MT2 19.8 (December 2014) by KMI Media Group

I/ITSEC ISSUE America's Longest Established Simulation & Training Magazine

Special Section:

High-Fidelity Simulation

Training Sustainer Maj. Gen. Jon A. Maddux

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December 2014

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2015 Look Ahead O Visual Displays Air Traffic Control Training O Fire Simulations

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Simulation and Training Technology Center

Command Profile:

& TRA ON T ITECHNOLOGY FOR THE IWN I AR L TAION FI

TE GR NG H T E

Program Executive Officer PEO STRI

Volume 19, Issue 8

The MetaVRC 1 inch per-pixel resolution imagery collection platform for real-time terrain visualization is in operation.

See the aircraft and real-time terrain demonstration at I/ITSEC Booth #1249.

Real-time screen capture is from MetaVR’s visualization system of the 3D virtual terrain of a geospecific area with 1 inch per pixel imagery collected by the MetaVRC™ platform. The operational readiness testing of the MetaVRC was performed as described by the FAA and AMA applicable airspace operation rules and regulations. (AMA National Safety Code and FAA AC 91-57.) Data was collected as part of this testing. This screen capture is unedited except as required for printing. The real-time rendering of the 3D virtual world is generated by MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator™ (VRSG™). 3D model is from MetaVR’s 3D content libraries. © 2014 MetaVR, Inc. All rights reserved. MetaVR, Virtual Reality Scene Generator, VRSG, MetaVRC, the phrase “Geospecific simulation with game quality graphics,” and the MetaVR logo are trademarks of MetaVR, Inc.

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Aerial imagery collection Ground-level photography Terrain compilation 3D content modeling Scenario creation Real-time visualization

military Training technology

December 2014 Volume 19, Issue 8

Features

Cover / Q&A

Simulation and Training Technology Center

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& TRA ON T ITECHNOLOGY FOR THE IWN I AR L TAION FI

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Army facility conducts research and development to enhance warfighter effectiveness. By Michelle Milliner

Advancements in visual display technology are making military training even more lifelike and effective. A host of developments are under way and on the horizon to improve visual displays for military use. By Karen E. Thuermer

Unique challenges and tough requirements have led to increased use of simulation for training air traffic control staff in the military. The trend toward better and more realistic simulation, with more functions and scenarios, and far more decentralized, is likely to continue. By Henry Canaday

Simulation Drives Air Traffic Control Training

Departments 2 Editor’s Perspective 4 Program Highlights/people 20 data packets 38 Team orlando 39 Resource center

Seeing Clearly With Advanced Displays

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High-Fidelity Training

Command Profile:

special section

From virtual reality scenarios to very real jets of burning propane, simulation technologies are playing an important role in preparing Department of Defense personnel to respond to fires and other disasters. By Harrison Donnelly

Military Training Technology recently asked representatives of leading companies in the field to consider this question: “What aspects of training do you think our armed forces need to focus on in 2015, and what does your company have to offer in those areas?”

Simulations Aid Fire Fight

Looking Ahead to 2015

Industry Interview Larry Raines

Vice President Virtual Systems Meggitt Training Systems

23 Major General Jon A. Maddux

Program Executive Officer PEO STRI

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Military Training Technology Volume 19, Issue 8 • December 2014

Recognized Leader Covering All Aspects of Military Training Readiness Editorial Editor

Harrison Donnelly harrisond@kmimediagroup.com Copy Editors

Crystal Jones crystalj@kmimediagroup.com Jonathan Magin jonathanm@kmimediagroup.com Correspondents

J.B. Bissell • Christian Bourge • Peter Buxbaum Henry Canaday • Danielle Cralle • Scott R. Gourley Hank Hogan • Erin Flynn Jay • Karen Kroll

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You can learn to play baccarat on the Internet, so training in at least one of James Bond’s essential skills has moved into the digital age. Even so, the issue of how best to train intelligence agents for today’s technology-focused world remains an important issue for Department of Defense and intelligence community leaders. The topic is also a concern for the modeling and simulation industry, as shown by a workshop on the program at this year’s I/ ITSEC conference, being held December 1-5 in Orlando, Fla. Titled “The Intelligence Community’s Challenge to Training Innovators,” Harrison Donnelly the session will bring together experts from Army Training and Editor Doctrine Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to discuss how the training community can support intelligence analysts. The challenges are more pressing, session organizers note, in light of the explosive growth of open-source information and social media, as well as a looming shortage of highly-trained people resulting from demographic changes in the workforce. The session will follow the recent release of a report from the DoD Office of the Inspector General, which found significant shortfalls in the department’s ability to address the basic training needs and essential skills required by the intelligence workforce. According to a summary of the for-official-use-only report, DoD does not have the structure, resources or capability to provide the joint training needed to develop a professionalized intelligence workforce. Clearly defined standards for basic training are lacking, and fragmented management is leading to both training redundancies and gaps in critical skills. Although the report acknowledges DoD leaders are aware of the problem and have taken steps to address it, the complexity and enormity of intelligence training and education processes have gotten in the way. In response, it calls on the under secretary of defense for intelligence to undertake a thorough review and reform of training policies, and for the joint staff to establish a joint intelligence training program management office.

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PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Advanced Technologies Aid Air Force Medical Education

Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) has won a $29 million contract that taps into ECS advanced learning technologies and methodologies to improve medical education and training for Air Force health care providers and patients. The Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation contracted with ECS to lead the major Air Force program, called Air Force Medical Modeling and Simulation Training. ECS will apply its advanced learning technologies and training personnel to the Air Force Medical Service Central Program Office in San Antonio, Texas. The program also supports simulation centers and medical treatment facilities inside the contiguous United States and at locations outside the United States. The ECS key team members include Camber Corp., Comprehensive Medical Services and the University of Miami.

Army Upgrades Virtual Small Arms Trainer Following action by the General Accounting Office denying the protest of another bidder, Meggitt Training Systems has been reaffirmed as the supplier of the Army’s next-generation virtual small arms trainer, Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) II, in the $99 million contract announced in June. The five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract from the Army Program Executive Office for Simulation and Training covers more than 1,000 new and upgraded systems and simulated weapons for Army facilities worldwide. The Meggitt solution represents a significant step forward in technology and capability over the incumbent EST 2000 system. Meggitt’s scalable and robust FATS M100 open architecture frees customers to readily integrate Meggitt and third-party training modules, and will accommodate evolutions in fidelity and graphic complexity for greater realism. Meggitt modules cover enhanced 3-D marksmanship and an intelligent coaching application on a wireless tablet, enabling trainers to change scenarios quickly within a single training session.

4 | MT2 19.8

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

3-D Courseware to Train Helicopter Maintenance Personnel Heartwood, a supplier in 3-D interactive training technologies, has been selected by Sikorsky Aircraft to develop custom 3-D virtual maintenance training courseware. These training applications will be used to train maintenance personnel of UH-60M and UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters in a truly interactive and immersive hands-on manner by leveraging the latest in next-generation 3-D interactive and gaming technologies. Heartwood was selected because it is recognized as a leading provider of 3-D interactive training solutions for the aerospace, defense

and military industries. The custom 3-D interactive training applications are expected to be first available for maintenance training in late 2014.

Contract Supports ANG Mission Training Simulators SDS International has been awarded a contract to provide upgrades, improvements and general support to Air National Guard (ANG) Mission Training Device (MTD) simulators, including their LIFE-based artificially intelligent-driven scene content software. The overall scope of the support to be provided will include a variety of systemrelated areas, such as: system sustainment, concurrency upgrades, and improvements needed to ensure system relevance and operational effectiveness; system movements needed to support changes in unit

PEOPLE Major General Michael A. Keltz, director, intelligence, operations, and nuclear integration, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, has been assigned as commander, 19th Air Force, Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. Brigadier General John A. Cherrey, deputy director, intelligence, operations, and nuclear integration for flying training, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, has been assigned as director,

mission needs; initial and follow-on training of crews and maintenance personnel; and system maintenance support. Initially, SDS’ Advanced Technologies Division will provide selected MQ-9 Reaper MTD concurrency software updates; develop MTD-LITE (sensoronly) simulation software by modifying the current ROVATTS-based MQ-9 MTD software baseline; convert one current MTD simulator system into two MTD-LITE simulators; and perform an initial test-integration of the resultant MTD-LITE system with selected ANG networked training system capabilities.

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

intelligence, operations, and nuclear integration, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The National Center for Simulation has announced the results of its recent election to fill two seats on its board of directors. Karen Connors, president of Quality Project Control, and Pete Marion, CEO for TMST Consultants, will serve three-year terms.

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RENT ONLY WHAT YOU NEED, WHERE YOU NEED IT AND FOR ONLY SO LONG AS YOU NEED IT. STATE OF THE ART, NOW…AND AFFORDABLE, TOO. The rental of virtual training enablers to support current training requirements provides state-of-the-art technology that is immediately Ready to Train and at a cost per soldier training hour far lower than that of traditionally acquired enablers (Military avoids the typical Total Costs of Ownership). COMMANDERS DESERVE DIRECT INPUT TO THE TRAINING ENABLERS THEY NEED…and they should not have to wait years for their arrival, if ever. For the first time, Commanders can demand Training Enablers that directly match their training objectives and are scalable to available time to train, throughput and location. Risk and responsibility for sustainment, upgrade, and storage shifts from the Military to Industry.

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Seeing Clearly With

Advanced Displays

Technology improvements have enabled a new class of lower-cost, high-fidelity simulators that can be quickly deployed.

By Karen E. Thuermer MT2 Correspondent

In addition, the Scenario Editor component of Advancements in visual display technology are VRSG is a significant new capability. “Now customers making military training even more lifelike and effeccan create patterns of life or other scenarios on our tive. A host of developments are under way and on the terrain or on terrain they have built,” Winston added. horizon to improve visual displays for military use. “These scenarios provide essential training value in One trend on the radar screen for MetaVR, for exmany simulations.” ample, is higher-resolution screens and projectors. The trend toward increasing resolutions extends “For a number of years, graphics cards got faster while to video output, he said. “VRSG can output HD H.264 display resolution was on a plateau. Now they are both video feeds for recording or for embedded UAV trainimproving together—or perhaps displays are even outing. Not long ago all of these video feeds were standard pacing graphics cards. Higher-resolution displays put definition, but now HD is becoming the new normal. more pressure on the image generator to perform,” said Philip Winston This is also something we welcome, since we can very Philip Winston, lead software engineer for the compaefficiently encode these data streams using hardware acceleration prony, which focuses on visualization of real-time 3-D. vided by modern graphics cards.” Winston noted that MetaVR’s flagship product, Virtual Reality The development of high-performance software and high-quality Scene Generator (VRSG), does every well with high-resolution discontent presents many challenges, however. plays, adding, “So we welcome this development.” “One advantage we have is the simulation industry enjoys a lot VRSG is a COTS image generator that runs on game-level Winof synergy with the entertainment industry,” commented Winston. dows computers. MetaVR software is used in the Air Force, Air Nation“Many of our tools and techniques originated in video games, for exal Guard, Army and Army National Guard, and Marine Corps use is ample, although they often have to be customized for the specific needs growing. “Our customers create a variety of applications such as UAV of simulation customers.” payload operator training, manned flight simulators, mission planning He also pointed to the learning curve associated with every new and rehearsal, JTAC simulation training, urban operations training and wave of technology. “We spend a lot of time using our tools ourselves aerial refueling boom operator training,” he said. so that we can be the first people to climb up the curve,” he said. “We Higher-display resolutions create a desire for higher-resolution imdo not believe in asking customers to use tools or techniques we have agery and terrain. “We have long invested in feeding VRSG with highnot tried ourselves.” resolution imagery with our own Terrain Tools plugin for Esri ArcGIS,” Going forward, Winston said he sees the visual realism of simuhe added. “Our Terrain Tools plugin for ArcGIS is how customers build lations as approaching ever more closely to reality, while the time to their own terrain, but it is worth mentioning that most customers use create new terrain and complex scenarios will shrink until it can be the wide variety of terrain that we make available for free or at a nomimeasured in minutes. Still, the efficacy of a simulation is the training nal cost with a VRSG license.” value it provides. For example, the company has data on the continental United “That is the measure by which our progress as an industry should States at 1-meter or better resolution. be judged,” Winston emphasized. “Visuals are an important element Last year, MetaVR began flying its own remote-controlled aircraft, of simulation, but the ability to integrate multiple complex systems MetaVRC, in order to collect 1-inch-per-pixel imagery. “We processed quickly and elegantly so that the training can begin is more important it with Terrain Tools, and the result is gorgeous terrain that takes full and something I hope is improved in the future.” advantage of 4K resolution screens and projectors,” he said. 6 | MT2 19.8

