolving human behaviour modeling for more realistic virtual environments The field of human behaviour modeling is in an exciting phase of evolution. Today’s computing power is allowing researchers to delve deeper into understanding and modeling human decision making, task execution, and cognitive reasoning. Currently, most artificial intelligence behaviour engines used in virtual environments and gaming applications rely upon predictable, rule-based approaches. Such scripted behaviours require significant human intervention and programming. Often in training scenarios, computer generated forces (CGF) and human avatars are controlled by human operators (or ‘pucksters’) to provide realistic interactions. Cognitive architectures can provide highly detailed simulations of human behaviour, but they quickly become overly complicated and unwieldy when modeling activity over long periods of time or when behaviour is complex.

The challenge to creating truly realistic virtual environments is how to develop advanced human behaviour models that allow avatars to dynamically interact with their environment and other players, including human and computer-generated. Through its Professional Services team, CAE is conducting research in human behaviour and decision making to develop a shared understanding and common language for translating human behaviours and decision making tasks into a simulation environment. One goal is to develop a process by which objects in the simulation environment are given richer meaning to the avatars to support more robust models of behaviour.

Developing a cognitive framework CAE’s team of human factors specialists and cognitive psychologists have been actively researching and advancing the field of human behaviour modeling for over 15 years. The primary methodology and framework for analyzing behaviours and decision making has been the Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA). A CTA provides a hierarchical framework for decomposing the skills required, the cognitive demands placed on the operator during the execution of the task, the information requirements needed to initiate the task, and the task outputs used by individuals performing the tasks.

Building a human behaviour common database By understanding common decisions and task execution, CAE’s research team recognized that task similarities exist across many domains and can be grouped into high-level descriptions of human behaviour. These task similarities then form a series of ‘task templates’ that can be reused in different modeling environments regardless of the specific task or scenario. The templates can form the basis of a common human behaviour database. As an extension of CAE’s common database framework, a human behaviour common database can be easily extended to numerous behaviour models of differing layers of complexity.

Creating a common language between human, database, and avatar Terrain databases are comprised of a series of vectors, pixel images, and predetermined routes. CAE Professional Services is applying Voronoi Tessellation techniques to characterize database elements, creating an additional layer of metadata which gives meaning to objects within the database. This serves to create a common language between the human and database. For example, the walls of a building, which are labeled in a database, form corners and corridors that are used in navigation. As an avatar walks through the building, its behaviour is impacted by the characteristics of the walls.

This common language also serves to support tasks the avatar is commanded to perform. CAE Professional Services has developed a speech recognition module to support human-avatar interactions within multiple synthetic environments, such as the game Virtual Battle Space 2 (VBS2). Using recognized generic instructions, a human commands the avatar to perform a task such as run down a street and remain concealed. The command triggers a set of decisions that affects how the avatar moves down the street. Are buildings or vehicles going to reduce visibility of their movements? Where is the street most populous? Are there enemy forces in the area that could detect his movements? How quickly do they have to move to remain concealed?

Case Study: A new approach to IED training CAE is using this new framework for human behaviour modeling to address an ongoing challenge facing military forces today. Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strikes now account for the majority of casualties in current operations. There is a need to improve current training effectiveness in preparing soldiers prior to deployment. CAE’s cognitive framework has identified common behaviours and decisions that an insurgent makes in an IED campaign. These are impacted by many factors such as the motivation of individual members, the operational and strategic goals an IED campaign supports, the social network analysis of an IED network, and the attacks themselves are just some of the behaviours and decisions impacting the environment. By understanding the basic IED indicators and identifying IED decision points, including how the enemy picks and chooses sites, CAE is developing behavioural models for simulation-based training which will help train soldiers to recognize potential IEDs before they can be used against them.

For more information on this program, please contact Joe Armstrong, Manager, Research, Development, and Innovation, CAE Professional Services, joe.armstrong@cae.com.

Technology Developments

5

Home of the Herc down under CAE supports RAAF No. 285 Squadron at Richmond Sydney, located in the state of New South Wales in Australia, is one of the world’s most recognized cities. Famous for its iconic opera house and the site of the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney is the largest and most populous city “down under”. Approximately 50 kilometers northwest of Sydney sits Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Richmond, which is home to another icon – the venerable C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.

RAAF Base Richmond was the second air force base established in Australia, beginning operations in 1923 and growing to its position now as the hub of the RAAF’s airlift fleet. This fleet includes 24 C-130 Hercules aircraft – 12 C-130H variants that began service in 1978 and another 12 C-130J variants that started operations in 1999. In total, the RAAF has been operating the legendary Hercules aircraft for more than 50 years, making Australia a country with one of the longest-running service records for the C-130.

In 1999, a new squadron was formed at RAAF Base Richmond. The role of No. 285 Squadron is to provide aircrew and ground support training for the RAAF’s Air Lift Group. The unit conducts over 200 courses each year to provide training for pilots, navigators, flight engineers, loadmasters, avionics technicians, and aircraft technicians.

Ever since No. 285 Squadron was formed, a team of professionals from CAE has been actively involved in supporting the training mission of the squadron. This began when the RAAF took delivery of three full-mission flight simulators designed and manufactured by CAE. The RAAF Air Lift Training Centre at RAAF Richmond houses CAE-built C-130H and C-130J simulators, and at one time included a CAE-built Boeing 707 simulator that has since been retired. CAE has also delivered a C-130J systems familiarization trainer as well as C-130J part-task trainers that are used at RAAF Base Richmond.

The simulators and training devices, though, are only part of the story of CAE’s support of the RAAF’s airlift training program. In 2003, CAE and the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) signed an innovative long-term agreement called the Management and Support of ADF Aerospace Simulators (MSAAS). Under the MSAAS contract, CAE Australia provides turnkey training support for not only the C-130H and C-130J simulators at RAAF Base Richmond, but also the ADF’s S-70B Seahawk and Sea King simulators at HMAS Albatross, Nowra and the ADF’s S-70A Black Hawk simulator at Army Airfield Oakey. In the future, the ADF’s MHR90 simulators currently being developed by CAE for Oakey and RAAF Base Townsville, and the CAE-built A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) training devices destined for RAAF Base Amberley will be supported under the MSAAS contract.

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth of Australia

The certification, achieved in 2005, was the first for the company in Australia and made CAE the delegated design authority for performing engineering upgrades on in-service simulators for the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force.

At RAAF Base Richmond under the MSAAS contract, CAE Australia staff provides a range of services, including classroom instruction, simulator instruction, maintenance support, instructional systems design, and courseware development. Basically, CAE professionals are involved in all aspects of helping the RAAF’s No. 285 squadron achieve their training objectives.

“Since the formation of No. 285 Squadron, crews that have graduated have gone on to accomplish great things,” said Air Commodore John Oddie, Commander Air Lift Group for the RAAF. “Our mission is to fly important people and stuff to tough places on time, which could not have been accomplished were it not for the strong partnership between No. 285 Squadron and CAE. The capability inherent in this partnership has improved with the upgrading of our C-130 simulators, allowing a greater degree of fidelity and replicating almost the entire spectrum of missions our crews can face.”

Interestingly, CAE Australia also plays a role in providing flying instruction at RAAF Base Richmond. For close to five years now, CAE has provided live (airborne) training to RAAF C-130H and C-130J aircrews. Like most militaries, the RAAF is conducting a substantial and increasing portion of their training in the synthetic environment of the C-130H and C-130J simulators. However, military aircrews still need to conduct some live training in actual aircraft prior to deploying for missions. CAE’s flying instructors are involved in most facets of flying instruction, including the Exercise Precision Red live military exercise held twice each year. The Precision Red exercise is the final test for Hercules crews before they fly in the RAAF’s current Middle East area of operations. By providing a portion of the live flying instruction, CAE is helping the RAAF by enabling uniformed personnel to support the ever-increasing operational tempo of the RAAF airlift group.

“We are proud to support the RAAF at Richmond, and our role is indicative of the comprehensive range of capabilities offered by CAE,” said Alan Johnson, Managing Director of CAE Australia Pty Ltd. “CAE is well-known as a leading provider of flight simulators, which is evidenced at Richmond for both the C-130H and C-130J. But we are really a world-class training systems integrator, able to provide a full range of training solutions designed to help prepare our men and women in uniform for challenging and sometimes dangerous operations.”

The MSAAS contract has also seen CAE become officially recognized by the ADF as a certified Authorised Engineering Organisation (AEO).

“Our mission is to fly important people and stuff to tough places on time, which could not have been accomplished were it not for the strong partnership between No. 285 Squadron and CAE.” Air Commodore John Oddie, Commander Air Lift Group for the Royal Australian Air Force

6

Program Spotlight

Upgrades and updates help efficiency, concurrency and training effectiveness Militaries around the world recognize that simulation offers a number of advantages that address an ever-increasing global threat level and new economic constraints that are pressuring top-line defence spending.

The cost savings from the use of simulation-based synthetic training is considerable. The cost of fuel, detrimental environmental impacts, and significant wear and tear on weapon systems all point to the greater use of simulation and synthetic training. Equally important, the current state of simulation is so highly realistic that it has become an integral tool for mission preparation and rehearsal.

With the operational life of a full-mission simulator easily approaching 20 years or more, it is understandable that simulation technologies change over time and innovation leads to enhanced capability.

Defence procurement organizations and military forces, however, are often challenged with maintaining concurrency between the weapon systems and training systems, or making improvements to enhance training effectiveness. This challenge has been exacerbated by budget pressures driving militaries to expand their use of synthetic training.

To support militaries around the world with their upgrade and update requirements, CAE has established a dedicated group focused on proactively developing and packaging upgrade solutions. The intent is to address the needs of the military operators for simulator life extension and technology insertion, thus providing enhanced training and mission rehearsal capabilities. CAE’s team of product managers is leading the upgrades and updates initiative as part of CAE’s Military Customer Services department.

CAE’s group of upgrade and update service professionals have specific expertise and experience in developing solutions for in-service simulation products, including CAE-built and non-CAE-built products. In fact, the company has delivered a range of upgrade and update solutions to military forces around the world. These upgrades and updates address requirements such as maintaining concurrency with aircraft avionics, reducing lifecycle costs, replacing obsolete equipment, or adding capability so more training can be offloaded from the actual weapon system to the simulator.

CAE’s comprehensive portfolio of upgrade and update solutions tailored for militaries include simulator and visual updates, additional training capacities, refurbishments and relocations. Initially, CAE has developed a standardized and packaged solution focused on the visual update market, specifically related to image generator (IG) updates, visual databases and moving models and projectors. By updating the IG

Capabilities Focus

and projectors, operators can quickly benefit from enhanced training fidelity and capability while reducing operating costs and simplifying maintenance. Updated or new visual databases and moving models are essential when revising scenarios based on real-world operations and mission preparation.

