MS&T Magazine - Issue 6 2013 by Halldale Group

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Volume 30 • Issue 6.2013

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Training Systems

P-8 Training System Takes Flight

National Focus

Enabling the Pacific Pivot Military Games

Game-Based Apps for Training Training Technology

Motion Systems – An Evolutionary Process

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PROUD TO DELIVER NEXT GENERATION SKILLS TOMORROW’S HIGH-TECH AND RAPIDLY changing battlefield will demand more of its armored combat vehicle crews. Saab is now fielding a new generation laser-based simulator system for the U.S. Army called CVTESS (Combat Vehicle Tactical Engagement Simulation System). The CVTESS will train crews for the Abrams Main Battle Tank and the Bradley Fighting Vehicle for the next twenty years. At the same time we are also instrumenting the U.S. Army’s MILES system with Saab’s Interim Range System – a communication solution able to link together over a thousand laserbased simulators for dismounted soldiers or vehicles.

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ISSUE 6.2013

Editorial comment

Seeking the Rubric MS&T’s sister publication, the Journal of Civil Aviation Training (CAT), designs and delivers a number of aviation training conferences in the US, Europe and Asia. Having just returned from our European event in Berlin, I was struck by the similarities in the current narrative between the civil aviation and "... some believe military training communities. Several topical themes emerged from that we are entering conference, including the increasing embrace of competency-based training, evidence-based a period where training, and the need to understand the return on investment (ROI) from all activities; concepts advanced that are certainly familiar to today’s military trainers, although perhaps in different terminology. technology, And although the civil aviation industry is highly combined regulated, with a current emphasis on prescriptive checking and testing, some believe we are enterwith robust ing a period where advanced technology, combined with robust operational and training data, is operational and unleashing a powerful new age of individualised training. The airline training industry is necessarily training data, becoming “data-driven.” Such an age would provide a laser-focus is unleashing on what each trainee actually needs to achieve required performance, using an optimum mix a powerful of training media from e-learning technologies to advanced flight simulators. Gone would new age of be the mandatory fixed curriculums that some breeze through while others struggle, with high individualised value training media such as the Flight Simulator accessed when needed for specific candidate training.” deficiencies, and not used mostly for semi-annual prescriptive testing and checking. On the other side of the coin, it is well noted that commercial pilot trainers often cite the success of military proficiency-based flight training programs as they promote the creation of similar training regimes. Taken to its extreme, the real value of individualised training is optimum safety and financial ROI. While the world airline industry enjoyed its safest year in history in 2012, there are lingering Chris Lehman concerns about global variations in the Editor-in-Chief quality and relevance of training in the midst of rapid expansion, and widely varying new hire skills and education. Civil aviation training systems are evolving – albeit too slowly for many – to meet these concerns, with the potential payoff being much lower costs, more certainty in performance skill-sets and more confidence that latent

personnel deficiencies will not rear their heads at an inopportune time. The military community should occasionally cast an eye to their colleagues in commercial aviation, as both sectors are striving to obtain optimal training performance at lowest possible cost. In fact, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) in its recent report on Army and Marine Corps training noted that these services “…lack key performance and cost information that would enhance their ability to determine the optimal mix of training and prioritize related investments.” The GAO study stated that the services rely on SME’s to develop training programs, and that they do use some data such as after action reports from deployments and training exercises for information as to the benefit of simulation-based training. But neither service has developed outcome-based metrics to measure the precise value of simulation devices to improve performance or proficiency. The GAO study went on to note that while the Army and Marine Corps analyse data such as lifecycle costs when acquiring simulation equipment, after systems are fielded they do not re-evaluate cost information as they determine the mix of training, and do not have a methodology for determining the full cost of simulation-based training. “Without better performance and cost data, the services lack the information they need to make fully informed decisions in the future regarding the optimal mix of training and how best to target investments for simulation-based training capabilities,” said the GAO report. In the current environment, no one needs to remind the military training community – or its suppliers – of the value of ROI in all procurement programs. When asked about the importance of ROI, Josh Jackson, SAIC’s Vice President, Training and Simulation, said in an interview in this issue: “It’s very important. This is also something that the community has wrestled with for many years – with some tactical answers, but still no overarching rubric to apply.” Developing that rubric is becoming the challenge of the decade.

Chris Lehman MS&T Editor-in-Chief

chris@halldale.com MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

Contents

ISSUE 6.2013

MS&T Magazine Military Simulation & Training Magazine

Editorial Editor in Chief Chris Lehman e. chris@halldale.com Managing Editor Jeff Loube e. jeff@halldale.com Group Editor Marty Kauchak e. marty@halldale.com Europe Editor Walter F. Ullrich e. walter@halldale.com Procurement Chuck Weirauch e. chuck@halldale.com US News Editor Lori Ponoroff e. lori@halldale.com RoW News Editor Fiona Greenyer e. fiona@halldale.com Advertising Director of Sales Jeremy Humphreys & Marketing t. +44 (0)1252 532009 e. jeremy@halldale.com Sales Representative Justin Grooms USA (East) & Canada t. 407 322 5605 e. justin@halldale.com Sales Representative Chris Richman Europe, Middle East t. +44 (0)1252 532007 & Africa e. chrisrichman@halldale.com Sales & Marketing Karen Kettle Co-ordinator t. +44 (0)1252 532002 e. karen@halldale.com Marketing Manager Ian Macholl t. +44 (0)1252 532008 e. ian@halldale.com

Operations Design & David Malley

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Distribution & Stephen Hatcher

Artworker Daryl Horwell

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05 Getting It Right the First Time. Editor-in-Chief Chris Lehman looks for lessons in civil aviation training. 08 Refocus and Rebalance. As the US strategic focus pivots toward the Pacific, the Services continue efforts to maintain readiness. Group Editor Marty Kauchak writes. 14 An Evolutionary Process. Motion systems are continuing to evolve to address user needs. Chuck Weirauch reports on some of the current developments. 20 De-risking Development Leveraging M&S to get it right the first time. Rick Adams reports. 26 P-8A Poseidon. The training system for this new maritime patrol capability is setting a high standard. Group Editor Marty Kauchak reports. 34 EW Training Support. Cobham Aviation Services supports RAF and RN training. MS&T’s Dim Jones participates in a sortie.

On the cover: The United States Navy plans to acquire 117 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Image credit: Boeing.

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Halldale Media Group Publisher & Andy Smith CEO e. andy@halldale.com UK Office Halldale Media Ltd. Pembroke House 8 St. Christopher’s Place Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 0NH, UK t. +44 (0)1252 532000 f. +44 (0)1252 512714 US Office Halldale Media, Inc. 115 Timberlachen Circle Ste 2009, Lake Mary FL 32746, USA t. +1 407 322 5605 f. +1 407 322 5604 Subscriptions 5 issues per year at US$110 t. +44 (0)1252 532000 e. mst@halldale.com

40 MAKS 2013. The 11th biennial International Aviation and Space Salon took place in Zhukovsky in August. MS&T’s Dim Jones reports. 42 Apps and Games. Using game based apps for military training is appealing, but there are challenges. MS&T’s Michael Peck writes. 46 Josh Jackson, SAIC. Group Editor Marty Kauchak speaks with the SAIC executive leading their training and simulation service line. 48 Oscillator to Link. Walter F Ullrich traces the history of flight training devices in the UK from the beginning in 1910 to WW II. 52 XCom: Enemy Unknown. A new regular feature by MS&T’s Michael Peck explores the intersection of games and military training.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – especially translating into other languages - without prior written permission of the publisher. All rights also reserved for restitution in lectures, broadcasts, televisions, magnetic tape and methods of similar means. Each copy produced by a commercial enterprise serves a commercial purpose and is thus subject to remuneration. MS&T (ISSN 1471-1052) is published five times per year in February, May, August, September, November by Halldale Media and distributed in the USA by SPP, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville PA 17318. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to MS&T, Halldale Media Inc, 115 Timberlachen Circle, Ste 2009, Lake Mary, FL 32746.

54 Seen & Heard. Updates from the training and simulation community. Compiled and edited by Fiona Greenyer.

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National Focus

Enabling the Pacific Pivot Group Editor Marty Kauchak provides an update on the US military’s rebalance to the Pacific and examines the services’ efforts to maintain the training readiness of its regional forces.

he US’s Strategic Pivot to the Pacific, also known as the Pacific Rebalance, is underway. The initial security-oriented aspects of the rebalance seem to indicate the policy is more of a rhetorical change than a substantive one. Indeed, none of the Obama Administration’s plans call for increasing the number of Marines or Army forces in the Pacific region. While the Pentagon’s force planners resolve the final number of service men and women to support the administration strategy, the services are maintaining the training readiness of their increasingly dispersed forces throughout this Area of Responsibility (AOR). In the past year, US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC) has relocated several air assets in Okinawa and Hawaii, but the bulk of that service’s rebalancing is on the horizon. The resulting end state is a transition from a heavily-concentrated Marine force in Northeast Asia region to four Marine Air Ground Task Forces geographically distributed across the Pacific, providing a more flexible and balanced capability throughout the entire Western Pacific. From the Army’s perspective, Colonel Mike Donnelly, the public affairs officer at US Army Pacific (USARPAC), emphasized “The ‘demand signal’ for US Pacific Command (USPACOM) did 08

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

not require assignment of additional [Army] forces to the Pacific.” Donnelly went on to explain the components of this rebalance for his service include: maintaining contingency forces and expanding Army Air and Missile Defense capabilities to defend against an expanding threat. For Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) the Rebalance will also be a gradual process not characterized by a sudden increase in US presence, but rather “deepening of its sustained long-term defense engagement,” according to MSgt Victoria Boncz, the command’s public affairs operations division manager. The service, which already rotates F-22s, B-52s and B-2s throughout the region, primarily in Guam and Okinawa, will continue to maintain a presence of these and other aircraft to show its power line of projection and operation,

Members of the US and Royal Thai Navies participate in a command post exercise held in support of Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SECAT) this September. Image credit: Jay C. Pugh/US Navy.

and support the USPACOM commander in other ways. In the maritime domain, this April, the first US Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), USS Freedom (LCS-1), arrived in Singapore. Four LCSs will eventually be rotationally, forward deployed to that island nation. The LCS force movements are the bow wave of more ships to be based in the Pacific region. By 2020, 60 percent of the Navy's ships will be based on the West Coast or elsewhere in the Pacific, up from its current 50 percent level.

Live Training as the Key Readiness Enabler The services will use an increasing blend of live, virtual and constructive (LVC), and in the case of the Army gaming (LVC-G), events to maintain the training readiness of a slightly larger but much more widely dispersed Pacific force structure. However it is the live training component of the theater training strategy which is the major element for building and maintaining unit, staff and individual training

readiness for US and regional allied nations’ services. The scope and breadth of participating nations and exercise scenarios also permit the US to dramatically build military-to-military partnerships across the AOR. Chuck Little, the deputy director of public affairs at MARFORPAC, noted his service’s regional live training strategy supports an attention-getting 125 exercises or more annually with more than 25 different Pacific-area training partners. When Little spoke with MS&T this September, his command’s Marines in Australia were completing exercises Koolendong, Southern Frontier and Gold Eagle. Marines in each of these exercises, many of who were from Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, were increasing their interoperability along with their technical abilities to respond together where their aid and other skill sets may be required. MARFORPAC Marines were also in several other Pacific sites for exercises, including the Philippines for Amphibious Landing Exercise and Japan for exercise Lejeune II, an aerial exercise to increase operational readiness, joint capabilities, and operational procedures. “Into the rest of 2013 and the first half of 2014, Marines will be looking forward to further exercises with our Pacific training partners such as Philippines, New Zealand, Thailand, Brunei and others. These exercises build capacity in each respective event, improve maritime security response, and improve the ability for seamless combined responses to prospective crises in this respective region,” Little also pointed out.

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

National Focus PACAF’s efforts to create and develop partnerships in the region include senior leader engagement, subject matter expert exchanges, mobile training teams, multilateral exercises, and participation in conferences – across the full spectrum of engagement. “For example: there’s Talisman Saber with Australia and New Zealand; Cope North with Australia and Japan; Operation Pacific Angels in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia,” Boncz noted, and continued, “We integrate B-52s into exercises in Australia, Japan, The Philippines, and the Republic of Korea; into operational readiness inspections and aircraft training relocations; and into US forces stationed in Japan and the Republic of Korea. Our Theater Security Package squadrons and rotational F-22 aircraft continue to augment permanently-based units and integrate with our partner nation flying operations.” As this article was written, the 2013 Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) annual, bilateral naval exercise series was concluding, bring to closure an intensive operational schedule for US Pacific naval forces. The 2013 CARAT included the United States and Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Timor Leste. The event was designed to enhance maritime security skills and operational cohesiveness among participating forces. Vietnam participated in a 2013 CARAT-like exchange event. The services also report important developments in the other training domains. USARPAC is delivering an integrated and distributed M&S training environment primarily thru its five Mission Training Complexes (MTCs). Of special interest, reflecting the Army’s service-wide focus on developing the gaming domain, the MTCs have been structured to provide LVC with Gaming (LVC-G) capabilities and mission command training support across the Pacific. “The M&S vision for USARPAC is to evolve unique and innovative capabilities in support of USARPAC lines of effort by leveraging advanced technologies and creative partnerships to best repli10

Aircraft from the US Air Force, Navy, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Royal Australian Air Force fly in formation during Exercise Cope North 2013. Image credit: US Air Force.

cate the complexities of the operational environment. USARPAC has the facilities and enablers to leverage the full capability of LVC-G integration to support Full Spectrum / Unified Land Operations training requirements,” Jim Guzior, the command’s Public Affairs Media Relations Chief, explained. USARPAC’s M&S infrastructure and networks span the Pacific. USARPAC funds and oversees the Mission Command Training Support Program, through its support of the five MTCs that directly support USARPAC: The Korea Battle Simulation Center (KBSC) and USARPAC Regional Simulation Center in Yongsan, Republic of Korea; and MTCs at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwright in Alaska; and Sagami Depot in Japan. Guzior further noted the KBSC will move into a new MTC facility at Camp Humphreys, Korea in 2015.

A Joint Context US forces in the Pacific region have taken the adage “train as you will operate” to a new plateau, with several joint and USARPAC commands providing additional M&S capabilities to units in the AOR. The Pacific Warfighting Center, under the oversight of the US Pacific Command J7, provides exercise control and response cell spaces in support of major theater exercises, as well as network and planning support. The Korea Air Simulation Center (KASC) supplies Air Force M&S support to joint and theater exercises, primarily in support of the USARPAC Battlefield Coordination Detach-

ments and Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC). “As previously mentioned, KBSC provides simulation capability that supports large-scale, division and above, Army exercises and joint, combined and bi-lateral theater level exercises. The US Navy Tactical Training Group Pacific supports and funds Live Ballistic Missile Defense training for the AAMDC as part of its Joint Kill Chain events (Fleet Synthetic Training – Joint),” Guzior added.

Other Theater S&T Developments The services will increase their infrastructure and other foundations of training readiness in the Pacific region through this decade. The recently established Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Capability (JPMRC) will provide a “CTC-like” exportable LVC training construct to USARPAC, resulting in improved home station and exportable training experiences to assigned units and joint and multinational partners. Guzior emphasized this capability will significantly elevate US and regional partner capacity through joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational training events and partnered persistent engagement for increased readiness. ARPAC training through the JPMRC construct will begin in Fiscal Year 2014. Draughon Range near Misawa Air Force Base, Japan has recently been upgraded with the Joint Deployable Electronic Warfare Range. Boncz pointed out “While the system is not

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

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National Focus fully implemented yet, it will provide a true deployable and mobile LVC training system that utilizes non-threat specific Opposing Forces Command and Control, un-manned threat emitters and a constructive digital integrated air defense system capable of simulating multiple, double-digit, surface-to-air systems real time, and operates with all in-use US Air Force Air Combat maneuvering instrumentation systems.” Cubic Defense Systems remains a major supplier of air combat maneuvering instrumentation systems to the Air Force. PACAF, in conjunction with Air Combat Command, is improving other training infrastructure such as new Mission Training Centers (MTCs) that contain the latest in combat flight simulation systems for 4th and 5th generation fighters and bolster in-theater aircrew training. In Korea, a new F-16 MTC is about to become fully operational. As this article was published, L-3 Link Simulation & Training, the center’s prime contractor, was scheduled to turn the facility over to its US Air Force customer this November. Dominick Farinella, Link’s senior program manager, noted each F-16 MTC that his company delivers to the US Air Force includes four high-fidelity simulators, four Instructor/Operator Stations, two Brief/Debrief Systems, a Scenario Generation Station and a Mission Observation Center.