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“Our products are widely used by both the U.S. government, including DoD, DHS and the Coast Guard, and the larger U.S. prime contractors, with close to Another company working actively with the mili300 installations,” reported Javier Castellar, co-founder tary in this field is Aechelon Technology, which offers and vice president of business development at Aechelon real-time computer graphics applications for training Technology. and simulation markets and is a supplier of COTSPublicly disclosed programs in which Aechelon is based, geospecific image generators, with applications involved include both manned and unmanned vehicles used for tactical training, mission rehearsal, sensor across the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard and simulation and unmanned vehicles. U.S. Special Operations Command. Aechelon Technology recently won a contract to Aechelon’s pC-Nova is the company’s state-ofprovide visual databases that will support Marine Corps Javier Castellar the-art image generator. It is fully implemented on MV-22 training and readiness. Aechelon Technology a commercial PC hardware/Windows 7 environment and is delivwill provide a high-fidelity multispectral visual and sensor database, ered as a fully functional turnkey system for 60 Hz frame rate, full3-D moving models, and a variety of airfields in Marine-aviator-specific mission, multispectral geospecific image generation. PC-Nova-based key locations. The technology will be used on Marine Corps MV-22 visual systems are currently on hundreds of devices with thousands Containerized Flight Training Devices (CFTD) located in the Unites of channels in training programs, research laboratories and ground States and overseas. stations. Each MV-22 CFTD features an Aechelon Technology pC-Nova imThe Aechelon Nexus Unified Storage System (USS) enables access age generator. Aechelon Technology has provided all of the image to very large databases for hundreds of streams, from large multichangenerators in support of the MV-22 CFTD fleet since the program’s nel, multispectral training and mission image generators and radar inception. simulation subsystems to page database streams in real time, indeAechelon Technology also received a subcontract award from Aero pendently of each other but from the same file system. Additionally, Simulation to provide a new image generator and existing databases the USS includes support for Aechelon Nexus Data Packs, designed to currently in use by the Marines. The technology will be used on a CHtransfer very large format database updates. 53E Flight Training Device that directly supports the Marine Corps ReAechelon’s Castellar identified three distinctive and rapidly growserves in Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. ing trends that he said also offer a significant increase in revenue. They Aechelon Technology will also provide high-fidelity multi-spectral are data center products to support and include unified image genvisual and sensor databases, 3-D moving models, and a variety of airerators and global databases; image generator training technology and fields from its library already being used on existing Department of databases used for mission preparation and situational awareness; and Defense programs. unmanned vehicle ground stations. The CH-53E Super Stallion is the largest, heaviest and most power“The key technology enablers have been threefold: the increase of ful helicopter in the U.S. military. The heavy-lift helicopter of the Maresolution and ground truth of multispectral global databases for outrine Corps is essential in the transportation of heavy equipment and of-the-window scenes, night vision goggles, infrared and radar; the corsupplies. relation of multisensor databases with the tactical environment; and Among the company’s offerings are image generators (Aechelon the deployment of modern data center services to include unified impC-Nova), data center unified storage and management (Aechelon age generators and database storage,” Castellar said. Nexus), multi-spectral global databases and integration services.

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The company has focused on an enormous amount of research and development in deploying, at several sites, unified management at the data center level to make these technologies easier and more costeffective to maintain in the long run. “The challenge was how to manage sites that feature dozens of high-end image generators with hundreds of terabytes of databases while complying with the mandatory information assurance requirements,” Castellar remarked. “This was key to our increase in the adoption of our latest image generation technology both for manned and unmanned vehicles, and we have already experienced a significant growth this year responding to our new products.” Since the systems have become diskless and can be managed in a more modern, centralized fashion, Castellar has found that the learning curve and therefore both deployment and maintenance costs have decreased, while the feature set and capabilities available to the enduser have increased. Where does Castellar see the technology evolving in the future? “Clearly, our technology is blurring the line between training and real missions at unmanned vehicle ground stations and reusing the considerable investment by the U.S. government in databases in areas such as unmanned vehicle situational awareness and manned and unmanned mission planning,” he said. “Our technology can also easily cross over from our military market into the expected increase of commercial uses of unmanned vehicles.”

This real-time scene shows a Grey Eagle UAV entity in flight over MetaVR’s high-resolution geospecific terrain of Kismayo, Somalia. The Grey Eagle and the geospecific culture are from MetaVR’s 3-D model libraries. [Image courtesy of MetaVR]

Jackson said. “As we enhance the rendering software, there will be a single instance of the software that runs all of the graphics cards, freeing up additional cores that can be available to support more graphics boards.” Jackson described Concurrent’s ImaGenIG as the solution for supporting multiple graphics boards in a single chassis. “The German Luftwaffe is using our Multiple Graphics Cards ImaGen, as is the U.S. Army for the Apache helicopter trainer,” he revealed. Ken Jackson, vice president at Concurrent, a proImaGenIG is of interest to these two organizations vider of unified content delivery and video analytics because it enables them to condense the size of the imsolutions, sees a trend today in the need to support age generators at the training facilities. “The ImaGenIG multiple graphics boards in a single chassis, which reprovides a four-to-one reduction while providing a duces the footprint and energy consumption of the imstate-of-the-art visual system,” Jackson explained. age generator while providing higher performance and Ken Jackson Jackson argued that Concurrent’s new ImaGenIG visual resolution for the end-user. ken.jackson@ccur.com is easier to use than image generators that require the The advantages of multiple cards in a single sysuser to create a database. “ImaGenIG requires only a GIS source to cretem include lower cost, reduced footprint, lower power consumption, ate the scene,” he explained. and lower maintenance cost and higher mean time between failures,”

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client that is located on a Scalable SDK-enabled image generator. Once it has been delivered to the image generator, the instructions are applied to the GPU and the images projected from the array of projectors automatically form a seamless display. “Because the Scalable Mesh File is executed on the image generator, no latency is introduced,” Jamison explained. “The GPU resource used is less than 0.3 ms (of the available 16 ms when operating at 60 frames per second), which is considered negligible by all customers we have met.” Scalable Display Manager is used on simulators for a wide range of Seamless Display services and programs. One of the biggest challenges facing these technologies today in The quality of visual systems for military training has improved terms of their use or development is maintaining the seamless quality significantly in the past five years, according to Andrew Jamison, CEO of a display, Jamison suggested. “That is critical to training efficacy,” he of Scalable Display Technologies. said. “Artifacts in the visual system detract from the immersion that “Improvements have come from several fronts: projector quality; is essential to the training. Scalable’s software solution projector resolution; image generation applications; takes what had been an art of display management and graphic processing unit (GPU) horsepower; and aumoves it into science. Using patented camera feedback tomation to maintain ‘factory fresh’ calibration of the technology, a computer now delivers precise results display,” he said. that previously required a highly-trained technician to Taken as a whole, he suggested, these improveachieve.” ments have enabled a new class of lower-cost, highGoing forward, Jamison contends that display techfidelity simulators that can be quickly deployed in nology will continue to mature and evolve at a rapid volume. pace. “The big winner in all this is our servicemen and “Recently, the trend with projectors has been towomen who have access to more better-quality training ward solid-state light sources such as laser and LED,” devices,” Jamison emphasized. Andrew Jamison he said. “The benefit of these light sources is lower total Scalable provides software to automatically warp cost of ownership with more stable color performance.” and blend multiple projectors into the seamless display andrew.jamison @scalabledisplay.com Other trends include increased resolution as prothat is required for military simulation. “Our software jectors move to 4K; richer, more realistic graphics that are enabled by is used by all branches of the armed forces in the United States and the latest GPUs and image generators; and new features like dynamic several foreign forces as well,” he said. eye-points that more realistically represent reality for part-task-trainScalable’s software, Scalable Display Manager (SDM), is a Windowsers such as hoist operators. O based application. The software uses a camera to collect images that are used by an algorithm to automatically calculate “warp and blend” For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly instructions. at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives The SDM software packages the warp and blend instructions tofor related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com. gether with “view frustum” data and hands it off to a Linux display Older rendering technology calls for the development of a visual database comprising polygons that represent the scene in the simulation—a task that requires a significant effort in both manpower and project time. If the database is complex, it can take many months to generate an acceptable visual system. “The ImaGenIG does not require the generation of a visual database, but can create the scene from a satellite picture in hours, saving many man-hours,” Jackson explained.

10 | MT2 19.8

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IMPROVING MISSION READINESS. IT’S OUR SOLE OBJECTIVE.

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special section

High-Fidelity

Training

Military training developers are delivering products and solutions that display everincreasing levels of fidelity and resolution.

By Peter Buxbaum, MT2 Correspondent

The U.S. military’s demand for immersive and realistic training and simulation environments to prepare warfighters for a variety of missions and tasks has created a more complex technology environment and challenged developers to deliver products and solutions that display everincreasing levels of fidelity and resolution. The realism and fidelity of a training system is often viewed as a function of the power of its image generators, which are the picture portion of a game engine that creates realistic virtual environments. Image generators have doubled in power in recent years, allowing for the projection of images that approach the acuity of the human eye. But that is only the beginning of the innovations that make military training systems more realistic. Beyond the power of the image generators, the projection systems used to display the images have also advanced dramatically and improved by orders of magnitude the efficacy of training on night vision equipment. Moving beyond imagery, a variety of other aspects of training simulations— such as sounds, motions, vibrations, and the look and feel of controls and weapons—also go into making training systems that portray true-to-life environments and situations. Coming down the pike are enhanced capabilities to make these systems available on handheld devices. “The military currently expects 75 percent of aviation training to take place in synthetic environments,” said Jim Takats, president and CEO of TRU Simulation + Training. “In order to make that transition, 12 | MT2 19.8

far as texture, shadows and you have to increase the fithe location of infrared hot delity and realism of training spots. devices.” “Terrain databases allow TRU focuses on the vithe portrayal of trees, folisual, motion and sound cues age and other features with that go into aviation simulagreater realism than before,” tors so that the training sysadded McDaniel, whose tem performs and feels like company’s products include an actual aircraft. simulators for operator “What we consistently training on small unmanned hear from our high-end Jim Takats aerial systems. simulation customers in “Our customers are now terms of capabilities and integrating visually coupled performance is the desire for systems into their platforms,” eye-level resolution. This is said Skip Rodgers, president reflected in the development of Polhemus, which develof our systems for night viops tracking technologies sion goggle training for milithat are incorporated into tary applications,” said Dave training platforms. “HighKanahele, a senior account fidelity simulation is more manager for Christie Digital, efficiently working through a maker of advanced projecDave Kanahele the complexities of creating tion systems used in training common reference frames simulators. dave.kanahele and minimizing system-level “Fidelity has increased in @christiedigital.com latency. Notable advancealmost every area of modelments include the integraing and simulation,” said tion of, in many cases, dozMark McDaniel, director ens of subsystems into one of simulation solutions at harmonized trainer.” AEgis Technologies Group. One example of the “The fidelity in the modelwork being done in this area ing, the databases and the comes from Bihrle Applied displays are far greater now Research, which has studied than they were just two or stall training and technology three years ago. Increased solutions for military transcomputing power and adMark McDaniel port class aircraft, according vanced software allow simuto Jack Ralston, the company’s president, lated vehicles to look like and behave more who noted, “We’ve applied our technology like vehicles than they have in the past, as www.MT2-kmi.com