The military upgrade and update services group at CAE is also developing packaged solutions for helping militaries upgrade training systems with the Common Database (CDB) architecture. Other standard updates include the host computer system, motion and control loading, interface system, instructor operating system (IOS), and more. These upgrades and updates, selected individually or combined with a comprehensive simulator upgrade, can help deliver a range of benefits, including: • Lower operating costs • Improved reliability, safety and maintainability • Concurrency with the weapon system • Meeting operational requirements for higher fidelity training • Increased longevity of training equipment by replacement of obsolete technology Some of the recent program examples involving significant upgrades and updates by CAE include the United States Air Force (USAF) C-5M program and the upgrade of visual and display systems at the German Army Aviation School. CAE has responsibility for upgrading the USAF C-5 training devices to ensure concurrency with current aircraft upgrades being performed as part of the C-5 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) as well as C-5 Reliability Enhancement Re-engining Program (RERP). The upgrades to C-5 weapon systems trainers and C-5 cockpit procedures trainers will enable USAF C-5 aircrews to perform most of their training in the simulators and training devices. For the German Army Aviation School, CAE will upgrade the image generator and visual display systems on the 12 CAE-built helicopter simulators located at the Hans E. Drebing simulator centre of the German Army Aviation School in Bueckeburg. The CAE Medallion-6000 image generator will be used as part of the overall upgrade of the visual systems on the helicopter simulators. The state-of-the-art training facility includes two UH-1D, two CH-53, and eight EC135 helicopter simulators that are used to deliver initial and advanced pilot training to the German Armed Forces.

For more information on new upgrade and update package offerings from CAE, please email milsim@cae.com.

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News & Notes CAE supports DSOC’s SOQA project The Defense Safety Oversight Council (DSOC), which is part of the United States Department of Defense, is currently conducting a Simulator Operational Quality Assurance (SOQA) project with the help of CAE. The Aviation Safety Technology Working Group within the DSOC is charged with looking for ways for the US DoD to reduce aviation accidents and recommend mitigation strategies. The DSOC is employing the use of CAE Flightscape flight data analysis software on a C-40 (Boeing 737) full-flight simulator at CAE’s Callas training centre to feed the simulator with the most common and prevalent hazards experienced in daily flight operations. As part of the SOQA project, data is then collected from the simulator and analyzed to assess the performance of flight crews.

“The lessons learned from this effort will help the Air Force Air Mobility Command and any other department adopters in defining long-term requirements and reducing acquisition risk,” said Everett W. Smith, chief safety engineer and military flight operations quality assurance project manager. “The most powerful potential of SOQA is statistical process control. By establishing specific performance standards and training objectives, simulator events will be constructed to automatically detect performance deviations.”

German Secretary of State visits CAE in Germany

Pictured (L to R): Ulrich Aderhold, Managing Director, CAE Germany; Peter Hintze, Parliamentary State Secretary from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology; and Helmut Brandt, CDU Parliamentary Group in the German Parliament.

CAE Medallion-6000 selected for Turkish Air Force Havelsan recently selected CAE to deliver more than 190 CAE Medallion™-6000 image generators for a range of Turkish Air Force flight simulators. In addition, Havelsan and the Turkish Air Force are adopting the CAE-developed Common Database (CDB) architecture to significantly enhance the ability to correlate and rapidly update databases to support training and mission rehearsal requirements.

As the prime contractor, Havelsan will have overall responsibility for integrating the CAE Medallion-6000 image generator with the Turkish Air Force’s F-16, T-38 and KT-1T training devices. The suite of training devices supporting the Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter includes full-mission simulators, weapons tactics trainers, and a forward air controller trainer, all of which will include CAE Medallion-6000 image generators. Each of the F-16 full-mission simulators will feature a 25-channel CAE Medallion-6000 image generator with a 360 degree by 135 degree field-of-view dome display. The T-38 and KT-1T training devices include instrument flight trainers and operational flight trainers that will feature the CAE Medallion-6000 image generator.

Chris Stellwag, Editor Joe Armstrong, David Bancroft, Heather J. Dane, Paul Ducharme, Heike Krömer, John Murray, Lisa Prentiss, Contributors Jimmy Tigani, Graphic Design Reader feedback and contributions welcome

CAE, 8585 Côte-de-Liesse, St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada H4T 1G6 • milsim@cae.com • cae.com Military Simulation and Training News is a publication of CAE. © 2010 CAE All rights reserved.

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Peter Hintze, the Parliamentary State Secretary from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, recently visited CAE’s facility in Stolberg, Germany as part of a tour of the technology region of Germany called the “Aachen Valley”.

Hintze, who visited along with Helmut Brandt from the German Parliament, is a leading member of the German Aeronautics and Space Cabinet within the German government. While at CAE, Hintze had the opportunity fly a Tornado flight simulator and receive a comprehensive briefing on CAE’s innovation and simulation technology leadership being delivered to the German Armed Forces.

Training Technology

Strategies for Survival and Even Growth Tight belts and programme cuts. BAE Systems’ expects their strategy of globalisation, weapon systems diversity, and systems integration will pay off. MS&T’s Dim Jones discusses the strategy and how it is currently playing out.

B

elt-tightening in a strained economic climate has put pressure on all budgets, and nowhere is this more evident than in defence. On 19th October, the UK Government announced the results of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). The purpose of the former was ostensibly to inform the latter; however, despite protestations to the contrary, few doubt that the SDSR was significantly cost, rather than strategy-driven, a view reinforced by the 11thhour wrangling over the precise percentage cut which would be applied to the defence budget. There were never likely to be many winners in the internecine warfare which broke out in the MOD during the SDSR and, sure enough, everyone lost something, with knock-on effects for the defence industry. However, there may be a hidden benefit for one area of activity, and that is training. In the battle to

preserve major equipment programmes and manpower, the emphasis has been firmly on the front line, and even there some sacred cows have been sacrificed; others have only survived through a commitment to reduce costs elsewhere. One way in which this may be achieved is by increasing the part played by industry in military training, and the pressure which has compelled the thinking of the previously unthinkable has introduced an environment in which any reasonable costsaving suggestion will be entertained.

Nevertheless, the demise of the planned Defence Academy at RAF St Athan, and the statement by Secretary of State for Defence Dr Liam Fox that “It is now clear that Metrix [the preferred bidder] cannot deliver an affordable, commerciallyrobust proposal within the prescribed period,” demonstrates that a partnership solution still has to produce an acceptable outcome at an affordable price.

Although I have used UK as a topical

Above Entering service with the RAF – the BAE Systems Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT).

Image credit: BAE Systems.

example, the scenario is broadly similar for the majority of major defence players around the world. A tough commercial environment is nothing new for at least one UK company - BAE Systems - who have for some time been working to enhance their reputation as a provider of integrated training solutions, rather than just a manufacturer of training aircraft and equipment. I call BAE Systems a UK company but, as I am reminded by Ian Reason, BAE Systems’ Director of Business Development for Military Air Sector Training, it is a global organisation, half of whose business is now in the US, and whose US arm, BAE Systems Inc, employs 52,000 people across 130 sites around the world. While its genesis MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 33

Training Technology

is firmly air-orientated, it is now equally active in land and sea systems. Success or failure in any one market may result in joy or pain, but this scope and diversity enables a perspective independent of any single customer or project. The cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 and the reduction in the planned number of Joint Strike Fighters for the new carriers will not have filled BAE Systems with euphoria, but the fact that the carriers themselves will be built, and the full Astute-Class submarine programme is safe (for now) will have been a major compensation. In the longer term, the design contract for the Type 26 frigate continues, and the challenge of meeting the new requirements of “more modern” and “less expensive” should keep the design team busy.

Training Capability Gap As Ian Reason points out, recent reductions in defence expenditure have only been an accentuation of a longer-term trend; however, while budgets have reduced, there has been no concomitant reduction in requirement. In order to preserve or enhance front-line capability, many air forces have concentrated on the procurement of modern operational aircraft to the detriment of providing a training system capable of producing aircrew and ground crew equipped to fly and maintain them. In the past, the pace of development of front line aircraft was sedate enough that failure to upgrade training aircraft took a long while to become apparent. More recently, the appearance, and widespread deployment, of fourth- and fifth-generation platforms has exposed a rapidly widening rift between what the training machine can produce and the requirements of the front line. This, among other effects, has reduced the potential for downloading training from expensive to relatively cheaper aircraft. The US T-X programme

Innovative Solutions for Simulation, Training & Virtual Reality

Off-the-Shelf Software Solutions

Engineering Services

Immersive Projection & Display Systems

Partnering for Customer Success

34 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

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– the replacement of the T-38 as a lead-in to F-22 and F-35 – is one example of a recognition, albeit belated, of this training capability gap, but there are others. Due partly to the demise of the indigenous I-22 Iryda, pilots in the Polish Air Force are still training on the TS-11 Iskra, a contemporary of the T-38, although less advanced in design and lacking the upgrade programmes. The Polish Air Force front line includes MiG-29 and F-16C/D Block 52.

BAE Systems’ strategy for positioning itself as a training solutions integrator uses the systems and output-based approach, and embraces both solicited and unsolicited offers. The former is simpler, in that the customer identifies the requirement, normally in terms of aircraft and associated synthetic equipment, and may give guidance as to how he envisages that requirement being met. This, of course, does not preclude a bidder suggesting a wider scope which he believes will produce a more cost-effective solution. The latter involves some form of dialogue, in that the potential customer may not have identified a requirement, but industry sees a better way of achieving a similar, or potentially better, outcome. How much dialogue is required will depend on how much is known of the way the customer currently does business, and at what cost. The degree to which any particular customer is prepared to allow a partnership with industry will vary; it is unlikely that there will be many customers for an arrangement such as the UK’s Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) just yet, but the work already done in UK provides useful template on which to base any tailored solution.

An integrated training system solution could comprise a training needs analysis, course design, synthetic training equipment (STE) and courseware, provision of facilities, management and integration, and delivery of the output in partnership. Ian Reason sees effective and long-term partnership as the key to success, both between the customer and industry, and within the industry team. There is no requirement for the integrator to be the provider of all the elements; for instance, BAE Systems have in the past been manufacturers of flight simulators, but are now much happier to team with specialists in that field to produce the right result. As a prime contractor, they are looking to trade on the longevity, breadth and track record of their training systems background, which started with the supply of Strikemaster, Chipmunk and Lightning aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force in the 1960s, continued with the Al Yamamah programme (Tornado, Hawk and PC-9), and more recently the Al Salam provision of Typhoon. In between, there have been similar programmes in Australia, Singapore, Bahrain and India. Ian Reason is keen to emphasise that no two customers are the same in terms of their requirements or in the way they do business, and there may also be political and commercial constraints which shape a proposed solution. The successful bidder will be the one with the necessary expertise who can tailor the solution to suit the environment, and guarantee delivery of the required outcome at low cost.

Of course, the airframe is still important, since it represents the bulk of that cost, and it is this requirement which generally sparks the whole agenda; the provision of advanced jet training aircraft highlights many of the issues. The T-X programme is generally regarded as being the last really major opportunity for many years and, with an estimated requirement for 350-500 aircraft, is certainly big enough to fire the enthusiasm. It may be a reflection of the recent hiatus in this market that there are currently only 3 real contenders and none of them – despite Lockheed Martin’s assertions on the origins of the T-50 - are American. Given

that the eventual demise of the T-38 was hardly unexpected, this is surprising, although it serves to reduce the political wrangling which has blighted the KC-X tanker replacement programme. Since I last wrote, T-X has passed the Material Development Decision (MDD), by which the DoD is authorised seek a replacement system, and to conduct an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), although the Defence Acquisition Board has deferred a decision on the acquisition strategy. The door is still technically open to a new design, but it is likely that time constraints and budgetary pressure will make an off-theshelf purchase more viable.