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

“The technology driver behind the F-16 Mission Training Center solution is L-3 Link’s HD World® integrated simulation product line. This consists of high-definition displays, image generators, databases and physics processing technology that combine to create realistic and relevant fighter training environments,” the industry training expert noted, and added, “The end result is that we are able to deliver a F-16 Mission Training Center training system with substantial fidelity and realism that helps to maximize pilot operational readiness while reducing overall training costs.” Link’s F-16 MTC solution enables pilots to undergo simulation-based training that allows them to detect, determine the orientation of, recognize and identify targets with the same fidelity as they would when conducting an actual sortie. Of special note, in addition to local four ship training, “the F-16 Mission Training Center system connects to the Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON) that enables pilots, at Kunsan for instance, to participate in mission training exercises with other DMO platforms in the region and around the world,” Farinella pointed out. Additionally, a new MTC under construction at Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii will support F-22 aircrew training. Boeing’s Training Systems and Government Services Group is the industry lead for this F-22 training project.

Rachelle Lockhart, a company program spokesperson, said the Boeing-led industry team plans to have the center Ready for Training in June 2015. One Boeing technology application featured are four fixed based simulators each with a high-fidelity F-22 cockpit providing a high resolution Constant Resolution Visual System (CRVS) to enhance training. Lockhart also pointed out the center’s “high-fidelity head-down displays are 1:1 representations of aircraft; the simulators are networked together to simulate a flight of F-22s operating in a single threat environment; and the simulators are controlled and monitored by an instructor at an Instructor Operating Station where the instructor can monitor the students.” L-3 Simulation & Training provides the F-22 MTC cockpit. The CRVS and other subsystems are provided by Boeing and Boeing completes the final MTC integration. Beyond new regional MTCs, PACAF is also including professional simulator instructor pilots to support A-10 aircrew training in Korea. MARFORPAC has plans to add a Battle Staff Training Facility for the main cantonment in Guam. “As of right now, construction is planned to begin fiscal year 2019. The details of the exact design have not been determined yet, but it will include several simulation training parts,” Little emphasized. mst

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Training Technology

Motion Systems Motion systems technology continues to evolve. MS&Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chuck Weirauch reports.

ETC's Authentic Tactical Fighting System (ATFS-400). Image credit: ETC Tactical Flight Training Systems.

lthough motion systems technology for aircraft simulators has not changed significantly since the introduction of electric motion platforms in 2006, the simulation industry has seen the recent introduction of secondgeneration systems that are designed to address the problems and issues experienced with the first-generation platforms. Another development in the marketplace is more emphasis on motion cueing technology to refine performance and increase the realistic simulation of actual aircraft motion and attitude.

Incremental Change "One of the areas where we are seeing improvement for some of what I would call the first generation of electric systems is that they were fairly complicated, so we saw some early reliability issues of the system," said CAE's Senior Technical Fellow Nick Giannias. "Maintainability was a critical concern for customers." Now what his company is seeing is that motion system manufacturers are learning from their systems in the field and incrementally improving the capability of their products, while increasing their reliability, maintainability and troubleshooting. Not exactly exciting work, but all a part of the maturing process for the technology and incredibly important to the simulation and training industry, Giannias pointed out. James Takats, President of Opinicus, noted that there have been some ongoing advances in motion hardware, which relate largely to improvement to the motion legs with respect to maintenance, reliability, quality control and other factors. As electric 14

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motion system hardware has been fielded for about seven years now, feedback from the users' maintenance departments are being listened to by industry and improvements incorporated into the motion system hardware, Takats stated. According to Ton Stam, International Account Manager for Netherlands-based E2M Technologies, innovative mechanical designs such as rotary actuators have made it possible to use full six-degreeof-freedom (6-DOF) motion systems in applications where limited space is available. He feels that this development is especially interesting for mobile military vehicle driving simulators or construction equipment simulators. As simulation technologies advance and become more affordable, there is a healthy growth in demand for military vehicle simulators, ranging from armored vehicle driving simulators to full mission helicopter simulators, Stam added. According to Stam, in most simulators, the performance-limiting factor is not the motion system itself, but the structural integrity of the simulator as

a whole, including the complete upper structure. Customers are therefore looking into more integrated designs that have sufficient rigidity to handle the dynamic behavior of the motion system and improve the overall performance by reducing weight and the center-of-gravity (CoG) height, he explained. In response, E2M has developed an innovative alternative for the traditional simulator construction, Stam continued. By integrating the customer base frame with the upper frame of the motion system, the company's customers now have a more rigid and lighter-weight mounting surface available to interface with their cabin or cockpit and visual system. This solution not only lowers the CoG of the total structure, but also lowers the eye reference point of the driver or pilot. As a result, a larger physical workspace is available, resulting in a more realistic simulation, Stam pointed out. Moog will rollout its next-generation motion platform system this year, according to Charles Bartel, the company's Product Application Manager for Simulation. The new system features a redesigned cabinet that significantly reduces the number of fuses and replaces them with circuit breakers that are monitored through a control panel, Bartel explained. "Now that electric motion technology has been widely accepted, we are making minor advances to improve performance," Bartel pointed out. "For example, in our next-generation system we are putting in technology that eliminates all of the secondary maintenance messages. This will reduce service time significantly, because now maintenance personnel won't have to trouble-shoot the whole system for faults. We are doing everything we can to improve maintainability and reduce the burden on maintenance personnel and reduce downtime."

Motion Cueing One of the major goals of the industry has been to improve the fidelity of flight simulator performance to provide a more realistic and immersive training experience for pilots, including motion cueing. CAE has been focusing its performance improvements in the area of its vibration models in order to make the performance in their flight simulators as realistic as

possible, Giannias said. That is because vibrations are a powerful cue to a pilot in order to understand what is happening to their aircraft, he explained. "This is super-critical in helicopter simulators, because pilots experience more vibration in these airframes," Giannias said."This is a real challenge as helicopters become more sophisticated. We are improving our models to make sure that we accurately simulate current and new-generation aircraft." To improve motion cueing in its products, Opinicus has developed motion cabinets to drive both legacy hydraulic motion systems as well as new electric motion systems, Takats said. This system is called REALCue. Opinicus is focusing its efforts on enhancements to the REALCue motion drive algorithms called oEMDS. "Our latest generation of oEMDS provides for optimization of the available workspace, using specially-designed predictive software which provides for a continuous, real-time optimization of the motion system positioning in order to maximize the available workspace for upcoming maneuvers," Takats described. This is particularly important during training scenarios such adverse weather conditions as windshear, microburst, approach to stall, stall and stall recovery training, in-flight refueling, and other mission-specific training events that are crucial for providing the best training and the best-prepared warfighters. REALCue is largely recognized by our users as the state-of-the-art in motion cueing."

G-Training Full-Flight Simulator? Ever since the attempts to provide a 6-DOF full-flight simulator for advanced jet fighters proved unfeasible back in the 1970s, flight simulation manufacturers and the world's military have largely relied on fixed-base jet fighter flight simulators like the Lockheed Martin F-35 Full Mission Trainer (FMS). The FMS does not feature a G-cueing motion seat but rather relies on the Rockwell Collins Griffin Dome, which provides high-resolution visuals and a 360-degree field of view to visually impart motion cueing for pilots. The US Air Force and other military services around the world require

REDEFINING MOTION IN TRAINING In today’s economy where pressing budgetary and logistical requirements to do more with less, training facilities need to refocus on their priorities. For most, full motion simulators are getting out of reach and non-motion ones are increasing the gap between simulation and reality. The latter could lead to negative training and a complete disconnect from the high technology native generation. While maintaining a low cost, very high reliability, small footprint, energy efficiency as well as being COTS, D-BOX’s new generation of motion cueing systems brings the traditionally static simulators to another level with their realism not only in pure movement cues, but also with rich texture feelings. D-BOX’s commitment is to enhance training experiences while providing fast ROI through its OEM’s network of experts. D-BOX Technologies Inc.

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Training Technology

G-training in centrifuges for their advanced jet fighter pilots and other aircrew, and some require G-cueing motion seats in their fixed-based trainers. But Ken Ginader, retired U.S. Navy Captain and a highly qualified Naval Flight Officer, says that such training is not adequate for future potential combat scenarios that involve more sophisticated air defense systems than those experienced over Iraq and Afghanistan and demand high-G maneuvers. Ginader is the Director of Business Development for ETC Tactical Flight Training Systems, which provides high performance motion systems (centrifuge-based) for all stages of flight training, including G training. "I compare the fixed-motion simulator to flying the airplane in the hangar at zero knots and one G, and that's not the way you fly the airplane," Ginader said."If you are only training in an FMS, you won't be prepared for real combat environments." ETC's answer to this problem is the Authentic Tactical Fighting System (ATFS-400) that can be reconfigured to be essentially a high-performance motion system that combines the capabilities of a full-flight simulator and a centrifuge. ETC has shipped the final main motion system components of the ATFS 400 Model 31 to the US Air Force's 711th Human Performance Wing’s new complex at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. The ETC simulator will be used by the USAF to support aircrew high-G training, acceleration research, as well as a variety of other training and research initiatives. According to Ginader, the current Air Force contract does not include the components that would allow the ATFS 400 to be configured as a high-G fullflight simulator, such as a high-fidelity cockpit, but he hopes that the service will add this capability as an upgrade which can be provided by ETC sometime in the future. "Now with motion technology getting to a level that it has never been before, it has provided another opportunity to look at the flight training continuum," Ginader summed up. "And now that more flight training has to go into simulation, doesn't it make sense that some of that training has the same motion as the aircraft? I think that intuitively that does makes sense."

Lowering Cost, Establishing Standards So that flight training organizations can take advantage of the latest in motion technology, the training equipment provid-

ers interviewed by MS&T are working to lower the costs of integrating such technology into training programs. For example, according to Takats, Opinicus is working with motion hardware vendors to lower the cost of electric motion system hardware. One item that is being explored is simplifying the actuator design and maintenance. The initial cost of motion is important, but the overall lifecycle cost is what needs to be considered, he emphasized. The company is also standardizing its motion systems, as well as the installation procedures and manufacturing techniques employed in an effort to lower costs, Takats added. Stam said that at E2M, motion systems, and specially the smaller ones, are

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OPINICUS ODYSSEY 10 Simulator with OPINICUS' REALCue Electric Motion. Image credit: OPINICUS Corp.

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Tactical Flight Training Heavy payload flight simulator systems with Moog Motion bases. Image credit: Moog.

regarded as a commodity rather than a project. This means that the company builds its systems in large batches to reduce costs and delivery times, leading to significant cost savings for its customers, he explained. According to Bartel, Moog is working on a global software initiative that would have one graphical user interface (GUI) for all motion-based systems and the same control infrastructure in order to reduce maintenance costs. Takats is working with the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Working Group (IWG). As Chairman of the IWG Motion Task Team, he is leading the effort to develop a set of Objective Motion Cueing Tests (OMCT) in order to help develop an objective means to determine between "good and bad motion cueing", as he described it.

neration e G t x e N The raining T t h g i l F f O

Lower-cost Motion Platforms Advancements in motion cueing technology are also now being applied for lower-cost flight training devices as well. At the 2013 Interservice /Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), show attendees can check out one example, Precision Flight Control's DCX Max Promotion FAA and Transport Canada-approved Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD). This device features a D-BOX 3 Degree-of-Freedom (3DOF) motion cueing system, and will be located within the joint D-BOX and Precision Flight Control exhibit area. The D-BOX motion base is designed with four electric actuators and coupled with software for accurate replication of aircraft pitch, roll and yaw. The actuators are in the four corners of the base so that the system parallels the motion of much more expensive motion bases, said Mike Altman, Precision's CEO and President. "The most important factors for us is that the D-BOX offers seat-of-the-pants feel throughout the full flight regimen, offering roll, pitch, yaw, heave, stall buffet and turbulence," Altman explained. "These cues provide pilots with a realistic training atmosphere with common distractions found when flying a real aircraft. We meet a much higher standard than is required, since motion is not required at this level of flight training device. Half of our customers prefer motion over non-motion." mst

nd 5 aft a 4 r o F on Aircr i Generat th

able e g n a h c r e • Int ts Cockpi fety a S d e s a e • Incr adiness and Re sts o C e c u d e •R etcTacticalFlight.com M S & T M AGA Z INE 6 . 2 0 1 3

Modeling & Simulation

De-risking Development Increasingly, air, land and sea weapons systems developers are incorporating modelling and simulation to save time, cost and downstream headaches. Rick Adams reports.

ext month, when Boeing rolls the first KC-46 aircraft out of its Everett, Washington production facility, refueling boom operators won’t be prone to take the news lying down. On the new US Air Force tanker, “boomers” will not be face first on the deck when they navigate the gas nozzle toward thirsty fighter aircraft. Rather, they will be seated at a video game-like console with a 185-degree field of view stereoscopic 3D visual system using special glasses. The remote vision system (RVS) will use infrared spectrums to enable aerial refueling at any time, day or night, under any lighting conditions, including simultaneous multi-point refueling from wing fuel pods. The new gas-pass design is borrowed from an unlikely source: Rockwell Collins engineers who worked on remotely operated bomb disposal systems, the Mars rover, and unmanned aerial vehicles. In effect, you might characterize the KC-46 digital fly-by-wire refueling boom as an unmanned robotic system within a manned aircraft. That kind of cross-over thinking is what Rockwell Collins is also trying to leverage by integrating about a dozen engineers from its simulation and training group with those who are developing the avionics systems for the new tanker. In so doing, Rockwell hopes to reduce development costs and shorten the aircraft schedule, or at least help Boeing hold to schedule, unlike most new aircraft programs. “One of the unique positions Rockwell Collins has in being an avionics company and a simulation and training company is taking advantage of integrating those two skill sets in a way that supports development on the aircraft side,” said Mike Knowles, senior director, air transport and mission solutions, for Rockwell’s simulation and training unit. 20

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In addition to the RVS, Rockwell will provide the flight deck – featuring four 15.1-inch diagonal liquid crystal displays borrowed from the Boeing 787 program – aircraft networks, surveillance / air traffic management equipment, communications and navigation gear, and a Tactical Situational Awareness System that will fuse information from satellite communications, Link 16 data links, and onboard sensors to provide an integrated picture of the operational environment. The company has more than 200 engineers focused on the program, many of them imported from Rockwell’s commercial avionics business. The Rockwell Collins simulation and training group is using its CORE (common open re-usable elements) simulation architecture, a multi-year development effort that was completed just prior to the KC-46 contract award two years ago. “CORE architecture is essentially based on simple, open systems architecture elements, some communication protocols, and a system of abstraction layers that allow us to develop code one time and re-use it independent of hardware or operating system changes that result from using COTS [commercial off-the-shelf]

Rockwell Collins has more than 200 engineers focused on the KC-46 program. Image credit: Rockwell Collins.

equipment,” Knowles explained. The communications system protocol allows different components of software units or third-party vendor software to be used in the architecture. “Each player in the network does not know if it is talking to different vendor software, if it is talking to a piece of real hardware, or it is talking to a virtualized element of a real piece of hardware, because it’s just working off variables.” “We all know data is king,” Knowles described. “When developing a simulator, everybody goes through SRR [system requirements review], PDR [preliminary design review], and CDR [critical design review] generally with relative ease. But then we hit that ugly thing called hardware-software integration, and we realize the data’s just not there or we don’t know for sure how all the knobs and dials turn and react exactly and we find ourselves on the phone with the manufacturer.” Knowles said, “We were in a unique position with Rockwell Collins. We could solve that problem for a lot of people by integrating simulation and training with the development of the avionics. In addition, we determined with them that we could build their test rig utilizing the CORE simulation architecture, which would allow us to move high-fidelity simulation and training simulation elements into the more detailed integration phase of their development and test of the avionics.” An avionics developer’s desktop might include a real aircraft display, a virtual simulation of a second aircraft display, any of the associated avionics boxes – radios, navigation, radar – in a mix of real or virtual components. The software engineer developing a specific piece of code can access any number of real or virtual elements on his desktop, and run integrated tests. He can add or subtract components by himself independent of any other developer on the team. “In the past, you may have had to schedule lab time or computer time, and/or wait for somebody else’s component to reach a level that you could test. With our environment, an engineer can move ahead with integrating their code quicker – they can use either virtual elements or components of real elements, and no matter where they are in the development stage, they continue to advance their work. Ultimately they come together in a system rig or systems integration lab where all of the hardware components are together; they’ll upload their code and run it in an integrated systems mode with all the avionics,” explained Knowles.