CHANGING THE GAME MANPACK 300 – DEPLOYING THE FUTURE IN LIVE TRAINING

Imagine a portable, instantly deployable training system that enables instrumented training exercises with up to 300 players. Then picture it all fitted inside a box. What you see is the all-new ManPack 300 – an instrumented training system that will give your capability the edge and take your live training experience closer to reality. ManPack 300 supports company-sized exercises with capabilities for Combat training, MOUT/FIBUA, CBRN and Counter-IED training as well as precision gunnery training. The system is fully independent, has a powerful new radio and provides 24-hour operation. By linking ManPack 300 to an existing CTC it can also be used to extend the training area footprint to facilitate larger scale exercises and scenarios. Customers all over the world rely on Saab’s thinking edge to provide innovative, highly realistic and effective training solutions that will prepare them for current as well as future challenges. www.saabgroup.com/iitsec2014

Visit the Saab booth 1939 at I/ITSEC 2014

ManPack 300, new instrumented training system: • Up to 300 players • Scalable – add on to CTC • Moves with the action

special section to the P-8 simulator and it has been very well-received.” The P-8 Poseidon is a Boeing-developed multimission Navy aircraft. Most existing aircraft training simulators do not have any significant description of stall behavior. “We have found that stall behavior is quite a bit more dynamic than is represented in most simulators,” said Ralston. “The Navy knows its pilots are going to operate the aircraft in a more aggressive manner than a normal transport pilot, and wanted to be able to provide better training for recognizing and recovery from stall behavior. We looked at what would be required to provide that type of data and how it could be integrated into existing simulators without requiring the simulator to go through an additional validation process.”

Skip Rodgers

Jack Ralston

jralston@bihrle.com

Virtual Battlefield The value of fidelity and realism in training systems is equally applicable to the training of ground soldiers as it is to pilots.

Clarence Pape

Intelligent Decisions, for instance, markets the Dismounted Soldier Training System (DSTS), which uses a man-worn backpack computer. “The system is designed for virtual environments, but activities such as handling a weapon standing, kneeling and prone, and communications with squad members and higher headquarters and calling for fire are all done in physical space,” said Clarence Pape, the company’s vice president of training and simulation. “Other activities such as kicking down doors, throwing grenades, and detecting ingress and egress locations take place on a virtual battlefield.” AEgis Technologies’ Vampire family of products facilitates training for the small Raven, Wasp and Puma UAVs with no additional hardware required. “It runs on rugged laptops and the UAV ground control stations,” said McDaniel. “Users just have to plug in the system and they can train anywhere, anytime.” Vampire, which was introduced in 2010, has been fielded to customers in the

U.S. Army and the Marine Corps as well as a few overseas customers. In 2012, AEgis inaugurated the Vampire Instructor Operator Station, which has the ability to connect multiple Vampires over a network, allowing instructors to handle trainings of 10 teams at once. The Army has acquired about 30 of those systems. AEgis last year brought out the Vampire BAT, or bidirectional advanced trainer, which can download sensor feeds for training UAV payload operators. “For the unmanned air system trainer, the warfighter just has to unplug the antenna that controls the real UAV [to] train on the same control station,” said McDaniel. “One advantage is that the operator can learn how to react when things go wrong and not just when the system is operating correctly. The student can learn how to react if a UAV engine goes out. The scenario can be inserted into the simulation without wasting a UAV. The simulation is high-fidelity enough to represent a real emergency, and the warfighter can learn how to react.” AEgis has also provided a low-altitude air defense system to the Marines and Army. “It includes a realistic representation of the full spectrum of operations,” said McDaniel. “The system is housed in a 40-foot dome that can accommodate three teams working in coordination with one another. It provides a very realistic environment for training on portable air defense systems.” In addition, AEgis has provided the two services with a similar environment for

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special section the improved moving target simulator for training on Stinger portable surface-to-air missiles. Christie, meanwhile, has provided projection capabilities to the HC-144A operational flight trainer for the U.S. Coast Guard that, according to Kanahele, offers landmark levels of realism and fidelity. “The simulation achieved new levels of field of view never before achieved on a collimated display system,” he said. Christie projection systems have also advanced training in the area of night vision by allowing trainees to use the same night vision goggles (NVG) during training that they would use in operations.

“Training on night vision goggles has historically involved compromises on fidelity,” said Kanahele. “Our projection systems for night vision training stimulate the goggles in the same way as they would be in the real world. There are certain characteristics that are unique to the goggles, and the trainee is able to recognize these [characteristics] and how the goggle circuitry responds.” Christie Matrix Series projectors are used for stimulated NVG training by Allied Armed Forces around the world. One of the key advancements that has enhanced the fidelity of Christie systems has been the increase in the update rate of

the system to produce greater-fidelity images. The traditional approach to image fidelity has focused on pixel densities. “Our tests have shown that in many cases, temporal resolution is more effective and more important in achieving high image fidelity than the spatial resolution by itself,” said Kanahele, noting that the unique dual-input architecture of the Christie Matrix Series projectors composites two 60Hz inputs in order to output 120Hz, doubling the update rate, while maintaining compatibility with existing 60Hz image generators.

Solid-State Illumination Among other technology developments that enhance the fidelity of images in projection systems are higher levels of performance in the processing of pixels and the increasing use of solid-state illumination, such as laser-powered phosphor displays, as opposed to lamp-based illumination. “[The] mean time between failures of solid-state illumination is an order of magnitude greater than lamp-based systems, and the stability is greatly increased and maintenance costs of the systems are dramatically reduced,” said Kanahele. “Lampbased systems also degrade over time and their performance changes over the lifetime of the lamp.” Open architectures and flexible systems have allowed technology advancements to be incorporated into existing systems. “These address the need for high levels of performance to meet budget constraints by scaling down capabilities,” said Kanahele. “There are always trade-offs in performance with decreases in costs, but flexible implementation can provide benefits for users wherever they are on the costs and capabilities spectrum.” In the late 1960’s, Polhemus began navigation system studies as part of development programs for improving the systems utilized by military aircraft. “Shortly thereafter, internal research regarding magnetic fields led the company to pioneer the world’s first magnetic motion tracking system. The initial application tracked the motion of a pilot’s head, and the objective was to more efficiently match aircraft sensors and displays to the pilot’s actual pointof-regard at any given moment,” Rodgers explained. This new system also made the reverse possible, enabling a pilot to be dynamically

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special section cued to look in a specific direction in real time when an aircraft sensor system identified an incoming threat. This coupling of a precision motion tracker with a visual display allowed for what are today known as helmet-mounted cueing systems (HMCS) Polhemus has developed fully scalable tracking coverage systems that allow their customers to add hardware components as their tracking needs evolve over time. “G4, our latest tracker, offers this scalable value, in addition to the tetherless tracking that many dismount training systems need to employ,” said Rodgers. “Because Polhemus tracking technology does not require line of sight, it enables the military to track multiple soldiers seamlessly in the same training space. Shoot houses utilize our technology and our tetherless tracking products provide full freedom of movement to simulate the most realistic training experience available. Polhemus proprietary electromagnetic technology is widely used in countless military training and simulation exercises.” Polhemus products serve two core segments within Department of Defense training and simulation. The Scout trackers fly on F-16, A-10 and C-130 aircraft today. “We supply and support the identical tracker to the simulation community responsible for training aircrew to utilize HMCS capabilities,” said Rodgers. “Polhemus also addresses the motion tracking needs within dismount and mechanized training shoot domes, as well as forward observer, call for fire, and search and rescue simulators.” “We look at the level of realism in simulators with two goals in mind,” said TRU’s Jim Takats. “One is to simulate the environment of the aircraft itself, while the other and more important goal is to provide a level of fidelity that meets the needs of the training. This includes training for handling maneuvers in a variety of weather conditions and sea states, and the existence of power lines and other environmental conditions. We have modeled the aerodynamics of the rotor blades of a helicopter. The integration of all of these things together brings a level of fidelity that meets the objective training needs and the subjective criteria of total immersion in an environment.” At the core of TRU’s technology are cueing algorithms that enhance the realism of flight simulators. “The rotor dynamics on helicopter training systems and their visual acuity, including peripheral vision, 18 | MT2 19.8

even the effect of the rotors on blades of grass, are all important to get to the level of realism that pilots experience in the real world,” said Takats. TRU produces products that are integrated into aviation trainers to simulate the sights, sounds and vibrations of the real platform. TRU’s customers for these products include the U.S. C-130 transport aircraft community, as well as the Italian and Romanian air forces. TRU has also applied its technologies to aircraft maintenance trainers. “We are seeing more complex aircraft like the F-35 being deployed,” said Takats. “Maintenance training on these new breeds of aircraft can benefit from high-fidelity simulations to a greater extent than those that came before.” TRU, a subsidiary of Textron, is also developing a series of high-fidelity trainers for the Scorpion jet, which is currently under development by the company.

Stall Model Bihrle’s work in this area has been focused on integrating a module that simulates aircraft stall behavior into training simulators without putting those systems through a new certification process. “Existing simulations have a fairly simplistic representation of a stall based on the list curve and pitching movement of the aircraft,” said Ralston. “But there are a lot of other characteristics to a stall, such as the reduction in control authority and the reduction in stability that we include in our model.” Bihrle came up with a system that incorporates all of the stall data and representations in a separate, external device that is integrated via Ethernet with existing P-8 aircraft training simulators. “Our stall box allows us to introduce our advanced stall model to the simulation without having to get into the host code or the very complicated model architecture of the airplane,” said Ralston. “This approach is minimally invasive to the system and requires little downtime for the integration. When the stall occurs in the simulation, the system transitions to the stall box and later transitions back to the baseline simulator. It also doesn’t influence any evaluation work” that has been completed for the main training system. Intelligent Decisions recently introduced several enhancements to DSTS and is in the process of installing the system at

15 National Guard stations. “The enhancements implement some of the government’s desires, including increasing the frame rate on the man-wearable computer graphics system to provide better fidelity and experience for the user,” said Pape. DSTS version 3.0 provides greater fidelity in a number of areas, including the realism of the weapon and by introducing a model for treating casualties. “We took aspects of a real M4 and used it in the trainer so that it feels more like the actual weapon,” said Pape. “By introducing a medic into the training environment, DSTS supervisors no longer need to fabricate an emergency medical situation on the virtual battlefield. “Instead, the casualty becomes a part of the simulation itself as the wounded soldier loses his capabilities to function effectively in the environment. This increases the overall effectiveness of the simulation by forcing soldiers to react and understand the impact of a battlefield casualty without altering the experience or jeopardizing its fidelity,” he said. Future plans for the system include incorporating a camera to pave the way for incorporating augmented reality, which will merge the physical and virtual worlds in the helmet-mounted display. Intelligent Decisions will soon be announcing the incorporation of more realistic ballistic models in the system to portray gunshot wounds. McDaniel foresees more high-fidelity simulations being made available on handheld devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. “That is where the future development is going,” he said. “Instead of having a special dedicated computer for a simulation, warfighters will pull out their handheld devices and train.” “The demand for high-fidelity simulation will continue into the foreseeable future,” said Rodgers. “[Being able to] train as you fight is becoming ever more important as military financial constraints heighten the need for virtual training and mission rehearsal. Simulation is the more affordable option, but unless it truly simulates the real world, it is likely to be counterproductive.” O

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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innovation

It’s true… Innovation has been a driving force throughout CAE’s almost 70-year history and has led CAE to be the technology leader in simulation. We continue to be unique in the industry as the only truly global company focused exclusively on modeling, simulation and training. Defense forces around the world now want to extend their use of simulation to enhance safety, save money, and most importantly, support mission readiness prior to operational deployments. This requires training systems to be networked and interoperable to support integrated mission training across platforms, services and coalition partners. And once again, CAE is leading the way with innovative solutions across the air, land, sea and public safety domains. Our focus and technology leadership leads to the development of market-leading capabilities, such as the common database and synthetic environments that facilitate interoperability, networking and correlation. We have invested to develop a next-generation capability called the CAE Dynamic Synthetic Environment designed to create virtual worlds that more accurately and realistically simulate the real world. No company has more experience as a training systems integrator, enabling our customers to expand the use of their existing training systems. CAE is also unique in our capability to deliver comprehensive, full-service training centers, such as the C-130 Tampa Training Center in the U.S. and new CAE Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Center. Trust a company with the focus, experience and expertise to be your partner of choice for networked, interoperable simulation-based training.