Head to Head The 3 likely contenders – the KAI/Lockheed Martin T-50 Golden Eagle, Alenia Aermacchi M346 Master, and BAE Systems Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) – are interesting, in that they fall into different capability categories and are not, therefore, directly comparable. The Hawk is the latest generation of a tried and tested dynasty, incorporating stateof-the-art avionics to prepare student pilots for the most modern aircraft. It is single-engined, subsonic and has a con-

ventional control system. The M346 is relatively untried, is twin-engined, transonic, and with fly-by-wire flight controls. The T-50 is also fly-by-wire, has a single engine with afterburner, and is supersonic. Clearly, the T-50 is closest in performance terms to the F-22 and F-35, but with increased performance come increased through-life costs; indeed, the operating costs of the T-50 are estimated to be comparable with those of the F-16, and the expense of running the current F-16 lead-in programme to the F-22 is one factor which has precipitated this competition. The potential for downloading training is greater, but the

Above Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master.

Image credit: David Malley/Halldale Media.

expense of using this sophisticated platform for the initial stages of advanced flying training would be significant. The M346 could be seen as a compromise solution, but intrinsic costs associated with its twin-engined configuration will make it less competitive. The Hawk AJT, already entering service with the RAF, is supported by reliable empirical operating cost data, and would almost certainly be the cheapest to procure and

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MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 35

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run. Its strengths are at the lower end of the advanced training spectrum, but Ian Reason is confident that it can do everything required of T-X, and points to the decisions of the RAF and the Royal Australian Air Force to use Hawk to train for Typhoon and F-18F Hornet respectively, and in the future for F-35.

In terms of acquisition strategy, there are 2 likely alternatives: the USAF has already flown all 3 aircraft as part of the AoA (analysis of alternatives), and will report that solutions are available which will meet their requirement at an affordable cost. The DoD could proceed direct to a Request for Proposals (RFP), downselect to two systems, conduct a short competition and reach a decision. Alternatively, they could elect for a full evaluation phase, followed by a down-selection and fly-off. If a new build has been ruled out, cost and time considerations suggest that the former is the more likely.

The outcome is hard to predict. For the first time, the USAF is pursuing an end-to-end training system, rather than just an airframe, and this suits BAE Systems’ ambitions nicely. The two recent competitions involving the same three contenders – in the UAE and Singapore

- shed only limited light. In both cases, Hawk was eliminated early and the M346 ultimately emerged victorious. In Ian Reason’s opinion, the down-selection was made before cost issues had properly been addressed, and this view is supported by the fact that contract negotiations in UAE have subsequently stalled.

He is confident that cost will be a major driver at all stages of the US competition and that, provided it is judged able to satisfy the requirement, the Hawk’s proven track record positions it well. Political considerations are likely to require the selected aircraft to be manufactured in the US, and BAE Systems are quite happy with this, and – while seeking prime contractorship – are also content to team with a US manufacturing partner if required. Lockheed Martin is already tied in to T-50, leaving Boeing (with whom BAE Systems have already had a successful partnership in the T-45 Goshawk programme) and Northrop-Grumman.

More With Less Industry participation in ab-initio flying training, supported by aircraft availability contracts, is well-established. However, the continuing demand to do more with

less can lead to opportunities for industry to get involved in activities which have hitherto been exclusively run by the military, and BAE Systems have a particular ambition to become more active in post-graduate mission training. For most air forces, maintenance of operational capability is paramount; however, front line aircraft are expensive to run and to replace, and preservation of the fleet is also important. Whereas synthetic training in ab-initio training should be used to enhance the value of airborne training, rather than substitute for it, this does not necessarily hold true for mission training; indeed, some complex operational scenarios can only be created synthetically, for reasons of cost, security, aircraft availability or airspace. For example, when upgrading a Typhoon formation leader, do all 4 Typhoons have to be airborne, or could the aim be achieved with two or more in linked simulators? Does the AWACS have to be airborne, or could its input be emulated?

It matters not whether new and more cost-effective ways of doing business originate with the customer or with industry; the important thing is that trust and dialogue exist between the two. ms&t

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 37

Show Report

Left One of I2TE’s flagship products – the virtual mission board.

Image credit: The Boeing Company.

Innovation at AUSA 2010 Group Editor Marty Kauchak visited industry and government members during AUSA 2010 in Washington DC. He reports on his observations of the latest products and programs.

A

s MS&T gained insights on the latest S&T underpinnings in new and evolving training systems for Army ground and aviation forces at AUSA 2010, it was evident the industry and government team continues to respond to near-term training readiness shortfalls expressed by U.S. and NATO commanders in Afghanistan; however, at the same time, industryfunded programs are eyeing next-generation solutions for individual and unit training audiences.

Near-Term Focus Laser Shot debuted its Downrange Virtual Targetry System, part of the Cross Hair initiative, during an annual, international sniper competition at Fort Benning in October. “This is a live fire system capable of shooting virtual animated products. We can use either video or video game-based targets, or a hybrid of both technologies, which is what we showed at [Fort] Benning,” Chris Chambers, Laser Shot’s President, told MS&T. 38 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

The foundations of the system include a base technology from Laser Shot’s live training business portfolio – thermal cameras to detect the heat signature of a round as it passes through a screen. On that screen, a virtual world is projected. “We put life size characters on that screen and they are driven by artificial intelligence so they think, act and move like humans,” Chambers said.

This legacy technology is used inside the darkened environments of shoot houses and other military training infrastructure.

What’s different about the new system is that Laser Shot uses several high lumen projectors together, to allow the user to obtain a bright image in broad daylight. Chambers elaborated. “We put that image in a temporary enclosure to protect it from wind and rain, and other effects. We can put that on any range – in this case it was a sniper range. This gives them a whole new type of targetry that they have never had before – that “human” that actually moves, acts and thinks like a human in a scenario and is

life-sized and engaged at a real distance.

There are natural weather effects on the bullet and the sniper has to calculate those effects.”

Laser Shot combines the best of existing systems and current technology in this system. As a result the system boosts the fidelity of snipers’ training.

Today’s technology baseline for sniper training consists of physical, nonanimated targets that can “pop up” at different ranges, and slow-moving targets on rails and other devices.

The Laser Shot initiative also works within a technology constraint – the state of the art for visual displays and other supporting technology prevents snipers from virtually detecting and engaging targets at the upper limits of mission profiles. This system supports closer-in scenarios.

Chambers summarized his team’s progress. “We have a compact, virtual scenario that can be placed out at an actual physical distance. And instead of simulating wind effects, gravity, bullet spin and other factors, they have to actually calculate that and use their real rifle – as they shoot a fully animated, humanlike target.”.

Laser Shot’s development efforts for the system include increasing the size of the current 20 foot-wide system screen to a much wider 40 foot format.

Laser Shot will have a video of the Downrange Virtual Targetry System demonstration at its 2010 I/ITSEC booth.

Saab Training Systems continues to meet the vexing challenge of training to defeat key nodes in an IED network. Its latest effort to prepare ground warfighters to defeat the IED threat is through its recently fielded Dismounted Detection Training System (DDTS). The system may be integrated into the legacy Deployable Instrumented Training System and Combat Training Centers in service with ground forces around the world.

Micael Malmberg, a Regional Director for Training and Simulation at Saab, described one of the enabling subsystems, the Handheld Mine Detector Sensor. In this case, Saab took operational equipment and added a sensor module.

“The sensor ‘talks’ to the [wearer’s] vest as this is a wireless system. You can track the soldier from your system and you can see by the sweeps over the grounds doing the right stuff in the combat.”

This development is part of Saab’s broader strategy to provide a training concept for individual and unit C-IED training, explained Henrik Höjer, President Saab Training Systems. “This [C-IED mission] is very complicated. You must have IED jamming covering the troops, a screen around the units covering them from snipers and other support.” Saab’s training concept enables instructors to see how the unit performed, and whether individuals operated outside the “protective bubble” established by the system for a number of unit and individual tasks.

C-IED training will be a product focal point at Saab’s 2010 I/ITSEC booth.

A Caterpillar-led team is showing that simulators are not the exclusive domain of ground combat vehicles. Simformotion LLC, a licensee for Caterpillar Inc., unveiled the new Track Type Tractor Cat Simulator System at AUSA. The new system allows Army operators to practice and learn training exercises native to the Cat D8T bulldozer in the safety of a simulator. Scenarios are set in a heavy equipment environment and include controls familiarization, machine walkaround, steering and maneuvering, level and straight dozing, blade steering, slot dozing, ripping, backfilling, dozing over a highwall and a special open training mode.

The system features controls and pedals representative of the Cat D8T dozer, an adjustable seat, computer, component housing, and monitor stands to view the state-of-the-art simulation environments on large screens.

Melissa Moore, Director of Government Sales, told MS&T, “Using simulators as part of an end-to-end training program can provide immediate cost savings to the Army’s bottom line by reducing fuel costs and machine wear-and-tear; plus affords the ability to train multiple operators on multiple machines at one time.” She added, “Simulator training is the best way to protect personnel, machines and property from mishaps and unplanned costs caused by an untrained or undertrained operator.”

Simulator training is an important building block in the Army’s overall heavy equipment training program. The operator’s sessions on the Track Type Tractor simulator are measured and recorded by an exclusive records management program so instructors, administrators and the user can see the results.

Instructors can identify inefficiencies or weaknesses so the operator can focus on training to correct or strengthen the areas before training on actual Cat machines.

In addition to the Track Type Tractor, Cat Simulators Systems are available in models for the Hydraulic Excavator, Off-Highway and Mining Trucks, M-Series Motor Grader, Small and Large Wheel Loaders and Wheel Tractor-Scraper.

L3 Link Simulation and Training remains a vital industry member in the Army’s Flight School XXI program. Lenny Genna, Link’s new President, provided insights into his company’s support of the expanding program.

This September, Link was awarded contract modifications from prime contractor Computer Sciences Corporation to provide a third OH-58D operational flight trainer (OFT) and convert three existing UH-60A/L instrument flight trainers to full-motion OFTs. This effort will complement Link’s ongoing work to build three OFTs to support the introduction of the UH-60M into the service.

“About a year from now we’re also going to deliver a CH-47F OFT. That’s another big concurrency modification,” Genna said.

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Show Report

Genna also pointed out “Over the next year or so we anticipate trickling those changes into the RCTDs [Reconfigurable Collective Training Devices] for the collective aspect of it.” The RCTDs, which can be changed from one helicopter configuration to another within 30 minutes, simulate Army front-line rotary aircraft.

In an effort to maintain the highest level of concurrency in the training systems, Link maintains a close working relationship with the OEMs. “In the case of the UH-60, we have Sikorsky [the OEM] on our team. That’s a win-win situation for us and the Army. If we have data problems or other issues we can quickly resolve this.” This cooperation produces a high fidelity cockpit for the training audience – from the aft bulkhead forward, about 100 percent of the systems, including the night vision goggle subsystem, are compatible with an actual model.

In the Far Term A Raytheon-led team continues to refine its Virtual Reality Tactical Training Simulation (VIRTSIM) project. The open architecture product is designed to fully immerse squad members in a visually accurate, 3-D, 360-degree environment to complete individual and unit training tasks, and mission rehearsal events.