course is greatly more expensive than if you could do it in a simulated or a desktop environment.” Knowles said, “Utilizing the CORE sim architecture, they’ll be able to record flight data on a bit-by-bit basis and we’ll be able to play that back at the same high fidelity, bit-by-bit. We’ll be able to recreate everything that they see, which will allow troubleshooting in the desktop environment without being on the aircraft.” “The avionics today are so software-oriented and so highly integrated and the communications protocols and the architecture that drives them are also extremely complicated. The complexity, the throughput, and the bandwidth are so much greater that our ability to provide the CORE simulation architecture for development and test that can handle that level of complexity and the flexibility of the development where you can troubleshoot, track,

On-the-ground Flight Test Knowles also noted that, “One of the things we are able to bring was a broad envelope that allowed the avionics development team all the freedom they needed for their pre-test cases on the ground before they ever got to the aircraft.” In the past, fixed test cases had a defined, limited set of parameters. “You know you’re going to take off exactly this way, you’re going to fly exactly to this altitude, you’re going to perform exactly this maneuver. They would just run those over and over again so they had some level of understanding how their software would perform before they got into flight test.” Often in flight test on the aircraft, something will happen that cannot be recreated in the systems integration labs or avionics development lab. “Then you would basically be troubleshooting on the aircraft – pre-flight, post-flight or in-flight – which of

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Modeling & Simulation and develop in that manner, I would say, has proven to be one of the most beneficial aspects.” Because the avionics work was done in Rockwell’s sim architecture, they are in a unique position to be able to re-use that software in a simulation and training environment. The KC-46 Aircrew Training System was awarded in April to FlightSafety International, and it is anticipated that Rockwell Collins will play some role in development of the Level D full-flight simulators and other training devices. “We wanted to make sure that re-host, re-target, re-use of that software would be built-in as a matter of doing the avionics development so we could roll that in a cost-effective way back into simulation and training,” noted Knowles. “In addition, in the unique position we will always be with the avionics team, we will be able to provide aircraft concurrency updates to the simulation and training devices in almost a near-real-time capability. If there is a software change or a ‘red label’ [development stage] to ‘black label’ [ready to use] change, we can literally take that right off the avionics developer’s desk.”

Subsequent to the KC-46 avionics program, Rockwell Collins has been applying a similar approach on their Pro Line Fusion commercial avionics suite, which is being used on new aircraft such as the Bombardier CSeries, which began test flights in September. Fusion has also been selected for Bombardier’s new Global Vision cockpit and AgustaWestland’s AW609 tilt-rotor aircraft.

From Concept to Training CAE is taking a similar ‘virtual aircraft’ approach in supporting development of Bombardier’s CSeries, as well as the Global commercial aircraft family. As part of the Global 7000 and 8000 programs, CAE will deliver an engineering development simulator, host computer system, and test rig interface using its Augmented Engineering Environment (AEE) software suite. AEE is also being used in the Chinese C919 to help develop, evaluate, test, and validate a range of aircraft models and systems. On the military and homeland side, CAE has supported various stages of program development – from requirements specification to design of an upgrade –

on armored vehicle systems, maritime controls, aerial surveillance platforms, mobile biological containment labs, and security for the Winter Olympic Games. “A major advantage of simulation modeling is that it drives down cost very significantly. It prevents you from making incorrect design assumptions or decisions as you’re building a system,” stated Joe Armstrong, regional leader, Canada, for CAE’s Integrated Enterprise Solutions (IES) business. “You don’t have to re-engineer it once you’ve already implemented it, and it also helps you interface with a customer to de-risk requirements that may not have been well interpreted. You can use simulation, basically, to iron those out.” A government customer will issue requirements based on a predictive future state, which Armstrong explained as a future operational environment and future capabilities of what they believe the weapon system will be able to achieve. “Well before you cut steel and invest in the physical implementation of the system, you use simulation to show a customer the exact level of performance that he will be able to achieve. Does

A i r . L a n d. S e a . O n e Pa rt n e r f o r S i m u l

this meet your requirements? If it does not, then let’s explore options to either change the requirement or change the system design. “You can modify requirements to meet the realistic levels of performance that can be achieved with current technology. And then you have objective performance-based data that can be used from a traceability perspective as you’ve gone through implementation.” CAE has been a key partner of Lockheed Martin on the Halifax Class Modernization Program, which is upgrading command and control systems, radars, tactical data links, electronic support measures, and other electronic warfare capabilities on the Canadian frigates. “We paired human factors and human systems integration with modeling and simulation to help them design not only the unique interfaces for the operator systems but also an understanding of how to build a business process that optimizes the configuration of all the systems, workflow, and the workload that the operators are undergoing.” Royal Canadian Navy Vice-Admiral Mark Norman said in November that

the program is proceeding “at full speed. We’re on track to modernize all 12 Halifax-class frigates by 2017.” CAE also applied simulation modeling – from concept development into the design phase – for the Advanced Land Fire Control System which was implemented in the mobile gun system on the US Army Stryker armored vehicles. The effort included modeling of the environment, weapon systems ballistics, electrooptical and infrared sensors for the crew commander and gunner, defensive suites, and laser warning receivers. “It was very, very holistic,” said Armstrong. “It got into the detailed system level modeling all the way to the operator-machine interface as we iterated the design and fielding.” For a potential new maritime surveillance patrol aircraft for Canada, CAE worked with both the government program management office and subsequently on the implementation side on behalf of the contractors. “We used human-in-the-loop simulation and cognitive performance and human workload modeling to help define the requirements of the aircraft and the training requirements, and then flowed all of that capa-

u l at i o n a n d Tr a i n i n g .

bility to the OEMs as they were going through the design phase.” Typically, Armstrong described, the challenge is trying to identify a highly complex and dynamic environment where multiple simultaneous events occur that may be beyond an operator’s ability to respond. Then mitigate against that by building automation into the system or changing the way information is displayed to an operator to reduce the risk of an accident or critical event that may jeopardize survivability. “The greatest contributing factor to failure is human error because you haven’t designed a system that incorporates the ability of that person to respond. “You can imagine events where you’re flying a surveillance aircraft into a littoral operation where all of a sudden your electronic surveillance measures detect a missile that’s been fired at you... while you’re trying to track a submarine... while you have an engine failure... and your battle management system suddenly starts to fail. How do you build both the training and the systems themselves to make sure the operators can deal with all those simultaneously?” mst

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Durable, Affordable and Releasing Helicopter Resources

NH90 Maintenance Training Rig by Reiser Systemtechnik GmbH

Reiser Systemtechnik delivers the first NH90 Maintenance Training Rig to the German Armed Forces

ince contract signature in December 2010 Reiser Systemtechnik GmbH develops and manufactures five helicopters, which are not built to fly. These helicopters are NH90 Maintenance Training Rigs (MTR) for the training of NH90 helicopter maintenance technicians. The MTR project is a German-French defense cooperation initiated by Germany and managed by the NATO Helicopter Management Agency (NAHEMA). Both Nations are sharing equally the development cost. Procuring via an international procurement agency like NAHEMA shows tremendous advantages for all parties especially during times of tight budgets. The MTR contract has therefore been tailored to allow an easy process for joining of future customers. Contractor and customer have agreed on fixed prices, which facilitate a direct promotion of the product to potential customers by the contracting agency to the benefit of the launching customers. In this way, non-recurring costs will be reimbursed retroactively to the launching customer. An attractive business model - for customer and contractor. Synthetic training devices make sense if procedures are extremely complex and thus original equipment could be damaged during training, when training would deplete the scarce original spare parts and significant cost saving potentials over the entire life cycle exist. The MTR fulfills all these criteria. Utilizing long lasting materials and having short lead times for spares A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E

ordering generate an unprecedented availability of the training device for the customer. Furthermore, initial procurement costs are 50 to 70% less compared with the alternative of using the original aircraft, and this without any compromise regarding the representativeness of maintenance procedures to reach the training objectives. It’s not a secret that initial doubts concerning the design approach of the MTR existed. Customer satisfaction is one of the most important goals for Reiser and indispensable for a long-term customer relation. Thus it was of paramount importance to build trust by demonstrating in an early stage of the project that the concept actually works.To do so, Reiser advanced the development and production of the replicated NH90 engine and installed it in a real NH90 helicopter prototype within 9 months after contract signature. Contractor and operator hand in hand. Training and Simulation insiders are familiar with the difficulties to acquire original aircraft data to build a simulation training device. Either these data are quite expensive or sometimes not even available at all. To tackle this issue, Reiser applied unique technologies and developed robust processes, which allowed gathering the necessary data in an efficient and effective way directly from the original aircraft. For the production, almost all commercially available production methods from conventional machinery to 3D printing were applied which allowed achieving both high

production quality as well as short purchase lead times for spare parts necessary for the InService-Support phase. How could Reiser minimize risk for such an unprecedented project? Acceptance tests are often critical and sensitive milestones. Despite deep customer involvement during the design phase, different contractual interpretations are no exceptions but fatal at this late point in time. To avoid such an unpleasant situation, Reiser applied an innovative procedure: In anticipation to the actual contractual factory acceptance tests, a virtual acceptance was conducted by the bi-national expert team. Using a 3D simulation, the customer could perform all maintenance procedures according to the applicable electronic technical documentation of the NH90 aircraft. Risk minimization for customer and contractor. Reiser’s MTR concept foresees not only the sole use of replicated parts or replicated aircrafts, but allows also combining replicated parts with original parts, which might be not usable for flight anymore. The NH90 helicopter as one of the most complex military rotary wing aircrafts has been the perfect test bed to prove that the MTR concept can be applied to other civil and military fixed and rotary wing platforms, as well. Decreasing defense budgets will keep all of us busy to find “out of the box” solutions. A concept like the MTR, which combines costeffectiveness with releasing original helicopter resources, is one example how to tackle it.

“The roll-out of the NH90 helicopter considerably impacted the military aeronautical family’s attitude. So the training, as well, has changed thanks to this new helicopter generation. The adaptation of modern technologies and new maintenance concepts has been an essential step for our trainers who successfully performed it with a determined spirit and happiness. Means of training have to follow this technology and an idea of building a mockup of the NH90 was born. In fact, this one will permit to train practical courses without causing stress for personnel and for productionaircraft. These repetitive tasks will be less damaging on the MTR and result in availability of production aircraft for different trainings. After extensive briefing and orientation, the designers of this project have drawn a complete mock-up for technical training. Finally, the MTR will deliver more than 60 per cent of practical tasks assigned before to the production aircraft. Relationship between REISER Systemtechnik GmbH and the ground crew instructors of the French Joint (Army and Navy) NH90 training center (CFIA NH90) has been very close since the beginning of the

Lieutenant Colonel Volker Benz, Technical School of the German Airforce 3 in Faßberg, Germany.

“Regarding modern aircraft, industry is more involved in maintenance than they used to be. This is why technical training for recent aircraft goes less into depth than that of proven weapon systems. Nevertheless, due to the complexity of modern aircraft, the demands on training and trainees are extraordinarily high. Furthermore, the mate-

Adjudant-chef CAVAGNAL, ground crew chief instructor, French Army and Navy Joint Training Center (CFIA) NH90 (pictured centre).

project. In fact, from the beginning of the training need analysis, the people involved worked seriously and with great accuracy on the project in order to design and manufacture a product which completely meets the customer’s requirements. The Maintenance Training Rig is the result of a flourishing partnership between REISER Systemtechnik GmbH and the CFIA NH90 thanks to professional sense of business and conviviality.” rials used in these aircraft are optimized for efficient and effective operative use, but not designed for the repeated stresses caused by training. The NH90 MTR will be used primarily for training regarding mechanical components. For the defined procedures, they are a fully adequate replacement for a much more expensive mission-capable aircraft. Acceptance of the MTR by trainers and trainees will depend upon the first experiences gained with the rigs in real training situations. However, success is to be expected because of the high degree of resemblance between MTR and HC and because of the impressions already gained in cooperation during production. For the future, the share of training conducted on the MTR will increase to a planned 70% with only the remainder being conducted on real aircraft. This means that the high-value resource of real aircraft is freed up for flight operations. The NH90 MTR is the result of excellent cooperation between customer and contractor. It will lead to considerable gains both for training and flight operations.”

simulation & training

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Customer Voices

A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E

Training Systems

P-8 Training System Takes Flight Group Editor Marty Kauchak reports on the US Navy’s rapidly evolving P-8A training system and status of training programs for international customers of the new aircraft.

he US Navy’s replacement platform for the P-3C Orion, the P-8A Poseidon, will soon start to secure the service’s future in long-range maritime patrol capability. The P-8A is a derivative of a modified Boeing 737-800ERX airliner, and brings together a reliable airframe and high-bypass turbo fan jet engine with a fully connected open architecture mission system. Coupled with next-generation sensors, the P-8A is set to dramatically improve the Navy’s antisubmarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities around the world. The first fleet squadron in Jacksonville, Florida, Patrol Squadron (VP-16), has completed its P-3C to P-8A transition and is preparing for the first operational P-8A deployment this December. Beyond the leap ahead in operational capabilities the Poseidon will provide operational commanders, the program’s training system is also nothing less than cutting edge. The P-8A training system’s latest technologies and instructional strategies concurrently provide multi-tiered instruction to different learning audiences as part of the program’s maturity and quickening expansion.

“Inherently multifaceted” Learning System Through the turmoil surrounding the Pentagon’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget process, the Navy’s program of record for P-8s remains at 117, LaToya Graddy, Naval Air Systems Command’s public affairs officer for the program, confirmed for MS&T this October. Also during that month, Boeing, the P-8A’s OEM, delivered its 11th Poseidon to the sea service, according to Charles “Chick” Ramey, the company’s program spokesperson. As this issue was 26

M S & T MAGA Z INE 6 . 2 0 1 3

published Boeing remained on contract to deliver 37 Poseidons to the Navy. Accordingly, the supporting learning system must deliver training to multiple work groups of differing experience levels across the entire maritime patrol developmental and operational continua. Captain Scott Dillon, program manager for the Navy’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office (PMA-290), explained “The learning system is inherently multifaceted and provides the flexibility necessary to account for these different learning groups and their varying experience levels.” On one end of the training continuum, aircrews conducting test and evaluation receive train-the-tester training. Dillon noted train-the-tester training provides experienced aircrews in-depth knowledge of a specific system to support testing. “This differs markedly from the other end of the spectrum where new aircrews, which have far less experience, require a learning system that delivers a much longer syllabus that encompasses not only the P-8A’s mission systems but also tactics,” he added.

A P-8A Poseidon conducts flyovers above the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group during exercise Bold Alligator 2012. Image credit: Daniel J. Meshel/ U.S. Navy.

In between these two extremes are a number of other training requirements: train-the-trainer, conversion of P-3 qualified aircrew, and type refresher training to name a few. The P-8A learning system also delivers this same continuum for maintenance personnel. “It currently delivers training to experienced maintainers via the Interim Maintenance Training course and will provide, in 2016, training to maintenance personnel who have no previous P-8A experience,” Dillon said.

Enabling Technologies Boeing, as the P-8 OEM and prime integrator, developed the P-8A Training System as an integrated total training system based upon a training system’s front-end, joint training needs analysis/task analysis using the latest Instructional System Design techniques. Jerry Bushue, the company’s business development director for P-8, recalled his industry team participated in the analysis with its Navy customer. “We captured the results and used the analysis tools resident in Boeing’s Computer-Aided Mission Analysis (CAMA) tool to produce the training needs analysis documentation. For the actual maintenance courseware production for Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training, we take the task analysis results from CAMA and input them into the Authoring Instructional Materials (AIM) tool to actual produce the lesson materials,” Bushue said. AIM remains a government-managed system used by the Navy and other agencies to develop, update, manage, and

integrate training content (http://aim. aimereon.com/aim/). Beyond completing the joint training needs analysis/ task analysis, the sea service also laid the foundation for the training program infrastructure. The US Navy’s P-8A training is currently focused at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville where the Integrated Training

Inside the flight simulator at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville P-8A Integrated Training Center. Image credit: Salt Cebe/U.S. Navy.