AM097

AM309

Please visit CAE’s booth at I/ITSEC (Booth #1734) in Orlando, Florida from December 1-4, 2014 to learn more about our world-class simulation and training solutions for the air, land, sea, public safety and healthcare market segments.

CAE is a world-class training systems integrator that offers training centers, services, and products designed to prepare defense and security forces for mission success.

DATA PACKETS Counseling Training Hones Listening Skills The Army has released a desktop/laptop version of an interactive video game program to teach young leaders how to resolve their soldiers’ personal and performance problems. The program is called the Emergent Leader Immersive Training Environment (ELITE), which is now available as ELITE-Lite. ELITE teaches leaders how to ask the right questions to understand a soldier’s problem and how to use the Army’s resources to address the problem. It helps the Army develop leaders to their full potential and represents another resource to stop sexual harassment and sexual assault. ELITE has interactive segments with these five scenarios: a dispute between sergeants; a soldier with financial problems; a soldier with a driving under the influence arrest; a female soldier asking for a transfer after problems with a male NCO; and a fight between NCOs over a sergeant’s comments about a female soldier. Each scenario provides users a menu of questions to ask an avatar representing the soldier with a problem. The users’ choices affect the video’s storyline. At the end of the scenario, users receive a score based on the questions they selected. “It hones junior leaders’ listening and communicating skills so they can understand problems and then direct soldiers to the right person or agency that can help resolve those problems,” Marco Conners, chief of the Army’s Games for Training Program, Fort Leavenworth, Kan., explained during a

Military Vehicles Added to Simulation Library Simthetiq has become the largest provider of professional 3-D content with the release of over 500 new military vehicles to the simulation and serious gaming industry. The library now includes more than 1,000 realtime 3-D vehicles that are compatible with the most recent technologies used in today’s simulators. These new models offer the best visual quality by using the latest real-time rendering technology, such as reflection, dynamic shadow and micro details. They come with off-the-shelf compatibility with the HLA & DIS network protocol and work with various sensor simulation solutions.

20 | MT2 19.8

recent media briefing. Conners’ organization certified the program for use across the Army. “What we want to do is develop a scenario and counseling tool that will teach how to do counseling. We don’t want a simulation that will teach you to be a counselor. Instead, it provides you with some resources and techniques for how to effectively counsel,” Conner said. The last two scenarios above, involving female soldiers, are based on the Army’s sexual harassment/assault response and prevention program. The ELITE program is being used this semester at the U.S. Military Academy in a military leadership class. Soldiers and units can download ELITE for free off the Army Milgaming site: https://milgaming.army.mil.

Multi-Frequency Systems Simulate Electronic Jamming Airbus Defence and Space is updating the radar jammer systems used by the German armed forces to train radar operators and pilots. This means the German armed forces are bringing their own capabilities for combating electronic jamming attacks in line with the increasing capabilities offered by new technologies. Airbus Defence and Space has already delivered four jammer systems to GFD, a German aviation company. The multi-frequency jammer systems based on digital radio frequency memory technology simulate electronic jamming attacks, allowing processes to be developed to protect aircraft from radar-guided missile attacks. Conversely, operators of air defense radars train to combat such

jamming attacks in order to keep air defense systems functioning despite electronic countermeasures. At GFD, the jammer systems are housed in a pod positioned under the wings of Learjet aircraft. The jammer systems can be integrated into other flying platforms at any time. www.MT2-kmi.com

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Unified Solution Supports Content Delivery to Any Device Concurrent, a provider of unified content delivery and video analytics solutions, has unveiled support for new high-density edge server configurations in its latest UpShift content delivery network software release. As a unified solution, UpShift supports content delivery to any viewing device from a common platform, enabling commercial video services to be streamed to consumers at home or on the go and over fixed-line or mobile broadband networks. Concurrent’s UpShift software has been certified to operate on next-generation servers featuring higher solid-state storage capacities and new form factors. The additional storage capacity can be used to cache a greater amount of popular content closer to the consumer, reducing the traffic demands on the content delivery network (CDN) and improving network efficiency. Licensed multiscreen content, Internet-based over-the-top content and content for on-demand TV services can be cached within a single server and delivered to any screen, over any network on demand. Concurrent’s UpShift solution supports a variety of integrated and attached storage options in support of intelligent caching, including DRAM, solid-state drives (SSD), and hard disk drive (HDD) storage. The latest software release includes support for SSD densities of up to 19 terabytes per rack unit and on-board HDD storage density of up to 36 terabytes per rack unit. UpShift edge servers share cache capacity across services, making them more efficient and capable than traditional CDN caches. Concurrent’s UpShift software and certified hardware solutions are currently available and being shipped to customers in support of their multiscreen content delivery network deployments.

New Version Enhances Terrain Database Generation TrianGraphics has released Trian3DBuilder 5.1.11, the latest version of its terrain database generation and modelling solution. Trian3DBuilder offers comprehensive features for the generation of geospecific correlated terrains optimized for real-time rendering. With its simple workflow and a concept based on modular construction templates, Trian3DBuilder is a well established terrain-creating tool on today’s simulation market. Flexible licensing options, with the choice for various feature/ export upgrades, a short training period and an overall simplified tool chain can help cut costs in the everyday production process.

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Solution Modernizes User Interface Development

DiSTI has introduced the GL Studio 5 Designer, providing the best user experience for creating the highest-performing and most compelling user interfaces. The new Designer has been reengineered to modernize the user

interface development experience while preserving the efficient and flexible development workflow GL Studio is known for. The new design provides the ultimate user experience by allowing users to work in multiple windows.

Helicopter Simulator System Adds New Features Ryan Aerospace has announced arrival of the new Helimod Mark II in a teaming effort with Precision Flight Controls that will see a new rotary wing capability added to their lineup of simulation products. The original Helimod was a flagship product of Ryan Aerospace, offering a new, affordable, modular and reconfigurable helicopter simulator control system. Helimod units are in use by military and civilian organizations all around the world and enjoy an excellent track record in performance and reliability. However, the new device has taken things to a new level with a vast array of improvements and new features. These include improved electronics, including Penny & Giles

potentiometers to give much more precise control movement with very little noise or interference. Wiring harnesses and connection systems have also been improved. The USB motherboard is 12-bit and designed to give the maximum amount of resolution (over 4000 steps) per axis. The company also has added electronically adjustable pedals via a rocker switch under the pilot’s seat. This means that any size pilot can fit comfortably into the system. Pushing the rocker switch forward or aft will electronically move the pedals using a high-quality, high-strength electric actuator. In addition, the pedals are dampened by a high-quality adjustable hydraulic dampener to give a realistic and smooth feel. MT2 19.8 | 21

Training Sustainer

Q& A

Prioritizing to Achieve a Synthetic Training Environment

Major General Jon A. Maddux Program Executive Officer, Simulation, Training and Instrumentation U.S. Army Major General Jon A. Maddux entered the Army as an enlisted soldier in 1976. After a three-year enlisted tour with the 82nd Airborne Division, he earned a Bachelor of Science in English language and literature and a Bachelor of Business Administration in operations research analysis from Eastern Michigan University, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. His postgraduate education includes: a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University, a master’s degree in telecommunications from University of Colorado-Boulder and a MSST in strategy from the United States Army War College. His military education includes the Signal Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Project Management Course, Defense Systems Management College, Army Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. Maddux has held key staff positions at the tactical, operational/ joint and strategic levels. His prior assignments include: assistant to the principal military deputy, assistant secretary of the Army Acquisition, Logistics and Technology [ASA (ALT)]; deputy commanding general, Support, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom; program executive officer ammunition/commanding general, Picatinny Arsenal; chief of staff, Office of the ASA (ALT), Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; director for Army Evaluation Task Force Integration, Directorate for Program Manager for Future Combat Systems (Brigade Combat Team); project manager for Future Combat Systems Network Systems Integration; executive officer, Aviation and Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Systems Directorate, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research, Development and Acquisition); staff officer, Aviation and Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Systems Directorate, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research, Development and Acquisition); and commander, Signal Detachment, 75th Ranger Regiment, after a successful company command of B Co, 38th Signal Battalion. Maddux also served as an enlisted military police in the 82nd Airborne Division MP Co and 301st POW MP Brigade. Maddux’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with four oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with two service stars, the Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with service star, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the NATO Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Korean and French Parachutist Badges, the Air Assault Badge, the Dewww.MT2-kmi.com

partment of the Army Staff Identification Badge and the coveted Black & Gold Ranger Tab. Q: How do you see PEO STRI’s mission and programs changing as a result of broader strategic changes in the Army, including the reduction of ground operations and federal budget constraints? A: While the U.S. Army represents the most versatile, agile, rapidly deployable and sustainable land force in the world, we acknowledge the conditions necessitating strategic change in order for us to continue answering our nation’s call. We must operate differently, enable forces differently and organize differently to maintain overmatch and to set the conditions for fundamental long-term change. To achieve this magnitude of transformation, we’re adhering to an operating concept called “Force 2025 and Beyond,” which sets the conditions for the Army to meet current missions while preparing for the future. It will allow us to operate as part of joint, interorganizational and multinational combined arms teams to confront increasingly dangerous threats, accomplish the mission and win in a complex world. The level of preparation required for conducting complex joint operations is achievable through a hybrid blend of simulated training that we at PEO STRI can provide. Modeling, simulation and training play a critically important role in modernizing our military in a fiscally constrained environment. Because we at PEO STRI offer MT2 19.8 | 23

high-fidelity training devices and systems embedded with cutting-edge technology, we help to make the U.S. Army the most lethal weapon on the battlefield. Q: What is PEO STRI doing to prepare for the future? A: The U.S. faces complex and even unknown threats. Our Army is operating in a dramatically austere fiscal environment. This set of circumstances requires us—just like nearly every other Department of Defense agency—to make tough choices. Our first order of business, to this end, is stabilizing our programs to ensure that our top-priority programs are funded to the approved Army requirement. These priority programs—including the Call for Fire Trainer, Engagement Skills Trainer and Medical Simulation Trainer Centers, among many others—will anchor our portfolio to achieve a synthetic training environment for our force. Given our current constraints of structure, the reduction in force and a declining defense budget, Army training programs are our primary concern to bolster the chief of staff of the Army’s readiness priority. We will also ensure that we can continue to provide the relevant training, test instrumentation and cyber-defense capabilities that rank second to none. We will ensure these capabilities and products get into the hands of our sister services and those of our allied and partner nations where and when it makes sense. Q: You issued a detail assessment of PEO STRI operations shortly after taking office. What were some of your key conclusions? A: As an acquisition agency, speed, precision and applicability matter. The best product or service is only successful if we can get it into the hands of soldiers exactly when and where they need it. Our past funding profile has drastically delayed our programs, with some not scheduled to complete fielding until 2025. To mitigate the delay in fielding critically important training technology, we are working in concert with our partners at the Combined Arms Center-Training (CAC-T) and Department of Army Military Operations-Training (DAMO-TR). Together, we are assessing the entire portfolio and making trade-offs to divest obsolete programs, modify existing programs to a “good enough” solution and start new programs where it is appropriate to shape Force 2025 and Beyond. These actions are being made in an effort to meet the new Army’s new operating concept to optimize human performance. Q: You are working with other Army organizations on developing a 30-year plan for technology development. Where does this stand, what do you expect it to say, and how will it influence what PEO STRI does? A: We are strategically focused on developing a near-term, midterm and long-term 30-year plan for the PEO STRI portfolio of programs with our triad partners, CAC-T and DAMO-TR. The plan, called the Training Long-Range Investment Requirements Analysis (LIRA), charts the plans, priorities and funding for Army training devices. The Training LIRA will employ a similar methodology for planning and prioritization as the weapon system review process. Because it is vitally important that our training and testing enablers mirror our weapon systems, we will emphasize concurrency so that training stands up to the scrutiny of a battle-hardened force. 24 | MT2 19.8