MS&T viewed the latest version of VIRTSIM during the conference.

VIRTSIM allows the training audience to complete missions in a full volume (up to 5,000 square feet) training environment without the wires and tethers of some contemporary systems. Thomas McLaughlin, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Motion Reality Inc., a VIRTSIM industry team member, noted the entire system may be operated using existing DoD facilities. “Our 3-D cameras are mounted there and calibrated so you can bring this into an empty gym, mess hall or other building so you don’t have to build infrastructure – screens, walls, and the like.”

The Raytheon team is adding a series of other cutting edge technologies into the program, including “the world’s first dynamic, 3-D stereo sound that knows where you are in the world and it actually calculates the sound and calculates as if you were in the 3-D world,” McLaughlin said. Some of the fidelity this technology imparts to the trainee includes 3-D avatars speaking louder as you approach them, and making the trainee aware of 40 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

Laser Shot debuted its Downrange Virtual Targetry System during an annual sniper competition at Fort Benning in October.

Image credit: Laser Shot.

where a mortar round has impacted relative to his position.

One of the more intriguing VIRTSIM effects is the muscle stimulation technology built into the system’s man-wearable devices. The strategy provides “consequences” for actions on the battlefield.

“If you get shot in this part of the body, you get this muscle contraction that literally is not delightful, it’s not going to hurt you, but is the closest thing to a real shot,” McLaughlin explained.

At the request of its FBI customer for this product, real-time voice recognition was added to the program, providing a foundation for language training and other service requirements.

MS&T viewed scenarios in urban, desert and other venues built on scalable, force-on-force missions followed by a rather robust after action review session.

Scenarios can be scripted for mounted and dismounted missions.

Raytheon is demonstrating the system to the U.S. services and international customers.

Another forward-looking effort has Boeing developing the Integrated Immersive Training Environment (I2TE) to train ground warfighters for full spectrum operations. MS&T also viewed the latest iteration of this system.

David Irwin, Director of Ground Forces Training at Boeing Training Systems and Services, pointed out his company has invested its R&D funds to create an immersive ground training environment for dismounted soldiers and Marines. “This is on a par with what we have in aviation. This is one of the things that General [James] Mattis, former U.S.

JFCOM Commander, and now the Commander at U.S. Central Command [and other senior service leaders] said they want and have wanted for some time.”

One of I2TE’s flagship products is the virtual mission board, a touch-andview, 3-D model of the training area which may be used for mission planning and rehearsal, exercise control and after action reviews. During the I2TE presentation, MS&T was able to draw on and have other interactions with the digital, 3-D, holographic map, which replicates a technology used by U.S. operational staffs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Another feature which caught our attention was the incorporation of realistic UAS operations into scenarios. Boeing expects to further enhance this and other I2TE capabilities.

Boeing has also integrated a full range of training media into I2TE and demonstrated the system with Virtual Battlespace 2 (VBS2).

I2TE was formally put through its paces for the Army in September. The Boeing-led industry and academic team will showcase the product at the 2010 I/ ITSEC. The next formal product demonstration for the Army is scheduled at Fort Sill in January 2011.

Under the service’s evolving Learning Concept strategy the U.S. Army is expanding its use of technology to teach and reinforce leadership skills in its leaders and soldiers. Lt. Gen. John Sterling, TRADOC’s Deputy Commander, said at a meeting attended by MS&T that his service is moving beyond the current strategy of teaching these skills in a traditional, school house classroom environment. “That kind of time is not available to us for all of the leaders we need to train. What we’re really looking to do is capitalize on some of the technology to be able to impart the skills with knowledge that all of our leaders must have, and do it in a way that requires we use critical thinking skills that will bring the adaptability to the battlefield that we know we will need.”

Sterling noted the technologies on display at the TRADOC booth, including a mobile CaveAutomatic Virtual Environment modeled after the legacy device at the Joint Training Counter-IED Operations Integration Center, were the type of systems needed to empower the service’s schools, instructors and commanders to support the Army Learning Concept. ms&t

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Left FlightSafety International has already completed some training for the RQ-11 Raven B operators for the US Marine Corps.

Image credit: USMC/James F. Cline III.

A Critical Factor High accident rates and operator error will influence the growth of UAVs. Chris Long writes about FlightSafety’s proposal to address the issue through selection and training.

W

ithout a doubt the future for UAVs will embrace increasing numbers and roles at an almost exponential rate; however, at least two critical factors come into play in influencing the effectiveness of the platforms and consequently the rate of that growth. One is the high historical accident rate (up to 25%) of UAVs, mostly in the smaller and less sophisticated vehicles, and the concerns over access to and operation in national airspace. Both of these can and will be resolved; one route to addressing the former is that proposed by FlightSafety International.

The spur to practical development of UAVs has been the huge military demand for these platforms and the majority of the lessons in operation and training come from that source. Initially, it was often the case that the operator baseline prerequisite was military pilot qualification. It was quickly recognised that that was a high-dollar solution, and it might well be feasible to train others who did not meet the full profile of a current or ex-military pilot to operate the UAVs effectively. Not only would this 42 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

open the field to a greater pool of potential operators, but the training would not need to be as protracted and expensive.

As experience in operating has built up this premise has largely been proven, but the accident rate has been higher than expected and consequently has forced a re-think on how best to undertake the training and thus reduce the loss rate. The keys are pilot selection, and real flight training as a prerequisite to UAV type training.

Pilot Selection Given that there is a very significant cost in training a competent operator, there is constant effort to perfect a selection process which can accurately predict successful training outcomes for recruits. The eventual role of the UAV pilots does not demand the same medical requirements as for a military combat pilot; for instance, uncorrected vision is not essential, and neither is there a limiting weight or physical size which could apply. Because there is no civil licence at the end of the training the candidate does not need the full medical requirements essential for a

commercial pilot. In the US Navy there is no requirement for a UAV operator to be of officer rank – indeed some SEALS have long been qualified on UAVs. This means, of course, that the pool from which UAV operators can be recruited within the military is very much bigger increasing the odds on finding enough good candidates.

FlightSafety’s UAV/Pilot Training Program will be tailored to specific customers’ needs, such as an initial 5 day potential operator selection process. This may comprise psychometric exams, a written flight aptitude exam, and an inhouse spatial orientation assessment; however, the underlying selection philosophy is to assess candidates’ potential by creating stressful situations and evaluating the candidate’s reaction and behaviour in those situations.

On each day of the process there will be simulator sessions to induce that stress and to require the absorption of a large amount of knowledge. It is now a matter of record that those candidates who have mastered some flight simulator games, specifically Microsoft Flight Simulator, do show encouraging scores on mental capacity, a critical requirement, but these skills do not preordain proper reaction to stress. Instructors will then make a subjective analysis of the candidates’ reaction to stress and the rate of assimilation of new information.

The key, of course, is that these subjective analyses must be as accurate of possible, and this in turn means that the instructors must themselves be of high quality. Many FlightSafety instructors are ex-airline or military with long careers and significant flight experience.

Flight Training Some earlier forms of UAV training tried to reduce actual flight training to absolute minimums, sometimes as little as 35 hours. Analysis of accidents which have occurred during UAV operation has identified that the vast majority are in the landing phase, and this has been attributed to the lack of “feel” of the aircraft when close to the ground –

something a full-time pilot learns through experience. Individuals who are highly competent as players of a computer game need to understand the effect of control inputs on a real aircraft.

The effect that low airspeed has on the handling qualities of an actual aircraft needs to be understood, and the importance of peripheral vision cues, particularly during the landing phase, also need to be experienced. FlightSafety suggests that the UAV pilot should have at least 135-175 hours of real flying experience in order to acquire a thorough appreciation of these issues, and so have built a notional 150 hours into their course.

Because there is no licence issued at the end of the training there is no regulatory requirement for minimum training, and FlightSafety is keen to stress that the program can be adapted to specific customer requirements, particularly in so far as the number of hours required is concerned. Indeed some customers are stipulating an increased number of flight hours. The basic plan is for the flight training to be carried out at FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, where the favourable weather factor allows the training to be completed in approximately 35 weeks.

The theoretical part of the course embraces about three quarters of the content of a Commercial Pilot Licence. The actual split of hours between single and twin engine types is not critical, and the aircraft used are Piper Cadets, Arrows and Seminoles, supported by Flight Training Devices. (FTDs) In addition there are 2 Zlin 242 aircraft which are used for upset recovery training.

Given the straight wing design of the majority of current UAVs, FlightSafety is quick to point out their advantage in having available numerous Full Flight Simulators for the certain aircraft, which share those straight wing characteristics. Consequently the advanced flight training can be carried out at a variety of existing company training facilities and in particular those based outside the US.

professional instructors. Given that the prime user of UAVs is the military, the company can point to its impressive record and current activity in military training, most of which is carried out in support of the forces of the US. This training embraces a wide range of disciplines from ab initio training for the US Army in both rotary and fixed wing arenas, the Joint Primary Aircraft Training Systems (JPATS) package which delivers joint training and aircraft procurement programme of the US Air Force and US Navy, through to C-17, C5, KC 135, KC 10 and MV-22/ CV-22 for the US Marine Corps and US Air Force. The logical step into training of UAV/UAS operators was soundly based on these proven programmes.

FlightSafety has already completed some training for the RQ-11 Raven B and Wasp UAV operators for the US Marine Corps. This experience, when coupled with the rest of the training expertise within the company, enables the company to create a comprehensive suite of ab-initio training for UAV/UAS operators. This covers all aspects of pilot selection, flight training and advanced training and produces a pilot ready for operational employment. ms&t

EXPECT THE BEST

New Frontiers Obviously this training philosophy is equally effective for both military and civilian operators. There is no doubt, too, that as the use of UAVs becomes even more commonplace in both the military and in civilian applications, training specific to those operators needs the same care and attention as is given to conventional pilots. The accident rate must be reduced, and this, together with provable competencies of those operators, will help to smooth the way to convincing the national aviation authorities to give clearance for the safe operation of UAVs in shared airspace. It is not a question of whether this will happen, but rather how and when this can be achieved for this growth industry.

The large majority of the FlightSafety UAV training has so far been taking place within the US. The company plans to expand further in the US and is now using Farnborough as a base to expand the programme into the UK and Europe.

Having built their programme based on direct experience of UAV training, and with an existing European training infrastructure, FlightSafety believe that their training programme can be adopted in a straightforward manner by European nations.

This new training package can be delivered much closer to the European and other non-US customers, particularly those from the the Gulf.

FlightSafety International is well established as a supplier of both civil and military aviation training with a global reach which delivers training in over 40 locations, and with over 1400

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MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 43

Training Technology

The pilots were given a tour of the NASTAR Center as well as equipment introductions, including the ATFS-400 Phoenix.

Image credit: ETC.

G-vector Enhanced Scenarios Physiological effects increase the fidelity of Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s flight systems, reports Group Editor Marty Kauchak.

M

ilitary aviators from the U.S. and more than eight other nations experienced a new dimension in flight training at Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s October 2010-hosted Orange Flag event.

The mid-career and senior airmen assigned to their nations’ operational forces and staffs participated in rigorous individual and multi-aircraft virtual scenarios which increased in complexity through the event, starting with air-toair refueling and vector-to-bogies, and advancing through formation tactics and other missions during their three days at the company’s Southhampton, Pennsylvania-based NASTAR facility.