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M S & T MAGA Z INE 6 . 2 0 1 3

Training Systems Center and soon-to-be-completed Maintenance Training Facility are located. With construction scheduled for completion this fiscal year, the 58,262-square-foot operational and maintenancetraining facility will ultimately house electronic classrooms, six virtual maintenance trainers and additional training devices. Boeing’s Bushue noted the Jacksonville Aircrew Integrated Training Center’s training device deliveries through 2014 for aircrews will include nine Operational Flight Trainers (OFTs), six Weapons Tactics Trainers (WTTs), three part task trainers and associated courseware, classrooms and desktop simulations, all of which will provide concurrent capabilities with the aircraft. As this issue was published, CAE, a program subcontractor to Boeing, had delivered 10 OFTs. Chris Stellwag, the director for Marketing and Communications in Defense & Security at CAE, said the OFT visual display system uses Barco Sim7Q liquid crystal on silicon projectors. The visual display mirror system is provided by Rockwell Collins. Stellwag further pointed out “The CAE-built OFTs feature the CAE True Electric Motion system and flight controls. Boeing selected Aechelon Technology as the image generator supplier and provides the image generators to CAE as buyer furnished equipment for integration into the OFT.” CAE has also delivered 17 Aircraft enhanced Desk Top Environment trainers (AeDTEs). The company has one additional P-8A AeDTE on contract which was awarded in August 2013. For the Poseidon’s maintenance program, the learning system will provide a mix of simulation and a mix of hardware

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devices, some of which will be linked to the simulation. These hardware devices cover onboard mission systems through to systems such as the engine and external aircraft structures (e.g., the landing gear). CAE has delivered one Simfinity Virtual Maintenance Trainer classroom which includes one Instructor station and nine student stations, to support this training audience. The Navy end-user has realized considerable reductions in non-recurring engineering and development costs, and other efficiencies gained from CAE’s heritage as a supplier of Boeing 737 training devices and related simulation and training support. Most significantly, CAE designs and manufactures a range of Boeing 737 flight simulators for airline customers around the world. Stellwag observed “we leverage this experience in developing the OFTs for Boeing’s P-8A program. The OFTs use our baseline CAE 7000 Series B737 full-flight simulator and any product line hardware improvements we make to the baseline product are incorporated in the OFTs for delivery to Boeing for their integration of the P-8A unique software.” Another Boeing-led S&T industry team member is Systems Service Enterprises, Inc. (SSE) which provides support for courseware development.

What’s Different? The Maritime Patrol Fleet Replacement Squadron, VP-30, delivers all initial aircrew training and transition training via the Fleet Introduction Team, and train-the-trainer training. Contracted support services and providers generally provide train-the-tester training. Similarly, they supply transitional maintenance training to maintainers with the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit, preparing to commence full continuum maintenance training in 2016. Learning systems courseware is delivered through several media with the selection of the medium specific for the target audience. Accordingly, courseware is delivered via self-paced Computer Based Training or instructor-led classes. Aircrew at VP-30 will also conduct numerous training flights within the simulators before their training culminates in conducting specific training scenarios within the P-8A itself. The Navy’s Dillon further noted that currently, refresher training for maintenance personnel is being developed. “This will provide our deployed maintainers the opportunity to keep their skills up-to-date no matter their location,” he emphasized. Dillon was asked to place the training system’s new technologies and program’s training design in perspective, and highlight what sets them apart from those of the legacy P-3C and other naval aviation programs. At the top of his list, the service training official noted the P-8A OFT is an all-electric, full motion simulator that is based upon the latest CAE commercial training system architecture. “As such, P-8A pilots can now count time in the simulator just as if they were doing it in the aircraft. This is especially [important] for the US Navy’s maritime patrol capability as the intention has always been to maximize the use of simulation in maintaining the US Navy’s capability. Maximum use of simulation should reduce operational and sustainment costs over the capabilities’ life cycle, effectively delivering more ‘bang for the buck’,” he emphasized.

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Training Systems The P-8A maintenance training facility combines simulated training with hands-on training. “While this approach is not new, the P-8A system takes it to the next level by nearly doubling the number of simulated tasks available for maintenance personnel to undertake,” Dillon said, and added, “The P-8A Virtual Maintenance Trainer will also employ the latest virtualization technology in order to achieve the best possible training outcomes whilst also reducing life cycle sustainment costs. Although previous generation P-3 training systems could couple the flight deck with the tactical rail, the P-8A training system takes this further by allowing any OFT to be coupled with any WTT across a single training site. “This will increase system availability, facilitating crew-based training across the entire training evolution,” Dillon pointed out. For its part, Boeing will retain its industry leadership for the US Navy’s P-8A training system well into the future.

The company is under contract to maintain simulator / aircraft concurrency through 2015. Bushue added, “Boeing expects to be under contract by the end of 2013 to deliver the US Navy’s maintenance training curriculum, courseware and training devices. Boeing will continue delivering P-8A maintenance training to transitioning P-3 squadrons at Jacksonville through 2016, followed by training the transitioning Whidbey Island [Washington] squadrons.”

International P-8 Developments Beyond the US Navy’s P-8A program are rapidly evolving developments in other navies’ maritime patrol programs. As P-3s and other legacy maritime patrol aircraft in other sea services around the world approach the end of their service lives, those navies are viewing the P-8A with increasing interest. The Indian Navy is preparing to become the first Poseidon international

operator, with Boeing on contract with the Indian government for eight P-8I aircraft (a variant of the P-8A). Boeing’s Ramey noted there are options for four additional aircraft. “The first plane arrived in India in May and we'll deliver the second in the coming weeks,” the program spokesperson said in October. Boeing, through that direct commercial sale, has finished aircrew and maintenance training for the Indian Navy’s first P-8 squadron. “We just completed training 100 (plus) Indian students in Seattle who will operate and maintain the aircraft,” Ramey added. The P-8 OEM remains in discussions with the Indian Navy to establish a turnkey P-8I training center for that sea service. Australia is also expected to order a minimum of eight P-8s. Canberra is projected to have the aircraft delivered and in service around 2016 or 2017. The nation is already participating in the development of the P-8’s Increment 2 and Increment 3 upgrades. mst

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Training Technology

Being Red MS&T’s Dim Jones participates in a Red Force sortie in one of the series Exercise Carbon Copy, in which a force of friendly Typhoons takes on a composite enemy force.

n a ramp a few hundred yards from the passenger terminal at Durham Tees Valley International Airport (DTVA), near Middlesbrough on England’s north-east coast, sit 6 aircraft which, to the casual observer, appear to be bizjets. They are, indeed, Dassault Falcon 20s, but closer inspection reveals a variety of underwing pods and fairings which mark them out as something very different. Operated by Cobham Aviation Services, these aircraft play a vital support role for the front line of both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. They are part of a fleet of 14 aircraft, 6 more of which are based at Cobham’s headquarters at Bournemouth, on England’s south coast, with the remaining 2 in reserve. The primary role of the Teesside flight is support of the RAF’s fast-jet squadrons, which are based along the east coast of England and Scotland, and the airfield is ideally placed for this purpose at roughly the mid-point. Similarly, the Bournemouth flight’s primary role is support of the fleet, although, as I saw when I had the opportunity to fly with them, the 2 flights support each other with both crews and aircraft when the task demands it. 34

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Contract Cobham is under contract to the MoD to provide 6500 hours flying per year, of which 3500 is earmarked for the RN and 2500 for the RAF, leaving 500 for contingencies. There is also a separate small contract with NATO. The Joint Services Air Tasking Organisation (JSATO), based at RNAS Yeovilton, tasks the aircraft. The DA-20s have been based at DTVA since 1994, originally as Flight Refuelling Ltd and subsequently as FR Aviation. Their original role was Electronic Warfare training, and this task they assumed on the disbandment of No 360 Squadron, a joint RAF/RN unit which had operated the Canberra for many years. However, since that time, some creative thinking on the part of the operators has broadened the spectrum of roles that the DA-20 can accomplish, such that it has remained a key part of the training system. On the demise of the Tornado F3, to be replaced by Typhoon with its sophisticated radar and Defensive Aids SubSystem (DASS), it was thought in some quarters that the role of the DA-20 would become irrelevant. However, properly employed EW can affect any radar, no matter how sophisticated, and degrade

the situational awareness of any aviator, no matter how competent. The old techniques of range gate and velocity gate stealing against Doppler and pulse radars respectively can still cause trouble, as can repeater and false target generators. The jammer’s aim is to compress the timeline in which an opposing aircraft has to formulate and execute his tactics and, if possible, confuse his radar at the ‘moment critique’, when it is sending information to an air-to-air missile just prior to launch. Furthermore, by use of appropriate coding in the Pre-Flight Messages (PFM) sent to the DASS, the DA-20 can simulate to its opponents just about any threat aircraft, and its representative armament. True, its performance means that it cannot emulate the high speed and high rates of climb and descent of the true adversary, but it has a good turning performance and, in conjunction with other aircraft which are better suited to close combat, it can play an important role as a part of a coherent threat package; when closely co-ordinated, the DA-20 and the Hawk make a particularly effective combination. At a fraction of the operating cost of a Typhoon, the DA-20 is also a very cost-effective solution.

Above Dassault Falcon 20. Right Fred and JonO at work on the flight deck. All images: Dim Jones

Although Cobham’s main customers are fast-jet aircraft and ships, training support is also provided for helicopters and tactical transport aircraft. For the Tornado GR4 in the ground-attack role, the DA-20s can provide comms jamming and threat simulation (from both air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles), and ‘picturebuilding’ comm, simulating an AWACS commentary. They can also jam the E-3 and GCI radars, and act as threats to highvalue targets. Lastly, they play a major role in major periodic national and international exercises, such as the Combined Qualified Weapons Instructor (CQWI) courses, and Exercise Joint Warrior. The DA-20 can carry up to 4 pods: an Air Threat Radar Simulator (ATRS) pod, which does what it says on the tin; a I/J Band jamming pod which operates across the frequency spectrum used by modern air intercept radars; an E-Band pod, which targets the AWACS radar; and a RAIDS (Rangeless Airborne Instrumented Debriefing System) pod, which transmits combat data from individual aircraft for accurate mission debrief. A fairing underneath the fuselage houses an ESM aerial which, when linked to the onboard spectrum analyser, acts as a sophisticated radar warning receiver. Also under the fuselage are ALE-40 chaff dispensers. Lastly, some aircraft are equipped with a Real Time Monitoring System (RTMS), which takes real-time RAIDS information from all equipped players and displays it

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on a screen in the rear cabin; this, in conjunction with monitoring of the appropriate radio frequencies, allows the DA-20 crew to act as Range Training Officer (RTO) – of which more later. The normal crew is 3 – Captain, First Officer and Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO). The Captains and EWOs are predominantly (although not exclusively) ex-military, most with EW and Weapons Instructor qualifications; the First Officers have predominantly civil aviation backgrounds, and many are ‘self-improvers’. All are kept busy, and can expect to log around 500 flying hours per year – not as many as some airline crews but, given the extra time spent in mission planning, briefing and debriefing, impressive enough.

Carbon Copy The sortie in which I was privileged to participate was one of a series of Exercise Carbon Copy, in which a force of friendly Typhoons took on a composite enemy force, comprising Typhoon,

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Training Technology Hawk and DA-20. The Blue Force comprised 10 Typhoons from RAF Coningsby, who were required to man a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) for a specified period, against a Red Force, which comprised a Typhoon (Callsign Razor 51) as Red Air Lead, 3 DA-20s and 4 Hawks. My Captain, Fred Grundy, I had last seen when we served together on an F-4 squadron in the late 70s, and the EWO, Ted Threapleton – also Cobham’s Teesside Head of Operations - much more recently when we were both reservists at RAF Leeming. Ted was a Weapons Instructor on No XI(F) Squadron, equipped with Tornado F3, and I was flying on No 100 Squadron, which was contributing the Hawks to today’s Red Force. Our aircraft was to be the tactical lead of the DA-20s, Callsigns Vader and Zodiac, 2 of which were simulating Su-27 Flanker, armed with AA-10 Alamo, and the third Su-30MKI (Flanker-H) with the new PL-12; we were also equipped with RTMS and were to act as RTO. The sequence started with a telephone conference call, involving the Blue Air Mission Commander, Cobham and the Red Air GCI (Callsign Hotspur). Having established clearances appropriate to a non-secure telephone line, the brief covered such items as NOTAMs, Training Rules and Special Instructions (SpIns), Rules of Combat (above 5,000ft) and Evasion Grades below. Safe separation would be maintained throughout by geography and the use of height blocks, which were carefully briefed. The exercise was to take place in Training Area 323, which essentially covers the North Sea inside the London FIR between The Wash in the south, and abeam Newcastle in the north.

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Red Air Lead had faxed down some information on the target profiles to be used by the Red Air package, from which Fred extracted navigational and other data to be used in the DA-20 internal brief. I should emphasise at this point that, no matter how orderly and relaxed the intended timeline for briefing and getting airborne might have been, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, in this case in the form of late information and changes from Coningsby. Our brief was short and sharp, but thoroughly covering pertinent points for the benefit of one of the Bournemouth crews who were supporting us, and were more used to Type 45s than Typhoons. The normal procedure would have been to mix Teesside and Bournemouth personnel within the crews; however, in this case, the Bournemouth aircraft had to recover there direct from the training area. Following a last-minute visit to the essential facilities – the Cobham DA-20 is not equipped with a ‘comfort station’ – start-up and taxi were accomplished in quick time. Although DTVA is a civilian airport, there is a good understanding between ATC and Cobham, assisted by maximum use of VFR departures and recoveries. For this exercise, the airfield’s convenient situation, near the Red Force start and finish point, meant that the absolute maximum of airborne time could be spent on task. The sortie was planned for 3 runs; in the event, we had the fuel, time and opposition for a fourth. Information on the position and threat of Blue aircraft was passed, with reference to a Bullseye, to Red by Hotspur (GCI) and the reverse by Magic (AWACS). In our aircraft, operation of the RMTS was a full-time job for Ted and, therefore, we were not doing any active jamming. Although Ted could see in his display the position, height speed and heading of any RAIDS-equipped aircraft, it did not tell him when, and against whom, shots were being taken. For that, monitoring of both Blue and Red frequencies was necessary, and constant passage of information between the back of the aircraft and the front, where Fred and his First Officer, John Oratis (JonO), were using the TCAS display in their glass cockpit to generate their situational awareness, to monitor the positions of Blue threat aircraft such that we could react appropriately, and also to take shots of our own if the opportunity presented itself. Additionally, as the DA-20 tactical lead, Fred had to keep tabs on the position of the other 2 aircraft, and direct them as required. Meanwhile all shots were logged and evaluated, Kill Probability (PK) applied, and successful shots reported to the hapless victim on the relevant frequency to effect kill removal. My own contribution to this effort, apart from monitoring events and witnessing three one-armed paper-hangers working together as a crew, was to dispense chaff when called, and ‘spike’ to activate the ATRS pod and simulate a shot on another aircraft. By the time we recovered for an uneventful landing, we had been airborne nearly 2 hours and it seemed like about 20 minutes.

Debrief The debrief took place once we had all caught our breath, and centred around how the DA-20s had done their job, and how they could do it better. Fred’s view was that combining the role of RTO with being an active member of the Red formation – especially as tactical lead – was extremely demanding, and the RTO could do a better job remaining behind the start line; on the

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other hand, there was no doubt that we had contributed to the threat by being in the engagement area and, therefore, to the overall value of the sortie from Blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective. Ted emphasised that the Cobham crews exist only to serve the customer, have no training aims or requirements of their own, and nothing to prove. Cobham may be a civilian operator, but unsurprisingly it works with very much a military ethos, and a can-do attitude, which, while immensely helpful to the customer, can bring its own pitfalls. In attempting to react to customer requests, sometimes made with an imperfect knowledge of the capabilities of the DA-20 and its crew, there can be a danger of overstretching oneself, albeit in a good cause, for which the sovereign remedy must be a mixture of education of the customer, and a large helping of common sense. On the evidence of my very limited exposure to their work, there is certainly no lack of professionalism; indeed, I have seen front-line organisations with far less operational focus.