The process will also enable the science and technology effort to influence current programs of record or shape new ones. We are seeing an increased focus on the Army’s cyber-defense and cyber-training requirements. PEO STRI will continue to play a key role in securing the U.S. network from adversarial threats. Q: What do you see as some of the key recent success stories for PEO STRI? A: Over the past year, we’ve courageously and optimistically marched through dynamic periods of change and fiscal uncertainty during a time where the velocity of instability across the globe is ever-increasing. Our soldiers continue to answer the nation’s call largely in part because of the work being done in the training, simulation and testing community. The Army’s steadfast focus on training, which precisely enables readiness, is a true testament to the importance of the work that we perform. In the fiscal year 2014 Congressional bipartisan budget agreement, the Army was able to increase readiness by refocusing on home station training and increasing multi-echelon and multicomponent training at our combat training centers. As a result, we have been able to continue to provide realistic training environments, thus increasing the readiness of U.S. forces. As the Army invests in new and growing domains such as cyber, PEO STRI stands out as a key contributor. The Army is the leader within the cyber realm—defending our networks and denying the enemy freedom of movement in cyberspace—and PEO STRI has played a part to make that happen. These are only a few of the many contributions that our team has made on behalf of the U.S. Army. Across our entire portfolio, we can find gleaming examples of success. That success is directly attributed to the top-notch, driven and dedicated professionals that proudly wear the PEO STRI badge. Q: You have also outlined plans for PEO STRI to phase out most of its customer-funded services contracts and instead focus its efforts on STRI programs of record. What benefits do you expect to see from this? A: The Department of Defense—and the Army in particular—is up against a challenging set of circumstances: an uncertain budget, unpredictable future threats, a reduced force structure and a nation that immensely depends on us. Although at PEO STRI we cannot change the circumstances, we can ensure our troops remain the best trained fighting force that our world will ever know. It is a monumental task, but one that we’re clearly chartered to perform. As a result, we’re tuning in to our core mission and handing over the outliers, like customer-funded service contracts, to our partners across the force who are well-positioned to handle the responsibility. It’s the right thing to do for our soldiers, the right thing to do for our taxpayers and the right thing for our nation. Q: What changes would you like to see from industry in how it works with PEO STRI? A: For many years, PEO STRI participated in the Training and Simulation Industry Symposium (TSIS), where our project managers and contracting officers updated industry members on near-term business opportunities. Although it was a largely successful event, www.MT2-kmi.com

we are looking to expand the depth and breadth of this session to include input from industry. For the upcoming and future TSIS sessions, we’re planning to gain insight from our requirements owners to understand the capability gaps for the current and future force in preparation for Force 2025 and Beyond. We will also get the perspective of our research and development science and technology partners to address where the government is going to address those gaps. To augment this collaboration, we’re interested in gaining our industry partners’ perspectives, to the most reasonable extent possible, on where they are investing their independent research and development dollars. The dialogue that will occur through this multipronged approach will assist the modeling and simulation community in meeting the tenets of Force 2025 and Beyond. Q: What are some of the key areas of technological advancements that you are looking for from industry in the next couple of years? A: We’re seeking a number of modernized and affordable capabilities from industry to enhance our soldiers’ training experience and the test environment in an era of fiscal constraint. We see an importance in enhanced individual, squad and scout training capabilities in the immersive and live training environments to achieve squad overmatch and optimize soldier performance in both physical and mental skills. We foresee that this enhancement will occur

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by leveraging virtual humans, intelligent avatars and agent technologies to increase the realism of the immersive training environment. Other top technology areas that we believe will enhance the Army’s future training environment include: advancing “big data” analytics, delivering training at the point of need, leveraging artificial intelligence, developing a “one world” terrain, augmenting the synthetic environment and depending more on intelligent tutoring capabilities. We’re also seeking enhanced cyber-warfare capabilities in the test and training environments to include both offensive threat and defensive operations. We’re specifically honed in on the following areas: remote mission command of multiple cyber offensive and defensive platforms; modeling and execution of offensive and defensive cyber activities providing force multiplier effects; virtualization of offensive threat and defensive networks; and offensive and defensive cyber tools developed as software services available in secure cloud environments. In addition to these areas of concentration, we are looking for improved gaming solutions and blended or augmented-reality technologies. We’re also seeking more realistic pairing of shooter and target engagements in live test and training environments, as well as enhanced weapon tracking/orientation in test and training domains. We’d like to see an integrated aviation capability at the combat training centers, home stations and test ranges. We realize that the Army’s test and training technology is only as sound as the industry stakeholders who have the capability to create it, so we’re dedicated to communicating with and working alongside our industry partners to provide the best for the best! O

3. 11. 2014 19:55:46

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Simulation Drives Air Traffic Control Training

Unique challenges and requirements have led to increased use of simulation for training military air traffic controllers. By Henry Canaday, MT2 Correspondent Counting fixed-wing, rotary-wing and remotely piloted aircraft, the Department of Defense operates nearly 14,000 aircraft, far more than the mainline fleets of all the major U.S. airlines. Whether for missions or training, this huge fleet of aircraft flies frequently, if not quite as constantly as the commercial sector. That means takeoffs, cruises and landings must be as carefully controlled from the ground as they are precisely flown in the air. Air traffic control (ATC) of defense aircraft is similar to its civilian counterpart in some ways, but different in others. Military aircraft may fly under somewhat different rules and in some very different environments. ATC staff in the military have shorter careers and much higher turnover than civilian controllers. In deployments, military controllers must quickly learn the challenges and requirements of completely novel airfields and locations. All this makes training ATC personnel in the military especially challenging. Furthermore, budget pressures mean this training must be done economically while being as safe as possible. Unique challenges and tough requirements have led to increased use of simulation for training ATC staff in the military. The trend toward better and more realistic simulation with more decentralized functions and scenarios is likely to continue. Adacel, for example, develops and maintains a wide range of tower, radar and precision approach radar (PAR) simulators that are used by all branches of the military for ATC training, said Tom Evers, marketing director. The company’s simulators include mobile systems that can be easily transported to field locations. Adacel’s mobile system is capable of operating in tower, radar or PAR modes, all on a single system. Individual workstations can be networked together to enable combined training. Adacel has also developed speech recognition systems for military applications that can be used both in Adacel systems and by other ATC simulation systems. This speech recognition technology is used in Adacel ATC platforms to enable students to communicate directly with the computer simulation without the need of a human to play the role of a pseudo-pilot. Thebenefitsofthisspeechrecognitiontechnologyaretwofold,according to Evers. “It reduces overhead for a supporting cast of characters, and it allows instructors to focus on instructing rather than role-playing.”

Communication Skills Adacel’s speech technology is also an integral part of the company’s Intelligent Communications Environment (ICE), a training device for 26 | MT2 19.8

teaching aviation phraseology and communication procedures. Lack of fundamental skills in phrasing and communication can distract students and seriously degrade their performance in advanced simulators. ICE is designed to help students gain the necessary language proficiency to make maximum use of their time in the more advanced simulators. The company’s latest development in speech technology is an advanced, dialogue-based speech recognition system called LEXIX that is designed specifically for the simulation. Adacel’s primary U.S. military clients are the Air Force, Army and Army Reserve. The Air Force, which has more than 90 Adacel systems, recently selected Adacel in open competition for a system-sustainment and technology-refresh contract. The Army has selected Adacel for its ATC Common Simulator (ACS) program for all Army units. Internationally, the Royal Canadian and Royal Australian Air Forces also use Adacel systems for ATC training. Adacel believes in a soup-to-nuts approach to ATC training. “Highfidelity simulators are wonderful tools, but they are not always the best answer to particular training needs,” Evers said. For example, learning fundamental skills such as phraseology and communication techniques can be accomplished by tools less sophisticated and less costly than advanced simulators. So Adacel offers a wide range of simulators and tools to fit specific training regimens, rather than offering a onesize-fits-all approach. Military ATC shares many common rules and characteristics with its Tom Evers civilian counterpart. But, as Evers noted, there are also many military-spetevers@adacel.com cific flight patterns, regulations and operational requirements that must be accommodated for in military training. Adacel has a long history of developing simulators specifically for military use, and the devices thus have features in their software unique to U.S. military flight procedures, and often to particular unit requirements. Adacel has spent 12 years developing speech recognition systems aimed specifically at aviation and the phrases, stress and noises associated with it. “The experience gained over the years enables Adacel to continually improve speech capabilities within its systems,” Evers said. The size of the company’s customer base enables it to have a support network whose size and quality is second to none in ATC simulation, he www.MT2-kmi.com

argued. In addition to annual site visits and call-center troubleshooting, Adacel offers frequent training courses, which can be especially useful to the military because personnel turn over so frequently. Evers also emphasized that the effectiveness of ATC simulation depends on the quality of training scenarios. “Training courses and subject-matter expertise supplied by Adacel maximize the benefits of our system features and are frequently used by the military,” he said. For the future, Evers sees military training increasingly shifting to automated, individual-based learning and more decentralized lessons on mobile systems. “Speech recognition is key to accomplishing this efficiently, particularly in ATC training.” As speech recognition tools continue penetrating our daily lives, with interactive voice systems and automated answering services in cell phones and other devices, speech recognition will be pushed toward true conversational capabilities, he predicted, and “interactive speech-enabled systems will become increasingly mandatory in military training systems.” Evers added that the Air Force was well ahead of this trend in 2002 when it made speech recognition a mandatory requirement of its ATC Tower Simulation System, which Adacel won.

Training Goals One specialist in ATC simulation and voice recognition is UFA, which has both U.S. and international customers and covers all facets of ATC simulation. It has recently seen an increase in the demand for ATC training from the military, according to Amy Parish, project manager, who added, “With more flight simulation and training for pilots, there is a similar need for ATC simulation training.” UFA currently provides a number of training solutions to the U.S. military, including the Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force and Army National Guard. In addition, UFA provides ATC simulation to international military customers, such as the Belgian air force. UFA training solutions range from small-footprint, standalone computers up to full-immersion configurations with multiple computers. Some customers, such as the Army and Army National Guard, use UFA’s ATCoach Tactical Edition in combination with ATTower, UFA’s ATC tower simulation system. Other customers, such as the Air Force, use single computers that can be linked together to provide individual or collective training. UFA’s military customers can also use one of several different programs, each of which is designed to focus on key training goals. For example, some customers use UFA’s phraseology trainer, ATSpeak, to learn the basics of ATC phrasing and English. Once proficient in these phrases and English, customers can then transition to a specific platform, radar or tower. Platform training can be done with UFA’s ATCoach Tactical Edition, which provides training on surveillance and precision-approach radar. There is also UFA’s ATCoach Global Edition, which provides simulation for approach and en-route training. In addition, ATTower provides trainees with a photorealistic visual environment while supplying functionalities for all aspects of military, civilian and general aviation operations. Simulation is a major portion of military ATC training and plays a significant role in allowing students to train as they fight, Parish said. “A deployment or change in duty station no longer means having to learn a new simulator or training platform in order to start or continue training,” she noted. “Instead, customers like the Navy use the same software and change only the content housed inside the software.” www.MT2-kmi.com

ATTower Desktop Tower Training Systems from UFA are used by Army National Guard sites around the country. [Image courtesy of UFA]

As a result, when military personnel are transferred to another location, they can focus on learning the new airfield and its operations, instead of learning a new simulator and all its functionalities. The ability to link simulators to create multi-user joint exercises is one powerful advantage of simulation-based ATC training. Another advantage is that expensive equipment, pilots and other personnel need not be risked to train for dangerous situations. “Today’s military has embraced simulation as a cost-effective addition to its training tools, and this will no doubt continue to expand over time,” Parish observed. Increased use of simulation for ATC training will exploit technology advances that produce even higher-fidelity simulators. UFA is

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planning to increase its ability to integrate with other simulation platforms, continue increasing the fidelity of current simulator functions and minimize simulator footprints to reduce costs. Size, weight and portability of deployable systems are key characteristics of simulators for the company’s military customers.