ETC supported the ground based training by networking two of its systems, the ATFS-400 Phoenix, with a tactical fighter cockpit configured as a notional F-15, and the Gyroflight IPT II, a multiaxis flight simulator and spatial disorientation trainer, configured as an SU-30.

44 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

The ATFS-400 Phoenix is the crown jewel of the company’s technology offerings. The system provides the pilot with a realistic feel of a specific tactical aircraft and the same sustained “G” forces experienced during actual air combat maneuvering. During one scenario witnessed

by MS&T, the pilot approached 9 Gs, the normal operational training parameter for Phoenix missions.

Greg Kennedy, NASTAR’s Director of Educational Services, explained how ETC improved the ATFS-400 over similar, earlier devices so physiological effects can be more effectively inserted for research or training purposes. “With this machine we are able to orient the pilot so that your inner ear is in the axis of rotation, plus the length of the machine’s arm – all of those factors contribute to minimize and virtually eliminate the coriolise effect so you can focus just on flying the airplane.”

He continued, “What we have done is really combine a high fidelity flight simu-

lator with a centrifuge, and because it’s motorized and controlled, we get those G vectors in as needed.”

One pilot assigned to an acquisition billet within his service reported that his Orange Flag Phoenix mission left him “exhausted and lightly sweating.” A second exercise participant, a member of an overseas military’s operational squadron, said the training experience was superior when compared to a scenario in a traditional fixed base motion system or parttask trainer.

Aside from the physiological factors the ATFS-400 imparts to the aviator, the device also presents a high fidelity rendering of an actual cockpit. Kennedy pointed out the Phoenix’s F-15 cockpit replicates about 95 percent of the system in the supported aircraft.

Other cockpits manufactured for the ATFS-400 system portray the F/A-18 for the U. S. Navy and unspecified models for other customers.

Dave Strakovski, an ETC software engineer, noted some recent and planned hardware and software upgrades to the ATFS-400 Phoenix system include enhanced visuals, an improved audio system, and upgraded performance of the throttle, rudder and other subcomponents.

One ATFS-400 is in service with the Malaysian military with other systems being built for South Korea and the U.S. Air Force. The services are eyeing the system primarily for flight research with the knowledge it can be used for training and mission rehearsal purposes.

Other ETC devices on display at the NASTAR center during Orange Flag included the Falcon Altitude Chamber, an ejection seat simulator system and the Gyrolab GL-2000 multi-axis and upset recovery trainer.

Donna Averell, ETC corporate marketing manager, pointed out the company’s expanding product portfolio includes the introduction of the GL-6000, a motion-based simulation offering 6 degrees-of-freedom with up to 6G capability. The system is being built for the U.S. DoD and will enable research to support aviators assigned to F-35 family aircraft. ms&t

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For over 35 years the Society for Applied Learning Technology® (SALT®) has sponsored conferences which are educational in nature and cover a wide range of application areas such as e-Learning, web-based training, mobile learning, interactive multimedia in education and training, learning management systems (LMS), instructional systems design (ISD), and performance support systems. These conferences provide attendees with an opportunity to become familiar with the latest technical information on applications, technologies, and on methodologies for implementation. In addition, the conference provides a venue for interaction with other professionals in the field.

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Show Report

2010 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition Group editor Marty Kauchak reports on some of the S&T headlines, particularly the T-X replacement and UAS training challenges.

C

hange was on the mind of General Stephen Lorenz, commander, Air Education and Training Command (AETC), when he began his command overview by formally introducing Lt. Gen. Edward A. Rice, Jr. as his replacement. A change of command date has not been determined.

Lorenz then updated the conference attendees on AETC efforts, including the evolving T-X [flight trainer] analysis of alternatives process and UAS training program.

The average age of the T-38 fleet is 43.5 years old. The service is conducting an analysis of alternatives (AoA) study to provide a T-X replacement for the legacy fleet. The Air Force team conducting visits to prospective T-X suppliers has the goal of providing procurement options to the Air Force chief of staff in the spring 2011. “Whatever we buy has to be economically viable,” Lorenz cautioned 46 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

those in attendance. “And this also has to bridge the gaps between fourth and fifth generation aircraft.”

The command’s unmanned air system training portfolio is also evolving.

In an effort to keep pace with the service’s insatiable appetite for UASs, AETC established fundamental pilot and sensor operator courses in 2009. Initial graduates from the courses are operating MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers in global missions.

Technology is being eyed to further increase the fidelity and rigor of Air Force UAS training. In one application, the PRIME (Predator/Reaper Integrated Mission Environment) desktop simulator will allow aspiring operators to learn the fundamentals of the system on inexpensive PCs. “Within six months we’re going to have a disc, which we call PRIME, and we’re going to hand it out to all ROTC, OTS, Civil Air Patrol and Junior ROTC so they can actually play with this desk top

Above L-3 Link’s systems represent a quantum leap forward in the state of the art for UAS training.

Image credit: L-3 Link Simulation & Training.

simulator at home, and learn to fly and operate a Predator,” Lorenz said.

Conference Floor Insights Alenia North America is offering its T-100, a derivation of the M-346, and other components of the integrated ground system, as a candidate for the T-X program. “We think it’s viable for a great many reasons,” John Young, Jr., CEO, Alenia North America, told MS&T. In relation to the international market place, the M-346 has been selected as a trainer by Singapore and the UAE. Given its heritage and the recent startup of production, Young pointed out the T-100 “is a very mature platform, yet it

is brand new.” He also noted the technology is new. “It’s an alldigital platform, fly-by-wire, care-free handling. It’s easy to fly.”

One of the biggest benefits of the T-100 is that “it’s an incredibly safe airplane,” Young said. The aircraft offers multiple redundant systems, low-wing loading, a configuration that allows the back-seat instructor to see the same flight envelope as viewed by the student pilot, two heads-up display units, an embedded tactical training system which allows the student pilot to train as though he was in a fighter airplane doing airto-air and air-to-ground mission, and other capabilities. “There are many safety features on the plane, so it’s not only a high performance aircraft but it’s, we believe, the safest training airplane on the market.”

A partial list of other T-100 performance characteristics include its ability to conduct high angle of attack up to 35 degrees, operate at supersonic speeds, and maintain up to 9 Gs in sustained flight. “This allows the student pilot to get very close to training as through he was flying in a fourth and fifth generation aircraft,” Young concluded.

The BAE Systems’ Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer and integrated training system are also being offered to the Air Force’s T-X AoA team.

At the top of the BAE Systems team’s list of the Hawk AJT’s noteworthy attributes are cost, low-risk and performance. “What we provide is a training system that delivers trained pilots to a higher standard at a lower cost. We’re focused on a systems approach to training. It’s not just about the aircraft, it’s about the aircraft being part of the training system,” Sam Cole, BAE Systems vice president, Strategic Initiatives, told MS&T. To that end, the Hawk AJT is the culmination of more than 30 years of program growth and service to 18 customers around the world. The program is approaching 3 million flying hours, providing significant legacy knowledge and experience. These milestones translate into “the element of low cost, since there is no development. We have also optimized that solution to drive costs down – to have a very efficient platform that burns a lot less fuel than our competitors and provides an optimum balance between the live and synthetic [training environments] so every hour you spend in the aircraft is a quality training hour,” Cole said.

Embedded training is a significant foundation of the AJT training system. The strategy allows for the aspiring pilot to be given increasing responsibility in terms of the weapons suite he is learning to fly and fight, and for mastering other on board tasks in the training continuum. “You have a synthetic, fully integrated avionics weapons system that from the pilot’s perspective is very real,” Cole added.

The Hawk AJT training strategy has evolved to optimize the efficiencies of ground-based training systems, to allow the student pilot the opportunity to learn and rehearse every mission, and manage systems, prior to his actual indoctrination flight.

This will be important when learning to fly and then operate complex fourth and fifth generation aircraft. “The mission of the future is about managing systems, all the data that is coming at you. You don’t want to experience that for the first time up in the cockpit – in particular when you are in an F-22 or F-35 and there is no one with you,” Cole emphasized.

This August, L-3 Link Simulation & Training announced the delivery of six additional Predator Mission Aircrew Training Systems (PMATS) and associated support – four PMATS units to Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., in addition to one unit each

to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and the Syracuse Air National Guard at Hancock Field, N.Y. The systems support high-fidelity modeling of the Predator and Reaper UASs. L-3 Link’s systems represent a quantum leap forward in the state of the art for UAS training. “The improvement in the fidelity of the databases, combined with some of our visual systems and visual capabilities for higher fidelity, and further combined with the Physics-Based Entity Generator (PBEG) are enabling us to provide more realistic training scenarios,” Bob Ellithorpe, senior vice president of strategic development at L-3 Link, explained.

One PMATS enabler, the PBEG, had its genesis in the serious gaming world. L-3 Link is optimizing the benefits of this COTS product. With earlier technologies, an entity created in a data base had to be programmed by the training system operator and could take a certain number of hours. “With PBEG, all those entities behave in the simulated world as they do in the real world, based upon the rule of physics,” Ellithorpe said, and added, “The operator can take his instructor-operator station and add 50 or more people, cars or other entities to a scenario in one click.”

These integrated capabilities allow the training audience to create more realistic scenarios at a faster rate and at reduced cost.

The technologies which L-3 Link delivers is also helping to move UAS training into the realm of mission rehearsal – with applicability on desk top trainers, actual ground control stations and other systems.

Ellithorpe also pointed out L-3 Link’s integrated capabilities in terms of visual systems, enhanced data bases and PBEG are applicable across UAS platforms and added, “We have training capabilities that are platform agnostic.” ms&t

tmg_4665_1/4_pg_ad_final.indd 1

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 47 11/1/10 5:40 PM

Conference Report

Image credit: Walter F. Ullrich.

NMSG 2010 Bringing together live, virtual and constructive simulation in NATO. Walter F. Ullrich reports.

T

he 2010 symposium of the NATO Modelling & Simulation Group (NMSG), held in Utrecht/Soesterberg in the Netherlands on 16 and 17 September, dealt with “Blending Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) Simulation to Better Support Training & Experimentation”.

The subject was interesting enough to attract some 100 experts from 22 different nations, including 31 observers.

The USA posted the largest contingent of foreign conference participants with 25 delegates - even more than the host nation. The large attendance and the presence of many top experts underlined the excellent reputation of the event that is prepared and organised by the Modelling and Simulation Coordination Office (MSCO) in Paris. Like all the other NATO MSG symposia, it is open to NATO, Partnership for Peace (PfP), Mediterranean Dialogue and Contact Countries, which explains why visitors from Australia and Belarus also attended.

The new types of operations NATO forces are conducting in non-conventional battlespaces drive a new set of training requirements for the Alliance, with the aim to ensure that all personnel receive the right education and training required for success. Modelling and simulation is identified as the best 48 MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

cost-effective means of fulfilling these emerging requirements. “The three classical domains of M&S – live, virtual and constructive – can be blended together in the right proportions to support identified current needs, and consequently to provide support for training today; and they can also help anticipate the future by supporting experimentation,” concluded the Conference Chairman, Cdr. ESP NAVY Dr Juan Ruiz, Head of the NATO Modelling and Simulation Coordination Office (MSCO) in Paris.