So what of the future? Cobham Aviation Services operates in the UK and Australia, and is a small part of a global and diverse organisation. Like other elements of the company it remains a commercial operation, committed to making a profit for its shareholders. The EW training organisation, in turn, needs to cut operating costs to the minimum commensurate with safety, in order to demonstrate value for money. In truth, in this specialist role, there is probably no credible competition to Cobham from other

Ted Threapleton in our 'office'. Image credit: Dim Jones.

companies; the challenge, in an environment of severe budgetary constraint, is to establish that their role is needed at all. From my perspective and limited knowledge, that it is needed seems selfevident; moreover, every effort should be made to ensure that the maximum benefit is derived from the resources available. But what do I know? mst

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Show Report

MAKS 2013 Zhukovsky – 40 km southeast of Moscow, and the home of the Gromov Flight Research Insititute – was the site of MAKS 2013. Dim Jones reports.

his eleventh in the biennial series of the International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS 2013) took place between 27th and 31st August 2013. Although it lacked the showpiece features of its predecessor, such as the first appearance in Russia of the A-380, the first public appearance of the 5th-generation Sukhoi T-50 fighter and the strong contingent of US military aircraft, there was still plenty to see. The weather was unusually cool for a Moscow summer and, for the first part of the week at least, the rain held off, although the public days at the weekend were weather-affected; nevertheless, an estimated 350,000 people visited the show over the period. For those who had braved the dire transport arrangements of Le Bourget some weeks previously, the first noticeable feature of this show was the organisation. True, there was the same fierce competition to see how many souls could be packed into a single bus, without benefit of air conditioning; and Zhukovsky is in a largely rural area, albeit abutting the city of the same name. However, there was a not-so-small army of policemen and other marshals on hand – 3600 of them according to the official website - to maintain security and to ensure that traffic flowed, the latter helped by the closure of the city’s streets to all vehicles without a MAKS pass. On arrival at the show, visitors entered via the extensive static park, in which were displayed a wide range of aircraft past and present, military and civilian, fixed- and rotary-wing. They included some types previously known to Cold War warriors such as myself only from aircraft recognition slides, and others that have since become a familiar part of air shows worldwide. The exhibition site, though small by Paris and Farnborough standards, was well laid out and, again, marshalled by a host of guides. The exhibitor list boasted 575 Russian companies and 389 ‘foreign’ from 44 nations and, although a good proportion of the latter were from Russia’s close neighbours, there was still a good rep-

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

resentation of exhibitors from further afield. Exhibitors who, clearly successfully, braved the notoriously rigorous customs regulations included, as noted by Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, “such global tycoons as Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier and Siemens”. Exhibitors from many countries were colocated, some around national pavilions, and several sharing stands. This was reflected by the host nation in the joint presentation of fixed-wing aircraft manufacturers Beriev, Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev and Yakovlev under the banner of the United Aircraft Corporation, and Kamov, Mil and Kazan as Russian Helicopters. UAC and RH are joint stock companies, created at the behest of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin and with the Russian government as the majority stakeholder. The aim was to streamline and standardise financial regulation, to promote constructive and eliminate destructive competition, and encourage best practice. Those I spoke to were of the opinion that the initiative had proved effective.

Hardware In common with other major air shows the emphasis was on hardware and there were relatively few training-related products on display; Dinamika and Transas both displayed FTDs for military helicopters, and Flight Studio Technology an A-320 device. Irkut had

CSTS Dinamika and Ulyanovsk Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau (UIMDB) presented a prototype full flight simulator for the new medium multirole helicopter Mi-171A2. Image credit: MAKS.

show venues around the world. Flight Studio Technology, a relatively young St Petersburg-based organisation, operates only in the civil air training market and only – thus far – within Russia. Their FTDs are produced in 4 levels, ranging from desktop devices to fully-enclosed cockpits, with the standard application being the A-320, but with options for A-330 and, in the future, MS-21. FST also have ambitions to branch out into the FFS market, and have developed the New EVOlution Simulator System (NEVOSS), a generic ICAO Level 7 device. The company’s emphasis is on exploiting the lateral thinking of a youthful workforce, and developing new technologies, which can then be applied to existing platforms.

Flying Display The flying was limited for the trade days, with a full programme on the public days. Eye catching solo displays included the latest variants of Su-27 and MiG-29, performing manoeuvres which 15 years ago would have been viewed as outrageous, but which now have become routine,

though no less demanding for that; there was a spirited overseas contribution from Rafale, and impressive turns from the Kamov-52 Alligator attack helicopter and the Antonov 70 medium-range transport. The Sukhoi PAK FA T-50 fifthgeneration fighter made another appearance; although its display was somewhat more lively than on its debut appearance 2 years ago, there is clearly some way to go before the aircraft is ready to explore its full flight envelope. On the civil side, A-380 and SuperJet took to the skies, and the crowds were entertained by several aerobatic teams: the Breitling Team in their L-29s; the Swifts, Falcons and Russian Knights in their MiG-29s and Su-27s from the host nation; and last, but not least, the first appearance outside China of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force ‘1st August’ team in their Chengdu J-10s. In sum, MAKS 2013 may not have had some of the ‘star turns’ of the 2011 events, but it was a friendly and wellorganised event, which will have furthered the cause of Russian aviation, both at home and abroad. mst

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on show an L3D category Fixed-Base Simulator for the new MS-21 family of short- to mid-range airliners. There is as yet no parallel organisation to UAC and RH for companies engaged in the provision of training; however, there is a great deal of collaboration going on, both formal and informal, especially in the field of simulation between such as Transas, Kronshtadt and Dinamika. They are also forming partnerships with non-Russian companies for export purposes. There was a variance of views as to the degree to which external perceptions of Russian simulator technology might affect sales potential; this was limited to air systems since, as ably demonstrated by Transas, there appears to be no such bar for maritime equipment. There were also differing views on whether restrictions on the ‘export’ of military technology, as applied to systems with world-wide application – such as Russian military helicopters – could also have an adverse effect. The CEO of Kronshtadt, Alexander Golovko, expressed a desire to see more facilities for conducting serious business at air

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Field proven MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

Military Games

Game-Based Apps for Training Despite the challenges, game-based apps are making an appearance in military training. MS&Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Michael Peck reports.

t should be the perfect match. Apps and mobile devices, which have transformed computing. And games, which have transformed what we derive from computers. But for military training, it is has been a match delayed. Apps there are aplenty for the U.S. military, for everything from medical training to physical fitness. And games, too, for tactical training and battle command instruction. But training games on mobile devices? Not easy to find. There are good reasons for this. Tablets and smartphones have limited processing power compared to desktops and laptops. Screen sizes are smaller, and tapping commands on tiny screens can be a chore. Apps, especially games, often seem simplistic compared to their desktop counterparts. But what is the alternative? Mobile device sales are surging while desktop sales languish. Smartphones have almost become part of military kit, to the point where the U.S. Army is pursuing a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) for allowing soldiers to use their personal devices at work. For all their limitations, mobiles are light, portable, convenient, and a lot cheaper than running a base simulation center. And if that's what soldiers are using, then the training community will have to follow suit. But games are coming to military mobiles, albeit slowly.

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

One prominent example is Combat ID, from AEgis Technologies, Huntsville, Ala. An iPad and Android app, Combat ID is designed to teach combat identification of friendly and enemy vehicles. The game is clever enough that it won the 2012 People's Choice award at the I/ITSEC conference's Serious Games Showcase. A free demo version is even available for Android and iOS [https:// itunes.apple.com/us/app/combat-id/ id580195397?mt=8]. Combat ID puts the player in the shoes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or rather, offers the visual perspective â&#x20AC;&#x201C; of a surveillance UAV supporting friendly ground troops. The computer graphics would not appear too shabby compared to a first-person-shooter running on a desktop. There are four scenarios of progressively increasing difficulty. The first has the UAV escorting a friendly convoy

Combat ID is designed to teach combat identification of friendly and enemy vehicles. Image credit: AEgis Technologies.

down a Main Supply Route. There are vehicles along the route, some in the open and others in woods. Crosshairs, representing the UAV's sensors, move from target to target; when they alight on a target, a series of vehicle images appears, with the player tasked with selecting the image that matches the vehicle on the ground. It sounds like a kindergarten exercise, but for two factors. First, there is time pressure: if the vehicle is not identified within a few seconds, a friendly strike aircraft will assume it is hostile and launch a missile to destroy it. Second, it is remarkable how much a U.S. Bradley infantry carrier looks like an enemy BMP-3 from 5,000 feet high on a foggy day, or how much a Humvee resembles an insurgent's Nissan Frontier pickup. A box-like M113 looks a lot like an M270 Multiple Rocket Launch System from overhead, a T-80 can be mistaken for an M-1 Abrams, and there are panoply of unfamiliar foreign vehicles, such as the German Puma infantry carrier and the Italian CV90 tank. It is easy to mis-identify a vehicle, and misidentification, or failing to identify a vehicle in time, counts as a fail. Success unlocks new levels and new capabilities. Because apps like Combat ID are tools, not toys, they must be educational. So Combat ID preps the player with a "training garage" that shows the vehicles in the game from all angles, while a computer voice explains its distinguishing features and armament. Combat ID originated from dual desires at AEgis: to create an effective combat identification tool, and to build up the company's competency in using

commercial game engines for military simulators and interactive media instruction software, according to AEgis marketing director Everett Brooks. "A couple of things were in place to support this," Brooks recalls. "AEgis had great talent with game experience while working at other companies, along with other employees who had game element experience, such as 3-D models, terrain development and simulation experience." AEgis set a team of six designers, programmers, graphic artists and database developers to create Combat ID in less than six months. Like other app developers, AEgis had to struggle with making their software compatible with both iOS and Android, and for different mwodels of tablets and smartphones. Another game-based app is Dismounted Interactive Counter-IED Environment for Training, or DICE-T, from the

Dismounted Interactive Counter-IED Environment for Training (DICE-T). Image credit: Institute for Creative Technologies.

Institute for Creative Technologies, a U.S. Army-funded research lab at the University of Southern California. DICE-T is an Android-based app that uses a first-person-shooter perspective to teach users how to avoid IEDs. The setting is a patrol in Afghanistan that must reach an Afghan village. After receiving an intelligence briefing, players plot their route on a 2-D map and then identify the most likely points along the route for IEDs. The game then switches to 3-D, first-person mode. As the user continues along the plotted route, multiple-choice questions pop up on how to detect or defeat an IED.

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

Military Games MS&T had a chance to see a short video of the prototype. The game begins with a 2-D contour map of the patrol area. The player is asked to mark five different high threat areas for IEDs, and then plan a route. The player traces his finger along the tablet to select the route, which appears as a red path. Instructional video and a voiceover follows, with the narrator reminding users to avoid chokepoints like bridges, alleys and culverts, and to understand the terrain so they predict where the enemy will most likely set an ambush. Then the game-ish part appears as a 3-D first-person-shooter perspective; as the player traverses the patrol route, he taps the screen to indicate likely points for an ambush. Multiple-choice questions flash on the screen, such as "How can a power pole possibly be dangerous?" (answer: insurgents can use them as aiming markers). There are currently several versions, including a standalone tablet version, as well as another version, deployed at Ft. Dix, where users play individually but meet for group after-action reviews (AARs) in a 40-foot Conex trailer. The group AAR version is also available in a more portable configuration that fits in three pelican cases, with a PC used to run the AAR. The next step is a multiplayer version for laptops. Todd Richmond, ICT's director of advanced prototypes and transition, believes game-based apps have much potential, but they must also overcome serious obstacles. "Mobile continues to be a challenge for a variety of reasons. Administrators don't like the devices on the network, and security is a real issue. We're looking at core issues around usability and appropriate use of technology. To date many have thrown technology at problems without really understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the tech and the various approaches. We're looking at projects that are more systematic in that regard, and also the broader problem of, 'okay, I've got a smartphone. Now what do I do with it that is really effective and compelling?'" While Combat ID and DICE-T come out of the defense side of game-based apps, Modern Air Power - Touch is a reminder that games come out of gam44

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

Modern Air Power - Touch resembles a mission planning tool at an Air Operations Center. Image credit: John Tiller Software.

ing. MAP - Touch was designed by John Tiller, who has created dozens of successful high-fidelity PC-based computer wargames, such as the Panzer Campaigns series, for armchair generals. Tiller also created Modern Air Power, a PC entertainment game that, under the name Theater Airpower Visualization, was previously used by the U.S. Air Force at the Squadron Officers College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Modern Air Power - Touch is the Android and iPad version of Modern Air Power. The player controls flights of strike, tanker and support aircraft. With its 2-D map, tiny airplane icons and colored range circles, Modern Air Power - Touch resembles a mission planning tool at an Air Operations Center (a free demo is available at https://itunes.apple. com/us/app/modern-air-power-modern/ id666550423?mt=8). Tiller also says that the Air Force has expressed an interest in Modern Air Power - Touch for BYOD learning. The intro scenario starts with a flight of F-22s and a flight of F-15Es tasked with the destruction of a nuclear facility in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. The players tap the aircraft flight to

select it, taps the destination, and the aircraft head toward it. They will be intercepted by a flight of MiGs as well as surface-to-air missiles. Modern Air Power is not a flight simulator, so there are no high-G dogfights, just small airplane symbols, and little dots – representing missiles – crossing the screen like a game of Pong. What is noteworthy is that while many app-based games limit players to a couple of basic decisions, Modern Air Power-Touch offers players a vast number of options for planning and executing a mission. For example, the player can set the speed of his aircraft at various presets, such as 840 or 960 knots for the F-22. Tapping various menus allows the player to choose which weapons to fire at air or ground targets, check radar and air defense ranges, jettison fuel tanks, or activate jammers and chaff. In other words, the same array of options on the PC version – which is fairly detailed even for desktop strategy games – has been ported over to a tablet. With the small screen space of even a large tablet such as an iPad, tapping menus is slightly awkward, but not unbearably so. Tiller says the key to porting a PC game to a mobile device is downsizing it to fit a mobile's limited capabilities. "The approach I take is to find smaller scenarios that are particularly suited for the mobile device platform as well as the mobile device interface. In addition, you need to understand that a person using a mobile device is probably looking for a shorter experience with an app. While someone may be happy with playing a scenario on a PC that takes months to play – and this is one of the appeals of full PC games – a user is probably looking for a shorter experience on a mobile device that may occupy them while waiting in a doctor's office or at soccer practice." Starting with a PC game also offers the advantage that a desktop-based design offers more capacity for sophisticated features, when can be downsized to fit a mobile, Tiller says. "This results in mobile games which have an exciting level of detail that would be hard to reproduce if we were starting from scratch." mst

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Training coordinated by Battlespace Simulations, Close Air Solutions, and MetaVR. Real-time screen capture is from MetaVR’s visualization system and Kismayo, Somalia, 3D virtual terrain and is unedited except as required for printing. The real-time rendering of the 3D virtual world is generated by MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene GeneratorTM (VRSGTM). 3D models and animations are from MetaVR’s 3D content libraries. © 2013 MetaVR, Inc. All rights reserved. MetaVR, Virtual Reality Scene Generator, VRSG, the phrase “Geospecific simulation with game quality graphics,” and the MetaVR logo are trademarks of MetaVR, Inc.

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INTERVIEW kets. We’re bringing the power of the enterprise to each market by putting all training and simulation capabilities together. We have more than 1,000 professionals supporting SAIC’s training and simulation portfolio that spans the entire training continuum and application areas of simulation. Training and simulation is a key enabler for many programs within SAIC – making our solutions more effective and efficient.