Software Tools There are many sophisticated tools behind the best ATC simulators. For example, VT MÄK generally does not directly provide ATC training systems to the military. “But we do provide software components that make up both radar and tower control simulators,” explained Peter Peter Swan Swan, the company’s business development director. VR-Vantage is MÄK’s visualization toolkit. It provides a full multichannel image-generation capability that can be used for giving the out-of-window view on a full or a desktop tower simulator. VR-Vantage also offers a two-dimensional map display that can be used as an ATC radar display. Further, it enables a stealth view display that lets the instructor have flexible visualization capability at an instructor operation station. Finally, VR-Vantage has simulated sensor and camera views for training in a remote tower environment.

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MÄK’s VR-Forces is a scenario generator. It simulates fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, either in the air or on the ground, and also shows tarmac traffic such as baggage carts, fuel trucks and emergency vehicles. VR-Forces simulates realistic ground personnel for marshalling aircraft and other duties and provides background traffic such as vehicles on the roads around an airport. The tool can generate realistic combat situations for training the combat control teams that perform ATC, fire support, communication, command and control. It also generates realistic maritime environments and ship simulations for training Navy air traffic controllers. MÄK’s VR-TheWorld is a streaming terrain server. It stores a complete database of world terrain, including elevation, imagery, maps and features. It can store high-fidelity, 3-D images of specific airports and a world navigation database. “VR-The World streams terrain data directly into VR-Vantage, VR-Forces and any other compatible client system in real time,” Swan explained. VR-Link is MÄK’s interoperability toolkit. It allows users to make their software compliant with Distributed Interactive Simulation, an IEEE standard for conducting real-time, platform-level war gaming across multiple computers, and High-Level Architecture, which enables users to become part of a larger simulation federation. WebLVC is MÄK’s initiative to migrate traditional simulations to the web. “We are confident that a WebLVC-based, multi-user simulation environment could provide much of the training currently provided by large simulators in fixed training centers,” Swan said. “We foresee a persistent online training environment for both air traffic controllers and pilots, particularly for practicing interactions between the two under normal and emergency situations.” A persistent online training environment will become especially important, he predicted, as air traffic control becomes air traffic management with the use of digital systems such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and other next-gen tools. MÄK offers open toolkits so its customers, typically simulator developers, can add their own functionalities, which Swan described as “the special sauce on top of our software.” User interfaces can be easily modified for a particular application and localized for a particular country. “Customers can continue to develop our products to meet new requirements, such as ATC automation,” he said, adding that MÄK’s networking products have been used by companies like UFA, Adacel and Micro Nav for military ATC training. Further, MÄK emphasizes that its products are terrain-agile, so they support many different terrain formats, from source data to streaming terrain to highly detailed 3-D databases.

Air Support Centers Beyond its sophisticated simulation tools, MÄK provides a training solution, QuickStrike, for U.S. Air Force air support operations centers (ASOCs). An ASOC’s mission is providing fast reaction to immediate requests from land forces for close air support. MÄK’s QuickStrike ASOC Battlefield Simulation fills a crucial gap in U.S. and U.K. close air support and airspace manager training, Swan said. QuickStrike now gives six squadrons the ability to conduct total-mission training events whenever staff and time are available. The tool started when the 111th ASOC returned from its first deployment to Afghanistan. “They realized training prior to deployment was inadequate,” Swan recalled. www.MT2-kmi.com

The 111th sought an organic training capability focused on ASOC missions that was low-cost, simple, adaptable and immediately available. With MÄK’s assistance, the ASOC developed a complete training system based on MÄK’s QuickStrike HLA simulation. Seven years of spiral development, incorporating lessons learned, means the system can now realistically replicate a tactical operations center (TOC) in any theater and expand to support a conflict scenario. QuickStrike provides a collaborative platform for both trainees and exercise controllers, with integrated software and workstations that easily adapt to new missions and TOC configurations. New capabilities have been incorporated to add realism and simplify scenario development. For example, the system can now import Theater Battle Management Core Systems tasking order air-mission data and provide air and ground tracks for a common operating picture. QuickStrike’s ability to simulate team processes and rehearse missions proved its value in the 111th’s next deployment, Swan reported. It enables squadrons to develop and share scenarios incorporating lessons learned from every deployment. “These warfighters have filled the training gap and have the capability they need to train to win.” Despite, or perhaps because of budget pressures, Swan said his company is seeing an uptick in the use of simulation for training. Virtual training solutions simply cost less than expensive live training. Britain-based Micro Nav supplies ATC training to a wide variety of military and civilian customers around the world, although not yet in the United States. The company’s Beginning to End for Simulation and Training (BEST) product takes three forms: radar, supporting approach and area training; radar and 2-D tower, supporting approach and area training; and radar and 3-D tower, supporting approach and area training. The flexible BEST ATC simulator supports training from the beginning through rating and validation, as well as conversion and refresher training. A BEST network can also be configured to run two or more simulation exercises at the same time, allowing users to perform different training operations concurrently. Each exercise can be tailored for specific audiences such as one-on-one, classroom or full-scope operation rooms.

The ATSpeak phraseology trainer from UFA helps students learn the basics of air traffic control phrasing and English. [Image courtesy of UFA]

BEST also offers aids that assist training. An instructor can occupy a dedicated position or sit alongside a student, monitoring communications and transmitting commands to pilots unheard by the student. A monitoring feature allows an instructor to see up to 12 controller displays as thumbnails and listen to communications. Another feature reports significant events as they occur. Scripted commands determine which events are reported. Finally, a prompt at pilot position allows pilots to play the roles of adjacent controllers, reducing required staff. O

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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Army facility conducts research and development By Michelle Milliner to enhance warfighter effectiveness.

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Simulation Environments and Medical Simulations Research. The Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith Simulation and TrainThere is also a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) ing Technology Center (STTC) is embedded at the core of Team Orcell that provides research support in the modeling and simulation lando’s modeling and simulation training corridor. domain. The STTC is a subordinate organization under the Army ReThe STTC also provides program management for the Institute search Laboratory’s Human Research and Engineering Directorfor Creative Technologies, an Army University Affiliated Research ate (ARL-HRED). Its mission is to conduct simulation and training Center. Today, the STTC is actively pursuing research and developresearch and development to enhance warfighter effectiveness by ment in the areas of intelligent tutors, immersive learning environengaging other services, academia and industry to research and maments, training effectiveness, dismounted soldier training, virtual ture critical simulation and training technologies. world technologies, augmented reality and medical simulators and The center is a model of collaboration, housing STTC employees simulations. along with employees from Army Program Executive Office (PEO) for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, and the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation and Training. The STTC Strategic Goals manages 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 research-funding lines and leverages these resources by partnering with PEOs, other Research Development The STTC accomplishes its mission through the implementaand Engineering Command organizations, Department of Defense tion of five strategic goals: agencies, federal agencies, academia, industry and international partners. • Conduct quality research in support of learning, training, The goal is to develop technologies that demonstrate great applitesting, mission planning and mission rehearsal in the following cation not only in the training domain, but also in the tactical or opdomains: real-time human-in-the-loop simulation technologies, erational domain, and others as well. We want technologies that can behavioral representation and shared simulation environments. transition to multiple program managers or PEOs. • Promote learning and develop/maintain key It’s also a great plus when we develop technolocompetencies to make our people efficient and gies that link to and advance other research efforts, effective supporters of our warfighters’ learning, achieving complementary research synergy. It’s all training, testing, mission planning and mission about training and simulation technology for today rehearsal needs. and the future—we want to satisfy current warfighter • Create/maintain a state-of-the-art facility to training requirements in addition to those five to 10 support the development, demonstration and years down the road. The emphasis is enduring reltransition of our research and technology to evance and utility. programs of record and programs of instruction. The STTC recently welcomed Colonel Gary Laase • Educate our stakeholders about our research as the new commander. Laase brings with him a program to facilitate opportunities for partnering Col. Gary Laase strong acquisition background, having previously and transition of our research and technology to served as director, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, programs of record and programs of instruction. Logistics and Technology Forward Operations, Kabul, Afghanistan. • Develop and maintain processes to support the most efficient Associate Division Chief Ivan Martinez has more than 20 years and effective use of our resources (people, funding, equipment of experience in the research and development of modeling, simulaand facilities). tion and training technologies for the Army. He previously served as deputy director for the Night Vision and Electronic Sensors DirecWe are constantly exploring, researching and attempting to torate, Modeling and Simulation Division. create new training technologies that satisfy today’s requirements Dr. Robert Sottilare, who serves as chief technology officer, has and maintain their value over time. Our funding—the color of nearly 30 years of experience in the modeling, simulation and trainour money—allows us to work basic, applied and advanced teching domain as a researcher, engineer, program manager and science nology development research. We work projects with DARPA as and technology manager. He also holds a patent for a high-resoluwell as with program managers, and in some instances directly tion, head-mounted projection display (U.S. Patent 7,525,735). with an operational unit. The challenge is to find the right balThe organization is divided into five branches: Advanced Simulaance within that research spectrum as we determine our future tion, Blended Simulation Research, Creative Technologies, Ground investments. 30 | MT2 19.8

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The STTC has a very educated and knowledgeable workforce with years of experience. In terms of early research, they have an excellent view on what areas of research we should pursue in a specific technology. They understand where research in a specific area is or is not going. We also have a great relationship with our Training and Doctrine Command and acquisition partners who clearly understand the needs of the Army and their current programs. A significant portion of current research is addressing the Future Holistic Training Environment-Live/Synthetic (FHTE-L/S). Ultimately, FHTE-LS will create a system of systems that connects key training enablers in a persistent manner to enable collective multiechelon training in an integrated and seamless live, virtual, constructive and gaming environment. It will meet the commander’s training objectives under realistic operational conditions. To attain the Army goal of a leaner, more lethal, expeditionary and agile force, the STTC is focusing on a distributed synthetic training environment that includes augmented reality, one-world terrain, artificial intelligence and intelligent tutoring systems.

new general-purpose programming of graphics processors. The proliferation of virtualization and cloud-based approaches to software services will allow for an exponential expansion of capability. The STTC’s goal is to be recognized as the preeminent world leader in research, development and engineering of next-generation systems whose hallmark is transitioning the right technology at the right time to soldiers. In Central Florida, as part of Team Orlando and working with its sister services, academia and industry, STTC engineers are making a difference in the way soldiers learn by developing simulation and training technology that provides critical capabilities to increase warfighter battlefield readiness and performance. The STTC will continue to develop innovative technology and apply sound engineering solutions in order to provide unsurpassed modeling, simulation, testing and training devices to our warfighters. O Michelle Milliner is a public affairs specialist for ARL-HRED STTC.