The host nation keynote speaker, Brigadier General T.W.B. Vleugels, Commander of the Dutch Army Training Command, focussed on simulators for training purposes. He predicted that following the end of the Afghanistan mission the training perspective will broaden and more educational content will be introduced.

He sees the need to move towards more virtual training, and that there are in fact technical solutions for practically everything – but costs, benefits and training needs must be kept in mind.

In a remarkable keynote Dr James Blake, Program Executive Officer, U.S. Army, Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, USA, elaborated on the U.S. Army’s shift from live training to virtual. “Simulation is mature to such an extent that

we can actually use training environments to offset the live environment. This move is necessary because live training is extremely expensive and manoeuvre space is rare”. For the future, Dr Blake expects even more full-spectrum applications using M&S. The real goal, however, is to create a capability rather than just another test or training application. Dr Blake also recognised the need to apply this to coalition activities and suggested potential options such as foreign military sales as a contributing method for standardising architectures for interoperability.

Professor Agostino Bruzzone from the University of Genoa was invited to speak about the use of advanced intelligent agents (IA) in interoperable simulation to support training and experimentation in stability & reconstruction (S&R) operations. He provided examples in which IA have been used to support the modelling of human populations, simulating civilian and organisational behaviours, including beliefs and positions, social aspects, and in which IA can represent factors such as fear, stress and fatigue.

In the 21 selected presentations, an increasing demand for integrated LVC simulation that is applicable across all domains and users was noted, rather than a need for specific training applications. Standardisation will be necessary from the start, as will be the usability of existing elements and reusability – which is almost a matter of course.

There is a growing need for more complex simulations to model more human interaction and political or economic infrastructures. Technologies such as IA and data farming offer potential steps forward. The modelling of human characteristics and attributes is an essential component in the LVC mix. One main outcome of the symposium was that the biggest challenges to LVC integration are beyond the technical issues. Greater efforts in the fields of organisation, human behaviour, context and a common understanding of intent and syntax are what are actually needed.

Like many previous NMSG conferences, attendees got a lot of answers and heard about promising approaches. And, as usual, some questions remained unanswered. But that is typical for events such as this: they always stimulate new discussion and more research. The next symposium will be held October 13-14, 2011 in Berne, Switzerland. ms&t

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world news & analysis

Seen&Heard Edited by Chuck Weirauch.

For daily breaking S&T news - go to www.halldale.com.

Pilot Training F-16 Pilot Training for Singapore – The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified the US Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Singapore for a threeyear pilot training program at the Tucson Air National Guard Base in Arizona. The estimated cost is $150 million.

The Government of Singapore requested a possible sale of defined order training that specifies the number and type of pilot training slots with an option to extend at the same base. The training includes F-16 Basic, Transition, Conversion/International Advanced Weapons, Instructor Pilot Upgrade courses and related program requirements necessary to sustain a long-term CONUS training program.

Flight Simulation New Airbus Military Training Centre – The new Airbus Military Training Centre has opened in Seville, Spain, with space for six full flight simulators and a range of other computer-based training devices.

It will house Airbus Military's training provision for the A400M new-generation airlifter and its family of light and medium aircraft and military derivatives of commercial models. The new centre is expected to train around 1,000 students per year.

Two full flight simulators – one for the C295 and one for the CN235 – are already installed. An A400M simulator will be installed prior to the planned entry into service of the aircraft in 2012.

CAE Wins C$85 Million Military Contracts - CAE has been awarded a series of military contracts valued at more than C$85 million. Havelsan, Turkey’s leading simulation and training company, has selected CAE to deliver more than 190 CAE Medallion-6000 image generators for a range of Turkish Air Force flight simulators. In addition, Havelsan and

the Turkish Air Force have adopted the CAE-developed Common Database (CDB) architecture to significantly enhance the ability to correlate and rapidly update databases to support training and mission rehearsal requirements.

CAE USA was awarded a contract for a second year of a five-year training services contract with the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD). CAE provides simulator operation and maintenance as well as simulator and classroom pilot instruction for the US Navy and US Marine Corps at three locations in Japan.

Cobham Aviation Services has awarded CAE a contract to provide airborne tactical mission training solutions for the UK military. Cobham is responsible for the modification and maintenance of four Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft which will provide flying hours for the Rear Crew Stage 1 training service as part of the UK’s Military Flying Training System (MFTS) programme. CAE will provide airborne tactical mission trainers to be used in the King Air 350ER aircraft for training Royal Navy observers. This involves configuring the ground-based

Above The USAFA has placed an order for four Frasca instrument flight trainers (IFTs).

Image credit: Frasca International.

tactical mission trainer being developed

by CAE under a separate contract to Lockheed Martin for use in an airborne environment.

USAFA Adds Four Frasca IFTs – The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado, has placed an order for four Frasca instrument flight trainers (IFTs). The four new devices will join the eight existing Frasca IFTs which were delivered in 2002 and will be used to support cadet aviation programs at the Academy.

The IFTs will be networked together in groups of four, and will incorporate mission simulation to allow training in certain combat situations. Full instrumentation and controls are provided for two pilots in a side by side seating configuration. The primary flight and navigation instruments and engine instrument displays will be modelled after those in the front cockpit of the Raytheon T-6A. MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

53

world news & analysis

Air Combat Training US Air Force Implements New Training Model – U.S. Air Force officials are working on a new vision and governance structure for modeling and simulation (M&S) that will improve cross-communication between M&S users. The goal is to enhance the framework in which users "work together, share information, and create credible and reusable live and virtual representations of the battlespace," according to Brig. Gen. William Bender, the director of Warfighter Systems Integration. The planned revision to Air Force Policy Directive 16-10 is still in the works, but officials say the changes will help commanders assess the complexities of a changing battle space and adapt to new complexities.

Cubic Air Combat Training Equipment – Cubic Defense Applications, the defense systems business of Cubic Corporation, received more than $16 million in new orders this year for air combat training systems and spares. With these new bookings, Cubic received more than $300 million under a 10-year contract for the P5 Combat Training System/Tactical Combat Training System (P5CTS/TCTS).

F-16 Experimental Deployable Tactics Trainer – Scalable Display

will provide twenty-one highly-skilled instructors, simulator operators and training program support personnel to staff the Maritime Helicopter Training Center located at the Canadian Forces Base in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. Atlantis has previously been working with Sikorsky to develop the training materials for aircrew and maintenance staff in support of the CH148 Cyclone helicopter program for the Canadian government.

Eurocopter Expands Aviation Training Academy – Eurocopter has inaugurated a new building complex at its Aviation Training Academy in the Marbachhöhe Technology Park near Kassel, Germany. Several million euros have been invested in the construction project. The expansion of the facilities for practical aviation training and for training units of the German armed forces also offers room for a segment of an Airbus A310 airframe, and EC135, three BO105s and several aircraft parts.

C130J Devices – Under subcontract to Lockheed Martin, CAE will perform a range of upgrades on C-130J training devices used by the Royal Air Force at RAF Lyneham and perform upgrades on a fixed-based C-130J flight training device.

CAE will upgrade the host computer

Technologies together with Immersive Display Solutions, Inc. and MetaVR, Inc. have announced that the Air Force Research Laboratory, Warfighter Readiness Research Division in Mesa, AZ, (AFRL/Mesa) recently updated its F-16 Experimental Deployable Tactics Trainer (X-DTT) simulators to use Immersive Display Solutions' visual display systems, including portable domes, MetaVR visuals, and Scalable Display's EasyBlend FX calibration software.

Each simulator has six MetaVR virtual reality scene generator (VRSG) projected views on an IDSI-supplied fiberglass 3.0-meter (diameter) transportable dome, providing 220-degree horizontal field-of-view x 90-degree (+60/-30) FOV. projectiondesign FL32 WUXGA projectors, equipped with wide-angle lenses, deliver 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution each.

Helicopter Training Atlantis Systems - Sikorsky Training Agreement – Atlantis Systems Eduplus (ASE) of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has signed a contract agreement with Sikorsky Aerospace Services as part of the Canadian Forces CH148 Cyclone Maritime Helicopter Project. Under the terms of this expanded contract, Atlantis

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systems, digital communications systems, aural cue, and instructor operator stations on two C-130J full-mission simulators.

Ground Combat Training Javelin Training Simulator – KVH Industries, Inc., won a $1.1 million contract award for its high-performance fiber optic gyros (FOGs) for use in the Javelin Basic Skills Trainer (BST) produced by a leading U.S. defense contractor. The BST is used by the U.S. Army to train soldiers to operate the Javelin anti-tank missile system. KVH's FOGs measure the shoulder-fired BST's movement, and allow the system's computer to synchronize that movement with the digital imagery scenario being shown on the simulator's viewfinder.

The Javelin BST operator holds the trainer while viewing digitized images and scenarios through a color LCD display embedded in the simulator's viewfinder.

MILES for Italian Army – Cubic Corporation and Vitrociset S.p.A., a defense, space and electronics company in Rome, won a five-year contract by the Italian Ministry of Defense for combat training.

The program will give the Italian Army an advanced instrumented combat training center with live and constructive simulation capabilities at five different sites and urban warfare training instrumentation.

The program is expected to generate more than $50 million in revenues over the contract performance period.

Cubic and Vitrociset will provide and integrate fully instrumented man-worn and vehicle Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) kits to enhance the training of Italian forces in realistic operational settings. It includes urban training, specialized weapons effects, and a constructive simulation element to refine leader command, control, and operational decision making.

ExpeditionDI for JFCOM FITE – Quantum3D, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary CG2, Inc.’s ExpeditionDI® infantry training platform met or exceeded the goals of the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) Future Immersive Training Environment (FITE) Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration (JCTD) for next-generation infantry combat training. ExpeditionDI is the industry’s first self-contained, wearable and fully-immersive close combat infantry simulator training platform.

SDS TRACOC Contract – SDS Inter-

national (SDS), as a Member of Team TechWise, won a multiyear ID/IQ contract to provide the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) with long-range Training Concepts, Strategies, Doctrine, Training Development and Support Products for the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence in Fort Sill (USAFCOEFS), Oklahoma. Work on the contract will include development of Training Methodologies and Products, Concepts, Doctrine, Organizational and Materiel Requirements for each Functional Area and developing Fires Training Strategies, Concepts and Products for current and future forces.

EFV Contract – The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command awarded the five-year, $36 million Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) Training Systems (TS) contract to the team led by Carley Corporation.

The team will produce a training system for Marine Corps EFV accession training, training fleet and reserve forces that will include a full-motion simulator to be installed at the Marine Amphibious Assault School, two Marine Expeditionary Forces Training Systems, and a mobile Marine Forces Reserve Training System. Products also include interactive courseware for operators and maintainers as well as a fully integrated Learning Management System (LMS).

Small Arms Training CARTS Contract – Laser Shot Inc. won a prime contract on the $400 million Lot IV of the Common Army Range & Target Systems (CARTS) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.

As a part of this award, Laser Shot will provide non permanent live fire training facilities including modular and mobile ranges, as well as fabrication of other non-permanent training mockups and facilities which may incorporate Laser Shot’s patented Thermal Shot devices to enable real time live fire hit detection on animated virtual targets.