Josh Jackson SAIC’s Vice President, Training and Simulation, Technical & Engineering Services Group speaks with Group Editor Marty Kauchak

SAIC's Vice President, Training and Simulation, Technical & Engineering Services Group Josh Jackson. Image credit: SAIC.

osh Jackson leads SAIC’s training and simulation service line within the Technical & Engineering Services Group. He is responsible for setting the company’s training and simulation vision, the leadership of approximately 1,000 professionals and overseeing solutions and investments in SAIC's training and simulation business. Jackson responded to questions for the record on October 29, 2013. MS&T: How does Simulation & Training (S&T) support SAIC's broader corporate portfolio? JJ: In SAIC’s new operating model, eight service lines are charged with supporting SAIC’s customer facing organizations. These organizations are Army/Air Force, Navy/Marine Corps, Federal/Civilian, DoD Agencies and Commands, Defense Logistics Agency, and Emerging Mar-

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

MS&T: Update us on SAIC's current, leading S&T programs. JJ: I’m proud of the fact that SAIC supports some very critical missions. For example, our work in support of the Army Game Studio and the popular America's Army computer game series has contributed to some of SAIC's most notable recent achievements in the area of advanced training and simulation. This work, in coordination with the Software Engineering Directorate of the U.S. Army’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC), uses the America's Army codebase along with gaming strategies and multimedia integration to introduce future warfighters to leadership and teamwork skills, decision making, objective-based problem solving, negotiation skills, and strategy. The baseline capability includes physics based models running scenarios to train soldiers on real system performance. Another significant program we support is Fleet Synthetic Training. Synthetic training is a key component of the US Navy’s Fleet Readiness Plan. Working in support of the US Fleet Forces Command, SAIC supports subordinate training commands, including schoolhouse curriculum and instruction, exportable team training, schoolhouse war gaming, networked synthetic and simulation driven exercises, and live training. We also provide support to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) with an SAIC developed simulation and analytic capability called the WILMA Suite. WILMA is an in-depth modeling and analysis environment supporting the quantitative evaluation of Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) end-to-end architecture performance. WILMA supports systems engineering trades, analysis, and concept exploration providing quick-turn, architecturelevel analysis capability. MS&T: What are some of the S&T opportunities SAIC sees beyond the military market? JJ: Difficult to point to one or two, but the increase in computer power continues to fuel many industries seeking to simulate a larger spectrum of challenges whether that is training applications or analytic applications. Look at the recent advances in simulation speed by Lawrence Livermore Lab’s Sequoia Supercomputer. Simulation is becoming more ubiquitous and sometimes the driving force behind the scenes in industries as diverse as the National Football League as well as the financial markets. As generations shift and adult learning theories evolve, training and education will evolve – we’ll see more immersive gamebased training, less instructor lead, and more self-directed. One example in this area is SAICs use of role playing game technology to train first responders for homeland security. Khan Academy is a good example of self-directed, on-demand education that is on the rise. We’ve seen people publishing more of their own training content on YouTube.

MS&T: As a follow up, discuss SAIC's recent, significant S&T efforts in these adjacent sectors. JJ: We’re investigating ways to leverage the technologies we’ve developed for military markets and apply them to civilian and commercial markets. I believe in the near future, we’ll continue to see a reduction in the perceptible nature of the human machine interface. Right now it is fairly obvious you are taking training, in a trainer, using a simulation for analysis. I see lots of folks trying to reduce this apparentness and soon technology will enable it more fully. With that you can open up doors for more robust training in things like human interaction, culture, etc. We’re also investing in cloud-based training solutions that enable training content to be delivered to an even wider spectrum of training audiences. We’re looking at human, simulation, and training modality interfaces. MS&T: Describe the importance of Return on Investment (ROI) to your military S&T customer?

JJ: It’s very important. This is also something the community (government, academia, and industry) has wrestled with for many years – with some tactical answers, but still no overarching rubric to apply. There was a Government Accountability Office report in August [2013] discussing the value of simulationbased training for the Army and Marine Corps which looked at benefits as well as cost avoidance measures. When developing solutions, we always try to balance fidelity with effectiveness and cost. With ever decreasing budgets, military training has to become even more efficient in order to fit within the allocations while delivering the readiness our nation and allies need.

MS&T: As another follow up, tell us some of the ROI SAIC is providing its S&T end users in the military market. JJ: Repurpose technology for cheaper solutions. I’m continually seeking to change stove-piped development efforts. We as the training and simulation community can do better. We’ve

seen documented returns on investment on many of our training and simulation programs through implementing things like process innovations for exercise design, development, execution, and evaluation that allow higher exercise operational tempo with the same team. We’ve also found that many of our game-based training solutions show marked increase in knowledge and skill retention.

MS&T: Any thoughts how the S&T industry will evolve through the next several years of US DoD budget turmoil and other market forces? JJ: I see two counterbalancing forces in the training domain: more use of simulation-based training to reduce cost (fuel, flying hours, etc.), vs. reduction in training dollars and hours in budgets. I also see more simulation supporting portfolio analysis. Simulation can often cut through complexity and enable more informed decisions, but we as an industry have to prove the return on that upfront investment. mst

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Simulation History

Early Flight Training in the United Kingdom ove the Need and effectiveness dr flight development and use of . training devices in the UK

story. Walter F Ullrich tells the

n 1909 the French engineer and inventor Léon Levavasseur began operating his Learning Barrel at the Antoinette Flying School on the French Army’s Camp de Châlons Training Area. Only one year later, two Englishmen, Eardley Billing and Haydn Sanders, in quick succession presented their own flight training devices that were remarkably progressive for their time.

The Eardley Billing Oscillator Eardley Billing, an aviator and aeroplane designer, was arguably the first Englishman to design and build a fixed ground-based flight training apparatus. In August 1910 he installed his Oscillator at Brooklands Aerodrome, where he gave basic flight training. In November that year his ground trainer was also exhibited at the Stanley Show in London. A few months later he built a biplane that was named after him. Billing’s concept was to use a rudimentary aeroplane as a training device by putting it onto a rotatable and tiltable undercarriage, enabling him to teach aspiring pilots the basics of flying in the open air. He was copied, either knowingly or not, by many other constructors. His colleague Captain Haydn Arnold Sanders came out with a similar yet more sophisticated device three months later, for example. At the pilot training school in Cameri, the Italians used the “Captive Garbadini Monoplane”– an aeroplane made by the company Garbadini that was fixed to a base plate and used to teach pilots how to use the controls. 48

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

And the Russians still had a full-size Yakovlev U-2 biplane mounted on wooden tripod in 1935 that taught trainees the sensations of motion by means of manual movements.

The Sanders Teacher In October 1909, Captain Haydn Arnold Sanders, a merchant marine officer from Suffolk, made his first flight in the Sanders No 1, a biplane designed by him. The plane did not survive for long: In February 1910, Sanders hit a telephone wire and crashed the plane. Sanders himself was not hurt in the accident and he was certainly not discouraged. He took those components that were still useable from the wrecked plane and built the Sanders No 2 that he showcased in March 1911 at the Olympia Aero Show in London. Captain Sanders would most probably have sunk into oblivion like so many other early experimenters and aviators had he not invented and built the Sanders Teacher after his crash. Thanks to a comprehensive report in the magazine

The Sanders Teacher. Source: FLIGHT (December 10, 1910).

FLIGHT dated December 10, 1910, we know quite a lot about this early flight training device. Sanders, who always denied that technical problems had caused his first aeroplane’s accident, had apparently recognised the importance of elementary training on the ground before a prospective aviator actually took to the air. This also led to an interesting business model that is mentioned in the FLIGHT article, namely giving training “especially to those not blessed with a long purse to reduce the risk of smashing the machine while endeavouring to learn how to control and fly it”. The second purpose addressed the more competent student who, by training on the device, learned to do the right thing in hazardous or even life-threatening situations. The Teacher’s “open air” installation exposed the simulator to the varying forces of the wind in an almost identical manner to a working aeroplane. The Teacher was a motorless aeroplane stripped down to the bare essentials. It was fixed to the ground by a pivoted rocker so that it faced into the prevailing wind. The training device consisted of a

forward elevator, two lateral ailerons and either a single- or double-planed rudder. The apparatus closely adhered to the design drawings of the real aeroplane the pupil was learning to control. These were in fact standard parts of the Sanders biplane and could be substituted if desired by the same parts of any other type of aeroplane. Thus, those who purchased a Teacher bought parts that could be used later to construct the Sanders aeroplane. This “modular” construction, however, allowed the original parts of practically any existing aeroplane to be installed, making the Sanders Teacher the first reconfigurable flight training device. Despite its pioneering design the device was not a success.

Training Military Flyers In April 1912, the British War Office established the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The government was alarmed by the potential of aeroplanes to drop bombs and carry out reconnaissance, something the Italians had demonstrated during the war in Tripolitania. In a comparison of the country’s aviation assets with those of other

great naval and military powers Britain did not fare so well. All of a sudden, the British government rushed to build up the country’s aviation forces. The plans envisaged, among other things, seven aeroplane squadrons, each providing 12 aircraft for the RFC. The wartime mission would be reconnaissance, preventing the enemy’s reconnaissance, inter-communication, observation of artillery fire and inflicting damage on the enemy. An essential step towards creating the new aviation force was the establishment of the Central Flying School (CFS), a joint Naval and Military Flying School at Upavon. One reason for building it there was the presence of large numbers of troops exercising on Salisbury Plain; this would offer the possibility to train military reconnaissance, which was considered to be the main mission of an aircraft in any future war. Training for flying at CSF hardly differed from the procedure followed in private flying schools. Depending on their previous flight experience, students were divided into four categories: A, B, C and D “Flights”. The Flight A group comprised

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Simulation History complete beginners who began with elementary training, while Flight D members, RFC officers who already had a pilot licence, practised wartime tasks. In order to get an in-depth understanding of how their aeroplane worked, students were given intensive instruction in the general principles of mechanics and engine and aeroplane construction. They also had lectures on aerial photography, as well as intensive instruction in meteorology, signalling and warship identification. Three four-month courses per year were planned with the aim of passing through 179 pilots a year. However, by 1914, the year the Great War started, Britain had only 88 trained pilots, 52 of whom were CSF graduates. It soon became apparent that the CSF’s noble objective not to “produce aviators as such, but professional war pilots” had not been achieved by a long chalk. The RFC had the highest attrition rate of all British services, with casualties quadrupling between 1915 and 1916. Many fatal losses were not even due to enemy action but to pilot error. Some World War I experts laid the blame for the fiasco on the pre-war training, which, according to them, taught aviation technology at length but neglected to provide adequate flight training under wartime conditions. During the first two years of war more flight schools were built to speed up pilot output. While quantities increased, their level of training did not, however, improve. In April 1916, Brigadier General Hugh Trenchard, Commander of the RFC, complained that three out of the five pilots in one squadron had wrecked their machine within the first three days. He also expressed concern because hardly any British pilots were capable of operating their Lewis machine gun in combat. Military leaders started to recognise that the aeroplane could no longer be seen as solely an observation platform; it was a weapon that could be used to achieve air superiority. Training was modified accordingly. Much more attention was paid to the quality of the instructors. Pilot training now included stunt flying, which had previously been scorned. Pilots trained airborne machine gun combat, using gun cameras in place of the guns. The exposures not only showed target kill or no kill, but 50

also the student’s ability to fly combat manoeuvres. The breakthrough in qualified training was finally achieved in early 1917, when Major Robert Smith-Barry, a graduate of the very first CFS course, implemented a new training method at the Gosport Flying School that employed dual-control aircraft. Now it was the trainee who primarily controlled the aircraft and the instructor interfered only in case of an emergency. In the same year, the RFC adopted what has become known as the Gosport System. General Trenchard called Smith-Barry the man who “taught the air forces of the world how to fly”. Many British pilots regarded his system as their life-saver. Simulators, or other ground-based training equipment, did not play any role in the training of pilots of the British aviation forces. The Prussian and the Royal Bavarian Aviation Corps did experiment with ground-based simulator-like devices, for both research and cockpit and flight crew training. The Italians made systematic use of ground equipment to screen and train their future pilots. However, whether the German and Italian pilots really benefitted from the use of such simulation equipment remains questionable.

Simulation Arrives in the RAF During the post-war years, the Royal Air Force (RAF), which had been established in April 1918 by merging the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, had to fight to preserve its status as an independent service. It was essentially due to Air Marshal Hugh Trenchard, meanwhile Chief of the Air Staff, that the RAF as such subsisted. He believed it was essential to concentrate resources on training officers and men. “It is not sufficient to make the Air Force officer a chauffeur and nothing more,” he said. By 1936, blind flying had come to stay and instrument flying became an integral part of pilot training. This brought the first Link trainers into RAF training centres. This training device, designed by the American Edwin A. Link, provided pilots with a realistic replication of actual flying. The fuselage sat on pneumatic bellows that converted the pilot’s movements of the controls into pneumatic

signals that in turn caused the trainer to turn, pitch and bank. In simulating actual flight characteristics, the trainer allowed pilots to learn or improve their flying skills without leaving the ground. As regards blind flying instruction, RAF experts estimated that 20 flight hours would be needed to turn out a pilot student competent enough to undertake instrument flights in all weather conditions. Experience gained with the Link trainer showed that at least 15 hours could comprise training on the ground. Using such equipment thus contributed to facilitating overall training without reducing quality. In the light of the growing tensions in Europe, the United Kingdom ordered several hundred trainers for the RAF. The contract called for their manufacture in the British Empire, which led to the founding of a Link Manufacturing Company in Gananoque, Canada. In 1940, the RAF found a new use for the Link Trainer. Up until then, it had been used solely for instrument flying instruction of already qualified pilots. The new “Visual Link” Trainer was used for pre-ab initio training at the Initial Training Wings. It had an open cockpit and was surrounded by an aerial panorama of mountains, sunny countryside, littoral, smoky towns, clouds, seascape and a misty horizon. This panorama was painted to represent a flying height of 2,000 to 3,000 feet and the illumination varied to give the illusion of good or bad visibility. A top plane and centre section had been added to give the impression of sitting in a Tiger Moth. A series of valves produced the effect of bumpy weather or icing conditions. The RAF found out that after a careful course of instruction on the “Visual Trainer” pupils took far less time to become accustomed to flying an actual aeroplane. By end of World War II, over half a million Allied pilots – many of them Brits – had qualified on Link Trainers. It is generally agreed that the different types of Link Trainers that were introduced into the RAF pilot training saved lives and money and freed men and aircraft up for combat. Marshall Robert Leckie, wartime Chief of Staff of the Royal Canadian Air Force, once said that “the Luftwaffe met its Waterloo on all the training fields of the free world where there was a battery of Link Trainers”. mst

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Game Review

XCom: Enemy Unknown In this new regular column, MS&Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Michael Peck reviews games, with a focus on those that approach an intersection with military training.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown casts the player as the commander of an elite military organization. Image credit: 2K Games.

hy, you ask, would anyone suggest a video game of humans vs. aliens for military training? Why a game of UFOs and fantastic aliens when there are so many first-person-shooters, such as the Battlefield and Call of Duty series or the Virtual Battlespace simulations, that feature old-fashioned combat on Earth? The answer is that XCom: Enemy Unknown, [http://www.xcom. com/enemyunknown/entry], from 2K Games, makes an extraordinary demand upon its players, namely that they use their brains. Most FPS games are intensely kinetic real-time simulations that place a premium upon quick action rather than deep analysis. And this is as it should be, because real life proceeds in real-time. Yet the downside of this kind of simulation is a lack of analysis, a chance to weigh alternatives, even if that's just pondering whether there's better cover behind the wall to the left or the parked car to the right. The analysis can be during the after-action review, but how much better it would be if players had time to consider their moves during the game. XCom is turn-based, meaning that one sides moves and shoots, followed by the other side. The premise is that aliens are raiding Earth, burning cities and kidnapping citizens, as a prelude to invasion. So the nations of Earth form XCom, an international army armed with high-tech weapons. All of the classic science-fiction elements are here: aliens with sharp claws, mind control powers and energy rifles. Human warriors operating from underground bases where scientists feverishly race to develop weapons and equipment that can defeat the superior technology of the invaders. The background is vastly entertaining, and XCom's designers have thought hard about xenobiology and futuristic technology, but this is not the biggest reason to play the game. The core of XCom is tactical infantry combat, and more specifically the classic choices of fire and movement. During the human turn (the aliens are AI-controlled), each XCom trooper can perform two