Research Portfolio Distributed simulation is one part of our diverse research portfolio. Continuously improving existing models and simulations to interoperate towards an end, such as analysis, experimentation, testing or training, is a requirement that will not go away. In turn, we are focusing research on how we can better provide interfaces to complex simulations. Our goal is an interface that is intuitive to a diverse set of users, while providing a robust methodology for turning models and simulations into configurable building blocks. This is linked to our research in cloud computing and virtualization technologies, systems engineering and human systems integration. The concept is to understand the functionalities required by our users, and then develop those models and simulations and their associated interfaces that perform those functions. Distributed simulations operating in real time generate extremely large amounts of data traffic. One can argue that as simulations become more complex, their associated challenges—including data management and the ability to provide services—increase in complexity as well. We are researching ways to meet these challenges. Utilizing the capabilities of the cloud, as is done in the emerging commercial infrastructure, may enable us to eliminate or at least reduce the use of expensive computing facilities. Through the use of virtualization and resource time-sharing, clouds can serve as a single set of physical resources to accommodate analysis and experimentation needs. They have the potential to provide the benefits of economy of scale, and at the same time become an alternative for scientists to solve challenges through the use of clusters, grids and parallel environments. This concept presents its own set of issues, however. The systems must be secure, while at the same time allowing large numbers of participants from virtually any location. In addition, efficiency of the management of the data sent and received is critical to ensuring acceptable levels of service. Finally, preservation of the “real-time” facade to maintain the coherence of the simulation is critical. In addition to cloud computing, the simulation community is moving to leverage multiprocessor systems as well as adopting the www.MT2-kmi.com

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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Simulations Aid Fire Fight

The military trains a corps of firefighters and emergency responders to cope with both common and military-unique threats. From virtual reality scenarios to very real jets of burning propane, simulation technologies are playing an important role in preparing Department of Defense personnel to respond to fires and other disasters. With its global array of equipment and facilities, which run the gamut from advanced weapons platforms powered by volatile fuels to family housing, the department must be prepared to contend with fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and every other sort of natural and man-made crisis scenario, apart from and in addition to the risks of military or terrorist attacks. To do that requires a corps of firefighters and emergency responders trained to cope with both common and military-unique threats, while at the same time being able to pick up their weapons when needed. The centerpiece of DoD fire training is the Louis F. Garland DoD Fire Academy located at Goodfellow AFB, Texas. (See accompanying story.) While fighting a fire in a military structure is pretty much the same as in a civilian building, the academy’s mission is a global one, explained Rodney G. Born of the 312th Training Squadron. “The DoD fire academy ensures that every firefighter is trained the same,” Born said. “In a deployed environment, it is not

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By Harrison Donnelly, MT2 Editor

homeland security and emergency vehicle uncommon to see firefighters from differoperation. ent branches of the service In addition to practicing crewing the same truck. Begood decision-making and cause these firefighters reemergency tactics, firefightceived the same training, it ers must also learn to wield is reasonable to expect that axes and hoses amid the heat within minutes of landing and smoke of actual fires. at an austere overseas locaFor those needs, trainers can tion, DoD firefighters will turn to companies such as be ready to support military Kidde Fire Trainers, which operations that enable the has provided advanced fire U.S. military to achieve our Rodney G. Born training simulators to major national security objectives. world military forces, as well as other types “These firefighters are fully capable of of customers, for more than 30 years. fighting fires at their home station from modern fire stations or from dispersal sites in a combat location. They are prepared for Immersive Scenarios a more diverse range of operations than their civilian counterparts because of the The ADMS system, which has been in numerous types of military aircraft. The use at the DoD fire academy since 2011, requirement is to perform in the United provides a wide range of incidents and loStates as well as abroad, with the possibility cations for trainees to work together to deof having to bear arms and directly engage velop emergency response skills. with our enemies in defense of our nation,” The recently ordered expansion, which he continued. adds four structural emergency scenarios, The fire academy recently contracted illustrates the types of challenges presented with Environmental Tectonics Corps’ (ETC) to trainees to help prepare them for whatSimulation Division to expand their Adever happens. The new scenarios include a vanced Disaster Management Simulator hospital, prison, theater and sports hall. (ADMS), a virtual reality system for training At the hospital, for example, trainemergency management, disaster response, ees will face a helicopter crash into the

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Fire Academy Offers Unified Training With four military services operating in an increasingly joint teaching the strategic and decision-making skills needed to manfashion at hundreds of facilities around the world, the Departage in a crisis. ment of Defense needs a common approach to The roots of this program go back to the 1970s, fighting fires and dealing with other disasters when the academy created a tabletop model of a in a wide range of environments. Achieving that notional Norma Brown AFB as a training aid. That requires unified training, which is the mission of tabletop trainer is now morphing into a digital repthe Louis F. Garland Department of Defense Fire lica with the help of the latest in gaming technolAcademy. ogy. Using ETC Simulation’s disaster management Located at Goodfellow AFB, Texas, the acadesimulator, developers have created a virtual world my provides apprentice and advanced fire protecwhere students must operate as they would in a tion training to some 2,500 students. Apprentice real-life emergency. students receive 68 days of training, and graduate “The gaming solution has dramatically inwith certifications in firefighting, hazardous matericreased the rigor and fidelity of firefighters’ trainMSgt. Stephen S. Thompson als, emergency medicine and related areas. ing,” explained Air Force Master Sergeant Stephen While computer technology plays a limited role in teaching S. Thompson. “The entire world is now completely physics-based, the foundational skills of using the tools and equipment of the taking away any perceived artificialities in training scenarios and trade, a wide range of simulation techniques are used throughout adding real-time application to the entire evolution. the course, according to Rodney G. Born of the 312th Training “This enhancement to the training environment allows the inSquadron, who serves as the instructor supervisor for the airport structor cadre to focus more on the strategic decisions made by firefighting portion of the apprentice course. their students, allowing the trainer to provide realistic consequencCPR is performed on mannequins to practice the correct comes and reactions based on fire modeling and medical algorithms to pressions and respirations, for example, while search and rescue choices made by the students,” he continued. is taught in a zero-visibility environment in a trainer designed to Students also have the responsibility of successfully navigatsimulate the interior of a burning building. Structural and aircraft ing and traversing the streets of Norma Brown using a driving fire training is conducted in facilities equipped with clean-burning module for their command vehicle while taking incoming emergenpropane, which also allows the fire to be extinguished immedicy updates and inputs. “Once on scene, the students will be faced ately in case of actual danger to students or teachers. with an actual Type III emergency fire-related incident playing out One area where digital technology has been useful, howfrom a first-person aspect,” Thompson said. “This critical response ever, has been in training noncommissioned officers to beaspect has not been able to be taught until now, and this new way come incident commanders capable of responding to largeof training incident commanders has taken academic training as scale emergencies. In that case, virtual reality is well-suited to close to the real thing as currently possible.”

building, a bomb exploding in a parked ambulance and additional threats. The hospital will have different levels of ambulatory patients, some of whom will be in wheelchairs or on gurneys located on a higher floor. That will help students learn how to evacuate buildings, taking into consideration both ambulatory patients and those in need of transport assistance. In the prison, trainees will not only have to respond to a fire or other threat, but also mitigate the threat, evacuate prisoners and consider the threat of escape. The movie theater scenario presents future responders arriving on scene with a crowd stampeding out of the building, resulting in multiple patients with traumatic injuries. There is a search and rescue component involving both a movie theater employee and an unaccounted-for fire officer, as well as situations involving

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an inadequate water supply or neighboring structures. At the sports center, a fire causes panic and a mass egress, causing confusion and trapped people, and the building is at risk of collapse. Students are presented with the fundamental question: What would you do? ADMS is also used at Ramstein AFB, Germany, as well as by the Netherlands military and the International Fire Training Center in the United Kingdom. In addition, the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering Center recently contracted with ETC Simulation to modify its ADMS-Airbase system to enable training in airfield damage repair. ETC Simulation has a new product called ADMS-Fire, an augmented reality firefighter training simulator that offers a high level of realism due to its combination of motion-based sensor technology

and high-fidelity virtual reality simulation. The sensor technology replicates the user’s actions and movements in a simulated environment, with trainees using a real fire hose with branch pipe to practice opening and closing the nozzle, for example.

Heat and Smoke Kidde’s training systems provide livefire simulations of firefighting scenarios that are likely to be encountered by various military organizations. These fire simulators are designed to realistically resemble the vessels on which these fire scenarios are likely to occur, and to enable trainees to use the actual firefighting equipment. The company’s mockups include military platforms such as the UH-60 Black Hawk, F-16 and CH-47 Chinook, as well as the latest in commercial aircraft, such as the A-380.

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34 | MT2 19.8

The ADMS system from ETC Simulation provides a wide range of virtual incidents and locations for trainees to work together to develop emergency response skills. [Image courtesy of ETC Simulation]

Designing a fire training system able to withstand fire stress and corrosion for an average life of 15 years is a challenge, explained Steve Williamson, director of customer applications. They must produce more than 100,000 fire events, operate at a wide range of temperatures and conditions, and, if it’s a mobile unit, be able to travel. A mobile aircraft firefighting trainer developed for NAVAIR, for example, has foldable wings to make it compliant with federal rules on road transportation. Gas-driven, live-fire training can go hand in hand with computerized simulation, Williamson suggested. “Both technologies have their pros and cons and can perfectly supplement each other to minimize their individual downsides. Computerized simulation technology can be easily used to train the theory on how to correctly approach certain types of fire, the correct choice of a suitable nozzle or the handling of hoses. But it still lacks the realism and threatening atmosphere a live-fire simulator will create. “One of the things we frequently hear from our customers is that the introduction of live-fire training systems made them realize that they had firefighters in their squad who weren’t able to handle the highly threatening atmosphere of a real fire. Therefore, Kidde Fire Trainers believes that firefighting training should be conducted on live-fire training systems in order for students to train and practice in an environment typical of a live-fire emergency situation. Experiencing firsthand the true narrowness of rooms with obscured vision, radiant heat, fire intensity and fire growth and the anxiety of a real-life emergency situation can enhance a trainee’s learning experience to a new level,” he said.

In the future, Williamson foresees current training techniques expanding into new areas and changing with the spread of new technologies, such as hydrogen-powered vehicles. “The third main development we see is the formation of multidisciplinary fire training centers around the globe,” he noted. “These training centers differentiate themselves by providing many different training types at one facility. They offer not only a vast variety of fire training scenarios, like aircraft, structural or outdoor-industrial training systems, but also training on many other areas, such as wild water rescue, cabin crew training or disaster management. These training centers will become training hotspots for emergency responders all around the globe.” ETC Simulation, meanwhile, sees virtual reality fire training growing in the United States as a result of fiscal pressures. “Because ADMS can help balance the decreasing budgets and increasing training requirements that we have today, I see it becoming a standard component in all training programs,” observed Lori Bozenbury, the company’s director of business development. “Training priorities change as threats evolve, and we make sure that the capabilities within ADMS are relevant to their needs,” Bozenbury added. “Over the last 20 years we have seen many new developments, but right now we see a high interest in augmented reality—the ability to use real-world tools and have them interact within the virtual reality. This new level of realism adds to the training value, so I expect that we will see more of this in the future.” O For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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Providers see increased use of simulation technology in the year ahead.

(Editor’s Note: Military Training Technology recently asked representatives of leading companies in the field to consider this question: “What aspects of training do you think our armed forces need to focus on in 2015, and what does your company have to offer in those areas?” Following are their responses.)