VirTra Firearm Simulator for US Army – The U.S. Army purchased a VirTra 300 MIL simulator with an elevated deck and HD sound effects for complete auditory immersion. The fully immersive, five-screen simulator is equipped with recoil kits, return fire simulation (ThreatFireTM II) devices, multiple tetherless firearm recoil kits, a full Taser package, firearm refill and recharge stations, M16 rifle kits with Smart Magazines as well as recoil kits for M-9 Berettas, M-16's, M-4's

SIMULATION IS THE REPLICATION OF REALITY

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MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010 FINAL Monday 10am v3.indd 1

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02/11/2010 12:24

world news & analysis

Live Training Systems Interoperability Demonstrated On 15 September 2010, an important intermediate step towards interoperability in live training was achieved.

On that day the UCATT TG provided evidence to the members of the NATO MSG and other guests that interoperability between different systems is technically possible. Soldiers from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland brought their small arms to Marnehuizen, the instrumented training site of the Dutch Army, and as part of a joint exercise demonstrated weapon effects across different technologies and between systems from different providers. The demonstration included a combat vehicle, anti-tank weapons, indoor and outdoor tracking, shootthrough walls, exercise conduct and evaluation.

While the message itself was exciting, the actual presentation came across as rather unspectacular – more of a sort of acceptance test than a field exercise. Everyone shot at everyone.

Weapon effects were registered by the person fired at, while the participating companies' EXCONs monitored the engagements, determined the results and updated the objects' status accordingly. The original status was then restored and the candidate waited for the next round in the script.

This was successfully demonstrated for all players, regardless of whether they were the subject of a line-of-sight engagement or a non-line-of-sight engagement. The spectators were able to track that either indoors from one of the various exercise control stations or outside in the field. But wherever they were, they only got a brief snapshot of the overall picture. From that point of view it is no wonder that some of the experts attending the demonstration simply could not believe what they had learned; interoperability of training in urban terrain between different systems and manufacturers, and across different technologies or software and hardware releases, and between different nations is possible!

The participating system providers – Cubic, NSC, RDE, RUAG, SAAB and Tenetec – put a great deal of effort into conducting this technical interoperability demonstration. The costs 56

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

of preparing and conducting the event totalled approximately 1 million euros.

It is only amazing at first glance those fierce competitors are now acting in concert. It was the pressure from user nations that finally brought the companies round the table, users who had just had enough of seemingly unbridgeable interfaces. UCATT’s concept of interoperability – not excluding existing technologies a priori but rather trying to define interoperability among any set of systems – made it easier for industry to take the decision to join in.

The vision of an unclassified, interoperable, multi-national, industryindependent urban training technology architecture where armies from different countries can train together is not only attractive for the military. Without obstacles set by proprietary hardware and interfaces, industry can compete on a much larger scale. And more competition has never been a drawback.

Military users have for some time been aware of the technical limitations to perform joint exercises. For more than a decade NATO working groups (e.g. FIBUA/MOUT WG, TSWG) have been discussing the subject. The steadily increasing number of multi-national missions has, however, brought the lack of adequate joint live training possibilities for soldiers from different nations to the fore. The UCATT (Urban Combat Advanced Training Technology) Task Group (TG) was established within the NATO Modelling and Simulation Group in 2003.

According to Jan Vermeulen (NL), UCATT Chairman the demonstration was a successful experiment.

“The UCATT architecture is alive and kicking. Six companies that normally compete with one another, all UCATT members, are now working side by side, helping each other with great trust and respect in the pursuit of one goal: To show that the UCATT architecture makes interoperability between live simulation systems from different vendors possible.” He noted UCATT will continue its work in order to produce standards for nations to use in their future RFQs and standards will be published through SISO channels. – Walter F. Ullrich

and Crew Served M240's and M249's.

VirTra's proprietary Recoil Refill Stations were also included in the award.

The Army also awarded VirTra Systems the contract for a firearms training simulator at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona.

Marine Immersive Small Unit Training – Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., tested some virtual reality-based training concepts U.S. Joint Forces Command is exploring to better prepare ground troops for complex operating environments.

The demonstration was part of the Joint Forces Command's two-year project that is part of a broad Defense Departmentwide campaign to make ground-based simulation as realistic as possible.

The "future immersive training environment joint capability technology demonstration" showed what is likely to be the training environment of the future: one that injects live actors, animatronics, projected avatars and other sensory enhancements to replicate the sights, sounds, smells and stresses of combat.

Boeing Immersive Training Environment – Boeing Company was part of a team that demonstrated a fully immersive and integrated environment for ground forces training at Fort Leonard Wood. The environment replicated an urban setting in Afghanistan, including costumed actors fluent in the local languages, realistic audio effects and typical architecture.

Boeing identified and created training tools that can be seamlessly integrated into existing facilities at other military installations including the Virtual Mission Board.

Gunnery Trainers Rheinmetall Gunnery Sims – Rheinmetall Defence has supplied the Swiss Army's Mechanised Training Centre in Thun with several state-of-the-art gunnery, combat and tactical simulators.

These include the ELSA Spz2000, an electronic gunnery training system for Switzerland's Infantry Fighting Vehicle; a gunnery commander system; and an ELSA Leo II WE electronic gunnery training system for the Leopard WE, the Swiss Main Battle Tank.

Concurrently, improvements to the ELTAM electronic tactical simulator for mechanised units were completed on schedule. The Swiss Army is now able to employ these virtual reality systems for training operations ranging from individual tank gunnery to full-scale tactical exercises at battalion staff level.

Missile Defense Training Missile Defense Simulation Architecture – Northrop Grumman Corporation and The Boeing Company formed a strategic partnership to pursue the competitive contract for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Objective Simulation Framework (OSF) that will integrate the MDA's modeling and simulation architectures. OSF is expected to be awarded in May 2011 as an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with an estimated program value of $850m.

The OSF program will enhance and integrate these current frameworks that incorporate models from each of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) program elements into a system that accurately represents the performance of fielded BMDS equipment against a variety of threats in realistic environments

Maintenance Training Virtual Aircraft Training – NGRAIN and CASSIDIAN (formerly EADS Defence & Security) have signed a teaming agreement to provide integrated solutions for virtual aircraft maintenance training. Under the agreement, NGRAIN and CASSIDIAN will develop interactive virtual training platforms to provide

aircraft maintenance technicians with the ability to practice and review critical maintenance procedures within a complete simulation of aircraft functionality, including fully realistic operational scenarios.

NGRAIN's Virtual Task Trainer (VTT) will be integrated with the innovative CASSIDIAN Virtual Maintenance Trainer (VMT), a simulator that combines computer-based training with a high-end aircraft maintenance simulator. The result is a responsive, real-time training platform for maintenance professionals to practice critical procedures and troubleshooting or fault-finding exercises.

NGRAIN Maintenance Training for Canadian Air Force – NGRAIN is one of the first companies to have its interactive 3D simulation solutions approved for the Canadian Air Force Integrated Information and Learning Environment (AFIILE).

NGRAIN Virtual Task Trainer™ (VTT™) solutions will be made available to maintenance technicians across the Air Force community on the standardized platform, helping to accelerate learning across a distributed learning environment.

CC-130J Maintenance Training – NGRAIN won a multi-million dollar subcontract from CAE to support the

Maintenance Training Program (MTP) for In-Service Support of Canada's CC-130J Hercules transport aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin. Working with CAE, NGRAIN will deliver virtual maintenance training solutions for a range of CC-130J subsystems including the main landing gear, flight controls, auxiliary power unit and others. These solutions will demonstrate defined procedures in French and English as well as support the evaluation of a maintenance technician's performance throughout each task as part of the overall MTP solution.

IED Training UK MoD IED Training – Saab has received an order from the UK MoD to provide Counter-IED training for the British Army in the UK and abroad. The duration of the contract is one year and the order sum amounts to approximately MSEK 120 (approx. £11 million). Saab will employ its newly developed instrumented training system called ATES C-IED to deliver the training. It is a fully instrumented tactical engagement system developed to meet the training needs of current and future improvised explosive devices threats and the wider aspects of counter insurgency.

Aeronautical Systems Engineering, Inc. in cooperation with Virtual Reality Media, a.s. introduces

You can test practical training on real Cockpit Procedures Trainer of Mi – 8/17/171 Helicopter

Visit us:

at I/ITSEC 2010 Booth #2911 Our range of Mi-8/17/171 training devices: FFS, FTD, CPT AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING, Inc (www.aerosyseng.com) Odessa FL Tel. +1 727-375-2520 Email: fzora@aeroszseng.com

VIRTUAL REALITY MEDIA, a.s., US sales office (www.vrm.sk) Arlington Virginia Tel. +1 703-869-9935 t.a.kosik@vrm.sk MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

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world news & analysis

Visuals Technologies

tional maintenance-free hours. Designed like a flight trainer, VTRAT creates views Strata 4K Signing – 3D perception AS of ground threats – like missiles and antihas announced the signing of a US$1.5 aircraft artillery – as they would be seen million contract with an unnamed through an aircraft window. reseller/partner for a quantity of its new Christie Projectors for Boeing Strata 4K ultra high resolution display Apache Sims – The Boeing Company processors for simulation and professional will use the Christie Matrix StIM simulaaudiovisual markets. tion projection system for a multi-million Strata 4K is the world's only all-in-one dollar program to upgrade an initial 18 4K display processor. It scales, warps, Apache Longbow Crew Trainer (LCT) blends, and color corrects demanding 4K simulators. To date, ten simulators content and correctly displays imagery have been completely retrofitted, with across flat, cylindrical, conical and spheriadditional LCTs contracted throughout cal screens. The unit supports 4K 4096 x the year. Christie worked with Boeing 2160 resolution projectors and is stackduring the design phase to ensure that able to an unlimited number of projector the projection system met the program channels. requirements.

Projectors for US Air Force VTRAT German Army Aviation School – – VDC Display Systems (VDC DS), a Germany's procurement office BWB (Bunsubsidiary of Video Display Corporation, desamt fur Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung) successfully installed a new upgrade for awarded CAE Germany a contract to the existing display system on the Visual upgrade the image generator and visual Threat Recognition and Avoidance Traindisplay systems on the 12 CAE-built heliers (VTRAT) used to train U.S. Air Force, copter simulators located at the Hans E. Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard Drebing simulator centre of the German crewmembers to recognize and respond Army Aviation School in Bueckeburg. The to anti-aircraft threats. The upgrade uses ® CAE Medallion-6000 image generator VDC's MarqueeHD SSL6200Ultra DLP will be used as part of the overall upgrade Projector with Solid State Light engine of the visual systems on the helicopter specifically developed to meet support X28 ad 178x124_Layout 1 29/10/2010 12:09 Page 1 simulators. requirements of more than 50,000 opera-

projectiondesign Launches LED IR Projector - Norway’s projectiondesign® will use I/ITSEC 2010 to announce its cooperation with VDC Display systems as well as to launch an industry-leading LED-illuminated projection system for highly realistic Night Vision Goggle (NVG) stimulation.

The inking of this new partnership with VDC coincides with the preview of a new infra-red enabled LED projector, which is set to be one of the key attractions on the VDC booth at I/ITSEC. Typically, LED projectors have red, green and blue LED light sources, by adding a fourth LED that operates in the infra-red waveband, the new projector is able to simultaneously project both visible and infra-red images from a common display engine, with completely independent control over both images. The result is effective, true-to-life simulation of low-ambient light operations.