M S & T MA G A Z I N E 6 . 2 0 1 3

actions, such as moving, shooting, throwing grenades or reloading their rifles. The key to fire and movement rests upon how the game tracks cover. The player can move the mouse to any point his troopers can move on the 3-D map, and colored icons will appear indicating whether there is full, partial or no cover. For someone like this writer, who was blessed with the tactical sense of a donkey, much is illuminated. Street corners, trees and crest lines that look like they would provide cover suddenly don't, while dead zones safe from alien fire become apparent. Perhaps a DARPA scientist would find fault with the line-ofsight modeling. This is irrelevant. Rather than guessing whether a wall provides cover, the player can know for sure. After a while, assessing cover becomes second nature, as does the realization that what looks like a safe position from one angle is vulnerable to fire from another. Of course such certainty over LOS is not realistic, but then the whole idea of a training simulation is to learn on the computer rather than the battlefield. XCom also overcomes the biggest problem with turn-based games, which is that one side can execute fancy maneuvers while the other watches helplessly until their turn rolls around. XCom troopers can be ordered to assume overwatch, in which they will shoot at any enemy that moves or fires. Unfortunately, the aliens have the same capability, and they use it. The overwatch mechanic makes charging the enemy a suicidal proposition. By themselves, these game mechanics would be appealing but not amazing. Xcom works because it marries two genres. Turn-based strategy games, which are more analytical but which often have dowdier graphics, and shooter games. The graphics of XCom are notch below a top-grade FPS game, but they are quite good enough to create a sense of tactical immersion and terrain appreciation. In a perfect world, XCom would be ported into a modern simulation with Taliban instead of aliens. Perhaps it's too much to expect the military to use a science fiction game for training. But the concepts behind the game are sound and necessary. Let's hope the military training community takes advantage of them. mst

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World News & Analysis

Seen&Heard A compendium of current news from the military simulation and training industry, compiled and edited by news editor Fiona Greenyer and the MS&T editorial team. For the latest breaking news and in-depth reports go to www.halldale.com. TRAINING DEVICES & SERVICES CAE has been awarded approximately $140 million in military contracts, including approximately $85 million to CAE USA alone. The US contracts also include options valued at an additional $50 million over the next five years. The US Air Force has exercised the option for the fourth year of aircrew training services provided by CAE USA as the prime contractor on the KC-135 ATS program. CAE USA will continue to provide classroom and simulator instruction as well as provide additional training support services as new KC-135 boom operator weapon systems trainers (BOWST) are incorporated into the overall KC-135 training program. The US Air Force has also awarded a range of modification contracts for CAE USA to upgrade and enhance KC-135 operational flight trainers and courseware. CAE Elektronik GmbH was awarded contracts to perform several upgrades to the German Air Force Tornado full mission simulators. CAE will upgrade the simulators to ensure concurrency with the avionics software system Tornado (ASSTA) combat efficiency improvement program that is currently being performed on the German Air Force's fleet of Tornado combat aircraft. In addition, CAE will upgrade and enhance the simulator interface system as well as address obsolescence issues. L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) has won a contract modification from the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to build the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) two F-16 Block 52 Weapon Tactics Trainers (WTTs), 54

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Presagis has released its new modelling and simulation (M&S) software portfolio, M&S Suite 13. The latest version of this end-to-end solution includes hundreds of product enhancements designed to expedite application development for training, operations and simulation analysis. The new M&S Suite saves users time and money by seamlessly uniting 3D modelling, terrain generation, simulation and visualisation software into one tightly integrated package. Users can create simulation content and scenarios faster while achieving greater realism and better performance, all within a development environment that is easier to use and more tightly integrated. Its toolset provides an open, scalable, and reusable M&S environment. Additionally, new licensing options offer customers the commercial flexibility they need.

two brief/debrief systems and one mission observation center. This contract modification follows L-3 Linkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s November 2012 award to build two F-16 Block 52 Full Mission Trainers (FMTs) for the IqAF. Plans currently call for the first F-16 Block 52 FMT to be ready-for-training during the first quarter of 2015. The remaining training devices, brief/debrief systems and mission observation center are scheduled to achieve ready-for-training

milestones during the fourth quarter of 2015. All of the training devices and support systems will be installed at Balad Air Base in northern Iraq. The German Army is supporting the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in the pre-deployment training of OPCW inspectors to be sent to Syria to verify and destroy the country's chemical weapons arsenal. To that end, the Bundeswehr UN Training Centre in

Hammelburg carried out training this October for a total of 24 inspectors from all over the world. The course is designed to prepare specialists for activities in crisis and conflict regions. During the course at the army training centre "Wildflecken", the inspectors were confronted with realistic, near operational scenarios and they learnt to deal with critical situations and to react appropriately. The first OPCW team, which is currently deployed in Syria, was also prepared by the Bundeswehr. The training support is a particularly visible and substantial contribution of the German Armed Forces to support international efforts to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A full flight and mission simulator (FFMS) designed and developed by CAE has been accredited by the Australian Defence Force Airworthiness Authority to Level D. The accreditation was conducted by an independent authority under the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Manual of Standards (MoS) Part 60 criteria. Cubic Defense Systems has won a $10 million contract with the US Army Reserves to provide its Engagement Skills Trainer™ (EST 3000™) virtual training system, simulated weapons and services. EST 3000™ trains marksmanship, offensive and defensive collective, and “shoot-don’t shoot” judgmental firing skills. It will give the US Army Reserves enhanced fundamentals of marksmanship capabilities through immediate feedback efficiency indicators (trigger pressure, pitch, cant) and 3D targets. Elbit Systems Ltd. has commissioned its newest full flight simulator (FFS) for an undisclosed Navy's Sea King helicopter

aircrews. Elbit will also provide maintenance and support for the FFS for seven years. The FFS is a flight and tactical full flight mission simulator for naval commando airlift and anti-submarine warfare operations squadrons. The simulator is a PC-based system with glass cockpit, collimated visuals and an electro-pneumatic system with six degrees of freedom for the full range of flight operations experience. It incorporates a roll-on-roll-off system, so any relevant platform can be plugged in, such as the cockpit of an Advanced Special Operations Helicopter. The FFS can simulate various naval warship deck landings, emergencies and night flying with night vision goggles. UFA, Inc.’s latest version of the ATCoach® Radar and ATTower® Tower ATC simulators have been accredited by the US Army Directorate of Simulation at Camp Ripley, Minnesota. The simulators support accredited independent radar and tower training and combined radar/tower training of critical tasks. Both are equipped with UFA’s ATVoice® voice recognition and response capability that helps emphasize proper phraseology during controller/pilot communications and automates the running of training exercises. Rockwell Collins has unveiled RealFires™, a new targeting training solution that uses both real and virtual environments to train users of Rockwell Collins' leading-edge targeting technologies. RealFires provides realistic day and night targeting simulation, with the flexibility to include a mix of live, artificial intelligence-based and programmed role players. The system is also capable of including remote role players in flying aircraft.

MS&T Visits Rotorsim As a precursor to ITEC 2013 in Rome, AgustaWestland (AW) and CAE invited MS&T to attend a media day at the AW Training Academy (AWTA) ‘Alessandro Marchetti’, situated at Sesto Calende, 60km northwest of Milan at the southern end of Lago Maggiore. Opened in 2006, the academy is the latest in a line of AW training facilities, which started in 1965 with the provision of pilot training and technical support for AB205 and 206 helicopters. The academy’s name reflects the fact that it stands on the site of the former SIAI Marchetti plant, and it supports the company’s belief that ‘training is a key part of the through-life relationship between AW and all its customers’. It is one of a number of training facilities worldwide, the aim of which includes ensuring that all AW customers have access to world-class value-for-money OEM training. At Sesto Calende, the academy provides a full range of training courses for both aircrew and maintenance personnel, plus specialist courses on associated subjects such as Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS), Floats & Rafts, and Structural and Blade Repair. Integrated training solutions involve classroom and multi-media instruction, and simulation on a variety of training devices embracing the spectrum of sophistication and fidelity, from desktop trainers through flight training devices (FTD) to full mission simulators (FMS). The maintenance training simulators are built from real aircraft structures and parts, and maintenance procedures are performed in accordance with the Interactive Electronic Technical Publications (IETP), available at adjacent workstations.

The flight simulation arm of the academy is Rotorsim, a training organisation jointly owned by AW and CAE, and offering comprehensive training for operators of the AW109 and 139. Rotorsim also has a US facility, located within CAE’s North-East Training Center in Morristown, NJ. The Sesto Calende facility is staffed by around 70 AW and CAE personnel, and features 3 FMS; these are CAE 3000 Series, which are Level D devices with a 210º x 80º FOV dome and a 6-DOF electric motion system. Additional features are chin window coverage, NVG and FLIR support, and realistic weather and recirculation effects. They also incorporate a roll-on roll-off interchangeable cockpit facility; a cockpit change takes 4 hours. The FMSs are in the process of a visual system upgrade, involving new image generators and displays. A new simulator building is nearing completion at the Sesto Calende facility; this will accommodate nine full flight simulators (FFS), of which four are housed in a Military Restricted Area, five FTDs, with associated offices, briefing and debriefing facilities, and a helipad on the roof. The training stats for the AWTA are impressive and growing. In 2012, the academy trained nearly 5000 students from 40 countries, split about 50%/50% pilots and technicians. Synthetic flight hours were 22675, of which 6529 were in the US facility, and flight hours in the associated AW flying schools at Vergiate and Cascina Costa over 7000. Moreover, Rotorsim represents a successful joint venture between two companies who are leaders in their fields. – Dim Jones MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

World News & Analysis

RNAS Culdrose – Merlin HM Mk2 Update The outcomes of the UK Strategic Defence Review of 2010 were, inter alia, of particular significance to anti-submarine warfare, and the future of the RAF and RN Merlin Fleet. The grounding of the Nimrod MR2 force and the subsequent cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft left the RN without long-range anti-submarine protection; at the same time, confirmation of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers meant that there would, in future, be high-value targets in the form of carrier task groups, to be protected from the submarine threat. This placed increased responsibility on the RN’s future hunter-killer submarine capability, principally in the form of the Astute Class boats that, albeit in slightly less hi-tech form than that originally envisaged, survived the SDSR cull. It also underlined the importance of the organic ASW force, in the form of the Merlin HM1, and the Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme (MCSP), which had been in train since 2006. The MCSP has been led by Lockheed Martin, in collaboration with AgustaWestland, BAE Systems, QinetiQ, Thales and Selex, and – uniquely it seems in the recent saga of UK MoD procurement – has been delivered on time and on cost. The programme involves the upgrade of 30 HM1 airframes to HM2 standard. Outwardly, the airframes appear little changed; however, the HM2 incorporates a new glass cockpit and mission booth, and new Advanced Aircraft Management Computers (AAMC) and Comms systems, and an upgraded navigation system. The tactical system enhancements include new Tactical Mission Computer and mission recorder/replay, and upgraded radar and acoustics systems. The equipment for the secondary roles of Casevac and Anti-Piracy has also been upgraded, the latter by the installation of an FN M3M 0.50-Cal machine-gun. In the front office, the six obsolescent CRT displays have been replaced by five large LCD touch-screen MFDs, and the mission booth equipped with twin 24” displays, supported by Open System Architecture and an Avionics Full DupleX (AFDX) Ethernet aircraft data network; the cockpit is now fully NVG-compatible. The first flight of the HM Mk2 was in 2010, and the fifth aircraft was delivered to No 824 Naval Air Squadron (the Operational Conversion Unit) at RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) this year. The initial pilot cadre converted to type at AgustaWestland’s facility at Yeovil, but the Squadron is now converting the remaining aircrew from 824 and its sister squadrons at Culdrose, and will accept the first ab-initio course at the end of this year. Alongside 824 NAS, Nos 814 and 820 NAS provide a worldwide deployment capability on the larger RN helicopter carriers, while 829 NAS provides aircraft flights for Type 23 frigates. 820 NAS is expected to be fully operation on the HM2 in mid-2014. Conversion of the full dynamic simulators and other flight training devices is nearing completion; in the interim, crews have been using the Merlin Mk3 simulator at RAF Benson for routine procedures and emergency training. As part of SDSR, the RAF will transfer its Merlin Mk3s to the RNAS Yeovilton-based Commando Helicopter Force, where they will replace the Sea King HC4, and be upgraded to Mk4 standard in the support helicopter role. As a footnote to developments at Culdrose, 750 NAS – managed by Ascent as part of the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS), and manned jointly by RN and Ascent personnel - have recently taken delivery of four King Air 350ER aircraft, redesignated the Avenger Mk1, and replacing the Jetstream in the Observer training role. The first course completed training in February 2013; in the future, some of them will doubtless find their way into the mission booth of the Merlin HM2. – Dim Jones 56

Boeing has won a $14 million contract to provide an AH-64 Apache Longbow Crew Trainer (LCT) to the US Army. The contract includes provisions for up to three additional LCTs. Boeing’s LCT is the only high-fidelity, full flight simulator accredited for training of Apache attack helicopter aircrews. The latest LCTs are reconfigurable to provide training for both the AH-64D Longbow and the AH-64E “Guardian” and provide the warfighter with the ability to perform advanced unmanned aerial vehicle training tasks. Boeing's LCTs can be containerized and deployed anywhere to support Apache aircrews.

MAINTENANCE Aviation Australia and 39 aircraft maintenance technicians from the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) have celebrated the successful completion of an eight month technical training program at Aviation Australia's Brisbane campus. The students have been based in Brisbane since January 2013, and commenced their training at Aviation Australia with an aviation English language program prior to commencing their technical training. The technical training program was developed specifically for the RSAF technicians to upgrade their technical skills to the latest international standards prior to them conducting further technical training in Europe. The students completed either a B1.1 Mechanical course or a B2 Avionics course. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. has won a contract from Sikorsky worth more than $8.5 million to design and develop maintenance training systems for the CH-53K heavy lift replacement helicopter. Kratos will provide a full-fidelity maintenance training device suite (MTDS), as well as a helicopter emulation maintenance trainer (HEMT), which will be delivered to the Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. The MTDS supports maintenance training and remove-and-replace training for avionics systems, electrical systems, hydraulic systems and many other mechanical subsystems. The HEMT uses a 3D virtual environment to support maintenance training scenarios. The DiSTI Corporation has been awarded a contract by an international customer to build a virtual maintenance trainer for the F-16C Block 52 aircraft. Using the latest technologies to create a virtual maintenance trainer will augment traditional training for aircraft crewmembers and helps ensure the F-16 is always mission ready.

NAVY The Indian Navy has received the first of 17 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers from BAE Systems, becoming the third naval operator of the Hawk along with the US Navy and the UK Royal Navy. The 17 Hawk aircraft ordered by the Indian Navy are part of a contract for 57 aircraft signed in 2010 of which 40 are for the Indian Air Force.

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

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World News & Analysis entrol has signed a contract with the Argentine Naval Prefecture for a new flight simulator reconfigurable to three different flight models: piston single engine, twin engine and turboprop. The Argentine Naval Prefecture is responsible for protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. Therefore it is mandatory to have well trained pilots who know how to react to emergency situations. For entrol, this will be the second simulator installed in South America after the Bell 206 FNPT II simulator sold to the Chilean Air Force a few years ago.

AIR FORCE The French Air Force's SIMFAC (simulator for forward air controller training) has been awarded NATO accreditation. This official endorsement allows the French to use the SIMFAC to provide training for close air support (CAS) in Types 1, 2, and 3 operations in both day and night scenarios as well as LASER CAS. Built to enhance forward air controller (FAC) training, with VBS2 as its virtual battlefield, the simulator was delivered to the French Air Force by Cassidian in April this year. The SIMFAC is an immersive air-land theatre simulator. It offers a 180 degree field of view courtesy of its 4m wide x 2.2m high curved screen. As the virtual environment for the SIMFAC, VBS2 provided by BSim, delivers the reproduction of the battlefield. All elements of combat are replicated, including a wide variety of land, sea and air vehicles, the full spectrum of weapons and weapon platforms, and highly detailed units and individual entities. The French have plans to use the SIMFAC to assess its remote distributed simulation capabilities by connecting it to the flight simulator of their Rafale jet fighter. Lockheed Martin has received a $113 million contract from the US Air Force to design, develop, field and sustain aircrew training devices for HH60G Pave Hawk search and rescue helicopters. Lockheed will deliver eight training simulators, spares and logistics support. The simulators will be used to prepare aircrews for the 58

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full spectrum of personnel recovery, including combat search and rescue missions in multiple environments.