Electronic Warfare Training AUTEC Program – Northrop Grumman Corporation won the preferred supplier contract for the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center's (AUTEC) Electronic Warfare Simulator Enhancement (EWSE) Program. The company’s Buffalo, New York-based Amherst Systems business

SMi’s 2nd Annual Conference

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Register online at www.jointforcestraining.com Alternatively contact Teri Arri on Tel +44 (0) 20 7827 6162 or email tarri@smi-online.co.uk 58

MS&T MAGAZINE • ISSUE 6/2010

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Register For The UAV Training, Policy & Regulatory Focus Day on 8th February And Benefit From: Detailed presentations providing feedback on the RAF’s UAV operator training for nonrated pilots and the impact of the SDSR on UAV training programs Updates from USAF, Canadian Air Force, RAF, British Army & Netherlands Army on their UAV training initiatives including the policy and regulatory environment Cutting-edge examples in balancing live, computer and classroom based UAV training initiatives with simulators to achieve a cost-effective, optimal training solution 8+ detailed presentations on training initiatives within leading UAV programs including the UK DAEDALAUS, the Watchkeeper program and USMC UAS programs Strategies and differentiators in the delivery of strike and surveillance specific training for UAV pilots

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world news & analysis

unit will provide an upgrade to the existing Electronic Warfare Threat Simulator (EWTS) located at Andros Island, Bahamas.

AUTEC's EWTS system is capable of illuminating air, surface and submarine platforms in complex scenarios on the instrumented tracking range at Andros Island. EWTS is a real-time system that generates complex, dynamic, electromagnetic signal environments at the radio frequency (RF) level. With this system, AUTEC has the capability to test different platform receivers in an open-air, overthe-water range environment.

Elbit Systems Display System Concept Approved - The Israel Air Force (IAF) has approved the ‘display system’ milestone for Elbit Systems’ mission training center for pilots of the IAF’s F-16 C/D and F-16I fighter aircraft. The IAF approval is an important milestone towards the establishment of a fullyfledged mission training center and is part of a $55 million contract previously awarded to Elbit Systems by the Israeli Ministry of Defence.

The display system was set up in cooperation with Barco and includes a 360 degree field of view (FOV) that simulates the FOV of an F-16 crew member. The systems’ image generator was developed by Elbit Systems and is based on the Vega Prime product of Presagis.

EW Simulator to US Navy – AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems, delivered its new Advanced Architecture Phase, Amplitude and Time Simulator (A2PATS) to the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division at China Lake, Calif. The A2PATS electronic warfare (EW) simulator was delivered and installed at the Navy’s F/A-18 Advanced Weapons Laboratory under a subcontract from Applied Geo Technologies, Inc. (AGT). As subcontractor to AGT, AAI is responsible for all A2PATS design, delivery and support activities.

AAI’s A2PATS system verifies that aircraft EW systems can precisely locate, identify and defend against radio frequency (RF) threats including groundbased and surface-to-air missiles. A2PATS uses AAI’s direct port architecture.

Synthetic Environments TerraTools Exports to OneSAF 5.0 – TerraSim’s TerraTools now supports export to OneSAF 5.0. The OneSAF export capability went undergone rigorous regression testing, and the exporter was validated with the recently released 60

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OneSAF 5.0 runtime. These updates allow users to generate single cell, multi-cell, and subgeotile databases with UHRBs and dynamic UHRBs. This new functionality is available to all TerraTools users with an Export OTF license and current support and maintenance.

Training Ranges SAIC to Support US Army Training Ranges – Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) won a new prime contract by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation to provide technical solutions to support the modernization of Army training ranges worldwide. The multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, contract has a one-year base period of performance, four one-year options, and a total ceiling value of $400 million for all awardees if all options are exercised.

The Common Army Ranges and Target Systems (CARTS) contract will support the modernization of existing training ranges by integrating new devices and target systems. These modernization efforts will be compliant with Future Army System of Integrated Targets (FASIT), the Army's program that establishes a common standard for performance, communication, and protocol associated with targets and devices used at all Army training ranges.

Mobile Learning UK Army iPad App – LINE Communications has been shortlisted in 'The best use of mobile learning' category in the 2010 E-Learning Awards. The shortlisted programme was commissioned by the Royal School of Artillery (RSA) to help train UK troops in the use of Fire Control Orders (FCO) on operation. LINE in collaboration with the RSA created an app for use on the Apple iPad which has improved levels of learner motivation and reduced the overall costs of training in FCO.

Disaster Management Training ADMS for U.S. Air Force– Environmental Tectonics Corporation's Simulation Division won a contract with the Adayana Government Group to provide an Advanced Disaster Management Simulator (ADMS) for the U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command.

The training tool will be used in the fire officer training program at the Louis F. Garland Department of Defense (DoD) Fire Training Academy at the 312th Train-

ing Squadron at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas.

The ADMS simulator will include a virtual replica of Norma Brown AFB, staffed vehicles, and a variety of scenarios including aircraft incidents and structural fires.

Software Austrian Army OSAG 2.0 Contract – The Austrian Army has awarded Saab a contract to provide the Austrian Army with the internationally interoperable optical code OSAG 2.0, to be used by their family of Saab DuSim live simulator systems. This new code for direct fire weapon effects simulators will strongly improve the possibility to perform multinational exercises.

An Interoperability User Community (IUC), including members from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the United Kingdom has been participating in the development of the OSAG 2.0 Standard in order to encourage training between member states.

DI-Guy Helping to Prepare Marines for Afghanistan Deployment – DIGuy, a supplier of software for real-time human simulation, is developing an Enhanced Company Operations (ECO) simulation system to support the Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group (MCTOG) in execution of its “Spartan Resolve” pre-deployment exercise.

The Spartan Resolve exercise trains Marine battalion and regimental staffs preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.

DI-Guy ECO Sim is an integrated set of training stations that focuses on counterinsurgency and IED defeat tactics. The centerpiece of the system is the small unit leader interface (SULI) workstation, which visualizes the battlefield terrain, vehicles and combatants. Marine units being trained provide personnel to operate the SULI in order to provide trainees with realistic training situations. DI-Guy AI provides the critical “pattern of life” activity to simulate the real world challenges faced in combating insurgencies embedded within the general populace.

Avionics Software Upgrades – CAE won a one-year contract renewal by L-3 Communications MAS (Canada) Inc., a subsidiary of L-3 Communications, to continue providing avionics software upgrades, integrated logistics support and data management services for the Canadian Forces CF-18 aircraft. L-3 MAS

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

!

te a d e h t e v a S

er – 28 Novemb 1 December

w w w. I I t s e c . o r g 28 november-1 december, 2011

u

orlando, Florida

world news & analysis

has been prime contractor on the CF-18 service and support program since 1986 and has performed systems engineering support services for the CF-18 fleet for more than 20 years.

Cubic to Provide Training Support to JMSC – Cubic Applications Inc. has been awarded a five-year contract with a potential value close to $35 million to provide simulation and network services to support battle simulations and battle command systems for the Joint Multinational Simulation Center (JMSC) located at Grafenwöhr, Germany and five other European sites.

Unlike other CAI training contracts, this one focuses entirely on information technology design, implementation, and support. CAI is providing software engineers, network engineers, systems administrators, database managers/

developers and information assurance to support mission training and command and control systems employment and integration.

Arrivals and Departures New Presagis President – Presagis has announced the appointment of Guillaume Hervé as president of Presagis.

Hervé is an aerospace industry veteran who will lead the global Presagis team in offering modeling, simulation, and embedded graphics software to the defense market as well as other industries around the world. The success of Presagis customers is a top priority and to ensure a smooth transition of day-today responsibilities and leadership of the organization, former president, Patrice Commune, will work closely with Mr. Hervé until the end of the year. ms&t

Index of Ads ACI www.aci-sim.com 49–52 AgustaWestland www.agustawestland.com 41 Antycip Simulation www.antycipsimulation.com 34 BAE Systems www.baesystems.com 6 CAE www.cae.com OBC & Centre Spread CATI Training Systems www.catinet.com 31 Christie Digital www.christiedigital.com/MST 20 Cubic Defense www.cubic.com 19 Defence IQ (a division of IQPC) www.militaryflighttraining.com 59 Defense Technical Information Centre www.dtic.mil 18 Elbit Systems www.elbitsystems.com 11 Equipe Simulation www.equipe-simulation.com 32 FlightSafety International www.flightsafety.com 15 Forth Dimension Displays www.forthdd.com 55 Havelsan www.havelsan.com.tr 29 HTP Ostravia Cz a.s. www.htpostrava.cz 37 IAI - MLM www.mlm-iai.com 23 I/ITSEC 2011 www.iitsec.org 61 ITEC 2011 www.itec.co.uk 36 Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace www.kongsberg.com 12

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L-3 Link Simulation & Training www.L-3com.com 4 Lockheed Martin www.lockheedmartin.com IFC MAK Technologies www.mak.com/advantage 39 MetaVR www.metavr.com 26 MS&T Magazine www.halldale.com/mst 54 Opinicus www.opinicus.com 43 projectiondesign www.projectiondesign.com 28 Raydon Corporation www.raydon.com 21 RGB Spectrum www.rgb.com 17 Rheinmetall Defence Electronics www.rheinmetall-defence.com 24 & 25 Ruag www.ruag.com 35 SAAB www.saabgroup.com 3 SAIC www.saic.com IBC SMI Group www.jointforcestraining.com 58 Society for Applied Learning Technology www.salt.org 45 TerraSim www.terrasim.com 10 Textron Systems www.aaicorp.com 13 Threat Management Group www.threatgroup.com 47 Virtual Reality Media www.vrm.sk 57 VT Miltope www.miltope.com 30

Calendar 8-10 March 2011 APATS@AA2011 - Ab initio & Evidence Based Training AsiaWorld Expo Hong Kong, SAR China www.halldale.com/apats

19-21 April 2011 WATS 2011 - World Aviation Training Conference & Tradeshow Rosen Shingle Creek Resort Orlando, Florida, USA www.halldale.com/wats

25-26 January 2011 Joint Forces Simulation & Training London, UK www.smi-online.co.uk 8-10 February 2011 Military Flight Training London, UK www.militaryflighttraining.com 20-24 February 2011 IDEX 2011 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates www.idexuae.ae 23-25 February 2011 AUSA’s ILW Winter Symposium & Exposition Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA www.ausa.org

23-25 February 2011 New Learning Technologies Conference Orlando, Florida, USA www.salt.org

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

He helps to keep soldiers safe around the world.

Developing solutions for maneuvering various vehicles in unpredictable environments is just one of our many jobs. We’re SAIC – 45,000 smart, dedicated people who have the deepest understanding of their fields and a passion to find the right solution. People like Common Driver Trainer (CDT) manager Mike Kerrigan. Smart people solving hard problems.

Stop by the SAIC booth 1640 at I/ITSEC 2010 to see the CDT and other composable solutions in action.

To learn more, visit us at saic.com/iitsec

Energy | Environment | National Security | Health | Critical Infrastructure

© Science Applications International Corporation. All rights reserved.

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.

Come visit CAE’s booth (#2341) at I/ITSEC 2010 where we will showcase Alenia North America’s T-100 Ground-Based Training System demonstrator.

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/iitsec