VISUAL SYSTEMS Sony has launched its newest 4K digital projector, the SRX-T615. It can edge blend native 4K content, has a contrast ratio of 12,000:1 and a high brightness of 18,000 lumens as a result of its 4K optical engine. The SRX-T615 projector has a sRGB standard color gamut and the ability to change to Adobe RGB or DCDm if needed. It also has 4K 50/60p signal compatibility, which allows for moving graphics to be displayed smoothly. Rockwell Collins has unveiled its ProSim™ ultra contrast projector. The new projector enhances simulation through a native contrast ratio, using patented technology to simultaneously display darker blacks and lighter whites. ProSim's new Intensity Management System maintains constant brightness over the lifetime of the projector by adjusting the lamp's power supply to the lamp to compensate for bulb degradation, and keeping maintenance requirements to a minimum.

SOFTWARE TrianGraphics GmbH has released Trian3DBuilder 5, the latest version of its next-gen terrain database generation and modelling solution. Trian3DBuilder 5 now provides an SDK and enables customers to enhance the software in accordance with their special needs. The plug-in system offers the implementation of importers and exporters to raster, geometry, vector and complete terrain formats. The GUI can be enhanced flexibility and so called modifiers encapsulating generation features with dynamic GUI dialogs are supported. Special generation features like texture filters can also be added. In addition to the extensive road modeling capabilities from real world-data the new release offers extensive improvements of the procedural building generation. Enhanced buildings with facade elements like doors, windows and oriels

are now created in no time. For even more advanced buildings the software simplifies the workflow for City Engine users. Geo-referenced buildings can now be imported from KMZ/ KML format and are automatically placed at their correct position. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems has selected VT MÄK to develop the simulation that will drive the Wargaming & Training component of the Command View C4I system. The simulation engine will be VR-Forces, MÄK’s Computer Generated Forces platform. MÄK will use VR-Forces’ flexible architecture to enhance the aggregate combat model to operate at the division, battalion and company levels. The VR-Forces scenario authoring environment will let role players “play the war” and transmit intel reports to the C4I system. This contract will customize the software to stimulate command and control systems and enable higherlevel wargaming. Envitia has announced the launch of Envitia Discovery 2.7 for Modelling and Simulation. Envitia Discovery allows organisations to seamlessly share and reuse geospatial and modelling data. Users are able to rapidly discover, transform, and stream geospatial data into Modelling and Simulation applications using open standards. Envitia Discovery 2.7 bridges the gap between live and synthetic environments for the first time, providing an end-to-end workflow management for over 100 data types.

COMPANY NEWS Mechtronix has created a new business unit dedicated to engineering and manufacturing solutions (EMS). The EMS business unit will target expansion into the defense, railway communication & security and nuclear sectors. As part of this expansion plan, Vito Longo was appointed General Manager, responsible for all business activities; Armen Keuleyan assumes the role of Director, Business Operations; and Bruce Robinson continues in his role as Business Development Director.

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Please scan and email to subscriptions@halldale.com or fax it to 407 322 5604 (in N America) or +44 (0)1252 512714 (rest of the world). 6.13

World News & Analysis Rockwell Collins has unveiled a new simulation and training center of excellence in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, UK. The company combined its operation located in Horsham, UK, a facility gained through the acquisition of Evans & Sutherland in 2006, into its Burgess Hill facility, a facility added with the acquisition of SEOS in 2008. The newly integrated operation will design, develop, manufacture and deliver high-fidelity, high-contrast, display and projector systems. The Burgess Hill operation will also be a focal point for presenting Rockwell Collins' wide range of simulation and training systems from across the company to its customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EuMEA).

Thales has acquired XPI Simulation Ltd. XPI designs and manufactures a range of simulator-based driver training systems for customers that include the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD), British police forces, and advanced driver training providers.

offices in Ottawa. Mr. Greenley currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) and Chairman of the Advisory Board for Defence and Security Export to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in Canada.

ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES CONFERENCES & EVENTS CAE has appointed Mike Greenley vice president and general manager of CAE Canada, Military. With this appointment, CAE will now be operating its defence and security business activities within the Canadian market as a regional business unit. Mr. Greenley will be responsible for the general management and operation of CAE Canada, Military, and will be based in CAE's

DSEI 2013 The biennial Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition took place between 10th and 13th September 2013. In MS&T Issue 6 of 2011, I observed: In sum, DSEI 2011 was, certainly in terms of exhibitors and visitors, a success. How the evident enthusiasm of the participants weathers a

Rolls-Royce Joins the Hawk Advanced Jet Training System (AJTS) Team During the September 2013 US Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce announced that RollsRoyce joined the Hawk Advanced Jet Training System (AJTS) team as an exclusive partner to help compete for the US Air Force’s T-X program. The service’s T(X) program is envisioned to replace the venerable T-38 trainer. As this issue was published T(X) funding is obtained from the Pentagon’s research, development, testing and evaluation budget account, with no procurement funding having been appropriated. Indeed, the Air Force received about $1 million in the 2014 budget as a bridge to keep the program office open, but nothing else. Rolls-Royce joins BAE Systems Inc. who is the prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, and L-3 Link Simulation & Training as the fourth member of the Hawk AJTS team. In that capacity, Rolls Royce, as the engine supplier to BAE Systems, will lead the support and integration of the Adour Mk951 engine on the Hawk AJTS aircraft. Northrop Grumman will have responsibility for assembling the team’s T(X) aircraft at an undisclosed US location. Link will deliver the T(X)’s ground based training system to the Air Force customer. Other competing T(X) industry teams include: Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Korean Aerospace Industries, to offer the T-50; and Alenia Aermacchi teaming up with General Dynamics to provide T-100 Integrated Training System, which builds upon Alenia Aermacchi’s M-346 advanced jet trainer system. Robert Wood, BAE’s vice president and lead executive for AJTS, told MS&T during the conference that Rolls Royce’s addition “rounds out our team.” Wood pointed out almost 1,000 Hawk aircraft have been sold across the globe, helping to produce highly trained pilots in over 18 countries for latest generation aircraft including ultimately the F-35 Lightning II. “We’re building Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers today in the UK for several export customers. We have substantial experience in 60

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

building these aircraft which enables us to provide the US Air Force with an affordable, off-the-shelf, non-developmental approach to their pilot training requirements based on the rich history we have in the number of systems we have built,” he emphasized. The BAE executive was asked aside from experience gained from the Hawk AJTS program, what other attributes set his industry team apart from the T(X) competition. “Because of the experience we have – in the numbers of airplanes built, we’re soon to exceed 1,000 aircraft sold – you also need to look at our experience in sensor simulation. You can look at what we do with sensor emulation in the cockpit, equipment like the radar, the radar warning receiver and all of the elements of combat training. This is our foundation of everything we have done through the years that we do for customers today. That strength has become a focus for the Air Force on how they want to do pilot training in T(X). I believe we are the leader in doing this.” The BAE-led Hawk ATJS team was also asked to reflect on the rapid pace of evolution in training devices and related materiel, in particular software, and state how it was able to plan for and design a conceptual training system several years on the horizon. Gary Nesta, Link’s senior member on the Hawk AJTS team, noted that as his company continues to look across its expanding portfolio of fixed-wing training systems and moves forward those training systems in adjacent programs, it is always well positioned to evolve the technology “and we’re always well positioned to put the latest capabilities into a ground base training system.” Nesta also pointed out that Link continues to make significant investments in its internal research and development programs to “keep us even further out in front of that.” In addition to Link’s open architecture and a very modular system, the company is also “evolving the technology to make it the most affordable, effective and efficient with the lowest life cycle costs – we’re focused on that,” Nesta concluded. - Group Editor Marty Kauchak

prolonged period of belt-tightening in the defence sector will be apparent when we reconvene in the same location for DSEI 2013. Well, the short answer is pretty well. The show occupied the whole of London’s ExCel centre, normally the venue for several concurrent exhibitions. The organisers, Clarion Events, report the numbers of exhibitors as 1489, and the number of international pavilions as 40, attracting 32,169 visitors, all increases on 2011 and previous years. Some exhibitors, notably BAE Systems and Thales boasted stands, which, by their very size, indicated either that these companies had few financial worries, or that they believed that DSEI merited the expenditure of a sizeable slice of their exhibition budgets. The show area contained six themed Zones: Land, Air Sea, Medical & Disaster Relief, Unmanned and Security & Special Forces. Each hosted a programme of seminars throughout the show, and the commitment of the UK MoD and armed forces to DSEI was underlined by a keynote speech from the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr. Philip Hammond, the attendance of a raft of other Government Ministers, and the presence in their respective theatres of all three Service Chiefs of Staff. Parked outside (ExCel stands on the north bank of the Thames, close to the O2 arena) were eight warships from five navies – The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, South Korea and UK – and an entertaining display on the water from a variety of small craft, demonstrating various roles such as anti-piracy and mine countermeasures. Unscheduled events to divert the visitor were demonstrations by various organisations against the show in principle, and specifically against the presence of a Russian arms company alleged to be supplying the Syrian regime; and the ejection of two companies determined to be in breach of the organisers’ compliance rules governing the promotion of illegal equipment. An unusual, although totally legitimate, exhibit was the Bloodhound SSC, the supersonic

MetaVR’s real-time 3D render engine and geospecific terrain are to be part of the simulator built for the new Textron AirLand Scorpion™, which is intended to be a light attack and ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) jet aircraft. The Scorpion has been under development since January 2012, with ZedaSoft building two aircraft simulators using MetaVR's real time graphics software in tandem with the prototype for engineering and concept demonstration. As the engineering-level simulator was built concurrently with the actual Scorpion aircraft prototype, it served an important role during development in that it supported designers making decisions concerning the aircraft's avionics configuration and thus overall capabilities. Once the aircraft is in production, the simulator software will be available for training purposes.

car tasked with breaking the world land speed record, currently held by its predecessor, Thrust SSC, by 31%. Since we are told that the Bloodhound has power available equivalent to six times that of an entire Formula 1 starting grid, from a thrust perspective the target 1000mph looks like being achievable. DSEI is unashamedly about hardware, and there was lots of it on display. Training and simulation content was understandably hard to find; those larger companies having training divisions were generally concentrating on other areas of their portfolios. Despite the continuing uncertainties in the world – or perhaps because of them, the underlying sense of optimism in the defence industry evident in 2011 was most certainly evident here. DSEI 2015 will take place at the ExCel from 15th to 18th September 2015. – Dim Jones NATO CAX Forum 2013 The eighth edition of the NATO CAX Forum was held from 30 September to 3 October 2013 in Rome, Italy. Organized by the Modelling and Simulation Centre of Excellence (M&S CoE), it focused on technical issues and operating procedures related to simulation-based exercises and training support. Col Stefano Nicolo, Director NATO M&S COE and BGen Giuseppe

Gimondo, Deputy Head of the C4I Systems & Transformation Department, welcomed attendees, who represented simulation and training centres from across NATO - and beyond. Most of them are actively involved in managing computerassisted exercises, but experts from more general areas of activities also showed a keen interest in the broad range of topics, as did quite a number of representatives from the simulation industry. In total, 180 people from 29 countries participated – one third less than last year. However, back then, WAMS, the International Workshop on Applied Modelling and Simulation, was held in parallel to the CAX forum. The forum’s primary goal is to promote the exchange of information and best practices among the staffs of NATO and national simulation/ exercise centres. This was indeed done extensively. Two topics were particularly noteworthy: First, the possibility that the US military’s bedrock constructive simulation JCATS (Joint Conflict and Tactical Simulation) might be moved to a cloud-and-browser system seems to be a challenge that is worrying some non-US nations. The second discussion revolved around the potential of training simulation for operation and decision support. In practice, there MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

World News & Analysis Calendar is still plenty of scepticism about whether artificial intelligence will really lead to better decisions on the tactical battle level. At least as important as the presentations were the conversations and informal encounters in the corridors of the Ergife Palace Hotel, the event venue. “For us, the NATO CAX Forum was particularly successful because we were able to deepen and strengthen our networks,” said Col Wolfgang Kralicek, Head of the Section for Training Equipment & Simulation at the Austrian Federal Ministry for Defence and Sports, who spoke for many attendees. – Walter F. Ullrich I3M 2013 The 10th edition of the I3M (International Multidisciplinary Modelling & Simulation Multiconference) conference was held from 25 to 27 September 2013 in Athens. This

year's event, with Professor Agostino Bruzzone as General Conference Chair, encompassed a total ten conferences and workshops. I3M is renowned for the continuously high quality of the papers presented. The event provides scientists and experts from different disciplines with a unique opportunity to develop a broader perspective beyond their own immediate field of research. Over the past years, academia, industry and users have come to greatly appreciate I3M as an interdisciplinary and very diverse forum and networking event. The well-attended closing ceremony at the Royal Olympic Hotel gave Professor Agostino Bruzzone, I3M founder and long-standing organiser, a chance to promote the next edition of I3M that will be held from 22 to 24September, 2014 in Bordeaux, France. – Walter F. Ullrich. mst

Index of Ads AAI Test & Training www.aaicorp.com 29 AgustaWestland www.agustawestland.com IFC Bagira Systems www.bagirasys.com 39 & 41 Bohemia Interactive www.bisimulations.com 7 CAE www.cae.com OBC Concurrent Real-Time www.real-time.ccur.com 12 D-BOX Technologies www.d-box.com 15 & 17 Dytecna www.dytecna.com 36 Elbit Systems www.elbitsystems.com 13 ETC Tactical Flight Training Systems www.etctacticalflight.com 19 Eurosatory 57 www.eurosatory.com eyevis www.eyevis.com 16 FlightSafety International www.flightsafety.com IBC I/ITSEC www.iitsec.org 38 ITEC www.itec.co.uk 51 L-3 Link Simulation & Training www.L-3com.com 31 Lockheed Martin www.lockheedmartin.com 11 MASA www.masagroup.net 49 62

MS&T MAGAZINE 6.2013

MetaVR www.metavr.com 45 Military Sim Census www.halldale.com/mst 30 MS&T Magazine www.halldale.com/mst 47 MS&T Magazine Subscriptions www.halldale.com/mst 59 Northrop Grumman www.northropgrumman.com 4 Opinicus www.opinicus.com 35 projectiondesign www.projectiondesign.com 27 RAeS www.aerosociety.com 28 Raydon www.raydon.com 37 Reiser Systemtechnik www.reiser-systemtechnik.de 24 & 25 RGB Spectrum www.rgb.com 9 Rheinmetall Defence www.rheinmetall-defence.com/simulation 22 & 23 SAAB www.saabgroup.com 3 Singapore Airshow www.singaporeairshow.com 53 Thales www.thalesgroup.com 32 & 33 Theissen Training Systems www.theissentraining.com 18 TrianGraphics www.triangraphics.com 43 Wittenstein www.wittenstein-us.com 21

Simulation & training events organised by Halldale Group 1-3 April 2014 WATS 2014 – World Aviation Training Conference & Tradeshow Rosen Shingle Creek Resort Orlando, Florida, USA www.halldale.com/wats 23-24 September 2014 APATS 2014 – Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium Centara Grand Convention Centre Bangkok, Thailand www.halldale.com/apats 28-29 October 2014 EATS 2014 – European Airline Training Symposium Estrel Hotel, Berlin, Germany www.halldale.com/eats

Other simulation & training events 2-5 December 2013 I/ITSEC 2013 Orlando, Florida, USA www.iitsec.org 22-24 January 2014 International Military Helicopter London, UK www.militaryhelicopterevent.com 3-4 February 2014 Joint Forces Simulation and Training London, UK www.jointforcestraining.com 11-16 February 2014 Singapore Airshow Singapore www.singaporeairshow.com 24-27 March 2014 Military Flight Training London, UK www.militaryflightraining.com 25-30 March 2014 FIDAE Santiago, Chile www.fidae.cl

Advertising contacts Director of Sales & Marketing Jeremy Humphreys [t] +44 1252 532009 [e] jeremy@halldale.com Sales Representatives USA (East) & Canada: Justin Grooms [t] 407 322 5605 [e] justin@halldale.com Europe, Middle East & Africa: Chris Richman [t] +44 1252 532007 [e] chrisrichman@halldale.com Asia Pacific: David Lim [t] +65 9680 5251 [e] davidlim@halldale.com South America: Willem-Jan Derks [t] +1 954 406 4052 [e] willem@halldale.com

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