Ray Duquette President and General Manager CAE USA duke@caemilusa.com

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The simulation industry offers a compelling value proposition that simply cannot be ignored in today’s constrained budget environment. The fact is that simulation-based training is less expensive than live training, and the increased cost of fuel, environmental impacts and significant wear and tear on weapon systems all point to the greater use of simulation. The U.S. military services are not just paying lip service to increasing their use of simulation-based training; we are seeing all the U.S. services move in this direction. For example, on new platforms such as the P-8A and F-35, and on planned future platforms such as T-X, you can see how training curricula are changing to incorporate an increasing amount of synthetic training. It’s clear that the balance of live and virtual training is shifting to more virtual. That’s not to say, however, that all military training should be done in simulators. This would not be practical or desirable, especially when you are asking men and women to go into difficult and dangerous situations to accomplish the missions they are asked to perform. But CAE does believe today’s simulation technology allows militaries to shift more training to simulation, which saves money without sacrificing capability or readiness. There are two aspects of training we believe the Department of Defense should increasingly focus on during 2015 and beyond, and CAE offers solutions and capabilities to address each. One is the continuing desire for realism—in other words, to make the virtual world look and feel just like the real world. There are lots of pieces to this puzzle, some of which are in CAE’s control and some where we are leveraging the

technology curve of other industries, such as gaming technologies or display technologies. One of the emerging technologies that we see impacting the future of simulation is something we call a “dynamic synthetic environment.” CAE has had an internal research and development program over the past few years aimed at making synthetic environments dynamic, persistent, open and scalable. Defense and security customers are telling us they want a fully correlated, interoperable and persistent dynamic synthetic environment. What they desire is the ability to plan for missions using “what if” analysis and decision-support tools, rehearse for missions in real time, and then execute missions that will leave less room for surprise outcomes—and be able to do this in real time and in simulation. In other worlds, the synthetic environment needs to be more like the real world, which is constantly changing. This leads to the second aspect of training we believe DoD is focusing on, which is the networking and interoperability of training systems. They understand that it is becoming increasingly important and cost-effective to have integrated, interoperable and networked training systems so that collective, joint and even coalition training can be done in a virtual environment. Integration, interoperability and networkability are much more difficult without open industry standards, so we believe DoD should be continuing to demand non-proprietary systems moving forward. CAE is a strong proponent of standards, such as the Common Database, which can help accelerate the use of simulation and synthetic environments not only for training, but also for areas such as mission rehearsal and decision support. MT2 19.8 | 35

Greg Recker Vice President, Director of Training and Support Raydon grecker@raydon.com

Frederick J. Diedrich President Aptima diedrich@aptima.com

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The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven that when American forces are equipped and trained, the U.S. Army is the best, most professional army in the world. The Army has the ability to win against any foe. However, over that last decade plus, training dollars were plentiful, and training plans were tailored for units. Mid- and low-level leaders have not been accustomed to understanding how far a training dollar might stretch. Times have changed; defense budgets are shrinking. While there are still training dollars, each one will have to be used efficiently and effectively. All leaders will have to plan training, as decreasing budgets force more innovation in achieving combat-ready soldiers and units. Whenever any country, military unit or company experiences less funding, innovation, efficiency and invention start leading the way over cultural ways of the past. Enter Raydon Corp., with a new business model for reducing time to market, increasing efficiency in cost per soldier training hour and providing an opportunity for all military leaders to more efficiently plan their training. The business model is rental of training enablers—called “event-based virtual training services” (EBVTS). With EBVTS, unit leaders plan their entire training cycle, and consult with Raydon to plan “virtual training gates” prior to live training periods. Since live training is the most expensive training dollars spent, units have to be wise in the allocation. Virtual is safe, but also effective, in preparing soldiers to perform well live and qualify the first time. This model saves money, but it also saves time—a commodity very important to leaders at all levels. For example, Raydon recently trained a companysized unit in Florida on unstabilized gunnery (crewserved weapons in turrets of HMMWVs). Over a period of two days, the crews shot 180,000 virtual rounds on

an advanced simulator. That would have cost almost $750,000 if that training was done live. The cost was around $20,000 in a virtual environment. In addition, because of the training, those crews will retain their knowledge longer than traditional methods of training. Another example is Raydon’s new Stryker Trainer. Raydon used internal research and development funds, not government dollars, on a multimillion-dollar development project to make a trainer for the Stryker. With immediate, direct soldier and leader feedback, the process of improvement is mere months versus the three to four years of previous acquisition models. The results are spectacular. The leaders have an investment in the type of training and when their training is to take place. Raydon’s veterans on staff can help ensure no gaps are remaining. Raydon recently proved the concept at Fort Bliss, Texas, training a Stryker brigade on short notice. The cost per soldier-training hour for virtual is less than $100 per hour, compared with $750 per hour for live training. The units use their OMA funds, and because of the model, there are no long-term commitments and zero sustainment costs. In addition, the training can be tailored to be mission-specific. Raydon offers this rental model with almost all of its capabilities for virtual training, including unstabilized gunnery training (50 cal., MK-19, M-240), convoy operations and M1A1 tank training; additionally, it can comply with the latest information assurance standards. We are constantly seeking upgrades in hardware and software capabilities to include allowing third-party software, like VBS2, to operate in conjunction with our hardware. If you have a difficult training mission approaching your unit fast, you should call on Raydon to see if we can provide a win-win capability to your unit.

Considering the varied challenges they face, our armed forces must be able to respond flexibly, adjusting to situations and missions that vary one to the next, from urban combat in one corner of the world to rendering humanitarian aid in response to a virus in another. The underlying theme is that the adaptive warfighter must possess intangibles like critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and collaboration. These 21st-century soldier competencies were identified by the Army learning model, along with attributes such as character, accountability and initiative. Shaping soldiers for the 21st century doesn’t argue against inculcating basic military skills, but rather requires leading and managing the entire training experience so that soldiers can understand and apply their technical and tactical skills to new and different challenges they’ll encounter in the operational environment. Because nearly any training has the potential to strengthen or weaken desired competencies and behaviors, the focus shouldn’t be merely on the newest facilities and simulators, but rather on how

these training tools are used to develop tangible and intangible skills. This begins with the design of the instruction itself and continues through the feedback soldiers receive to guide their learning. Aptima, in its work with partner Sophia Speira Limited, develops services and tools to support this adaptive learning. Our instructional design techniques stimulate students to problem-solve in ambiguous situations by design while they simultaneously learn and understand principles of basic skills such as marksmanship or land navigation. Soldiers may be technically trained to use their rifles effectively, but equally important is to use critical thinking, initiative and teamwork when engaging an adversary that might be hidden amongst the general population. To grow these competencies, Aptima’s measurement tools provide feedback across these dimensions for both learner and leadership. The Scenario-based Performance Observation Tool for Learning in Team Environments (SPOTLITE), for example, is a mobile (handheld) assessment tool used by instructors to www.MT2-kmi.com

Vincent Cloutier CEO Simthetiq vincent.cloutier@simthetiq.com

Josh Jackson Vice President of Training and Simulation SAIC james.j.jackson@saic.com

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capture their observations in a live setting or exercise. Our performance measurement software, the PM Engine, automatically analyzes data from simulator streams, including physiological and behavioral sensors, to provide a complete real-time picture of performance, workload and stressors. Collectively, these tools measure student performance in both live and virtual settings, addressing

not only technical competence, such as operating a UAV platform, but also development of attributes such as collaboration and perseverance. By combining this feedback with sound instructional design, our toolsets guide students to achieve basic military skills along with the complementary higher-order skills needed for tomorrow’s missions.

Our armed forces’ view of the battlefield has evolved. Traditional optics are being replaced by multispectral sensor visual feeds from UAVs and other ISTAR assets. This has not changed the core skills required of our military—the ability to correctly distinguish friend from foe—but it has changed the perspective and the complexity of the task. A modern warfighter needs to rapidly identify vehicles or military hardware from a variety of sensors operating in different visual spectrums, such as electro-optical or infrared, and understand the constraints or drawbacks of a particular observation method or

tool, such as the effect of heat, wind or weather. The same way that previous generations would study outlines of enemy vehicles to aid identification, today’s generation needs to quickly and accurately interpret sensor vehicle signatures for the digital battlespace. Simthetiq continues to develop the largest military 3-D simulation content library to ensure that the newest vehicles in production are ready for virtual training. Our armed forces can exploit this content on all major simulators and serious gaming platforms to train the vehicle recognition skills required in today’s battlefield.

As many have said, war is a human endeavor won through hearts and minds as much as steel and physics. When you think about the task of transforming a civilian volunteer into a soldier, the idea that war is a human endeavor drives core curricula for basic military training beyond the baseline tactical knowledge and skills required. Increasingly, fielding an effective military requires arming our servicemen and women with the psychological armor and mental strength needed in today’s operational environment. Creating “soldier athletes” during basic training calls for mental skills training of military personnel, who operate in high-stress environments and must demonstrate specific mental and emotional skills that underlie optimal human performance when it matters most. That can be in conflict, in healing after an injury, or in managing work and home life when the servicemember returns to his/her family and community. SAIC has been working in this area for many years and is investing research and development funds to develop novel approaches for training and assessment in the human dimension. We are looking at the life cycle of recruiting, assessment and training, as well as methods and technologies to close gaps between phases. Another aspect of the human dimension is the collective. We aim to go beyond maximizing individual performance, and develop more effective training methodologies and approaches to improve team performance and social interaction. Continued challenges with suicide, sexual assault, post-traumatic stress and cheating scandals point to a renewed emphasis on the human dimension, which can include

cognitive performance, ethics, interpersonal communications, team dynamics and leadership. We also have to adjust training to the demographic entering the armed services today—multitasking, highly stimulated, technology-immersed individuals. This generation of warfighters does not learn the way we did. They are more technologically savvy and accustomed to learning in small chunks, focused on what they need to solve the near-term or immediate problem. With a better understanding of psychology, sociology, education science applied through gaming, and simulation-based immersive environments, we can force recruits to grapple with the tactical, moral and ethical dilemmas they may face on the battlefield. Formal training time is limited with our new recruits, so we have to view it as a continuum of learning. We need to leverage technology to reach them in the barracks after basic training, and to maximize the limited facilities we may have to engage them. We also need to get training to the point of need, where the warfighter is, and complement the formal training they get at actual facilities such as simulation facilities and live training ranges. In addition, more iterations and further immersion will help with retention of the material they learn in basic training. Separately, SAIC is investigating more effective ways to transform traditional simulation environments to cloud-based simulations and blended learning environments accessible on mobile devices. O

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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Army and Marines Research Sand Table Technology By Dolly Rairigh Glass

At the Modern Day Marine expo at Quantico, Va., in September, there was a lot of buzz about an Augmented Reality Sand Table (ARES) being developed by the Army Research Laboratory Simulation Training and Technology Center (STTC), a division of the Human Research and Engineering Directorate. But what may have seemed odd for some—the Army showcasing a potential new technology at a Marines gathering—was nothing more than a day’s work for Team Orlando. Team Orlando is the coalition of Central Florida-based military, federal government, industry and academia united around a common cause: improving human performance through modeling, simulation and training. Many of the military services work with each other on a daily basis, sharing ideas and resources and, in many cases, even having offices in the same buildings. They regularly attend meetings, have briefings and attend demonstrations across the services. That’s how ARES ended up at Modern Day Marine. Martin Bushika, assistant program manager for program management and director of operations for Marine Corps Systems Command’s Program Manager Training Systems (PM TRASYS), learned about ARES through the tight-knit Team Orlando community. Chuck Amburn, senior instructional systems specialist at the center, said STTC frequently holds briefings for service partners, industry and other agencies like the Department of Homeland Security. That was how Bushika and PM TRASYS initially learned about ARES. “The Office of Naval Research (ONR) heard about ARES, too, around the same time, and came down to see it because of their work with the Basic School at Quantico. They are looking to identify new technologies that might help with officer training there,” Amburn said. “Both PM TRASYS and ONR immediately saw the value of the research and became vocal advocates. ONR even funded the development of a second table, which we took to Quantico in September for evaluation.” 38 | MT2 19.8

ARES combines readily available and relatively inexpensive COTS technology to upgrade one of the battlefield’s oldest tools to a modern-day, techy version. Current sand tables serve as a miniature 3-D mapping system used for military planning and war games, where notecards and string represent vehicles, roads or streams. The ARES technology projects images onto a tabletop box of sand, using a laptop connected to a projector and Microsoft Kinect, a combined microphone and camera device used with video game systems. “We’ve seen this sand table, and our Marines were impressed by this capability,” Bushika said. “It provides a faster and more robust capability to visualize those candidate areas of operation. ARES can give more detail and a more precise replication of a given area. It’s something we’re leveraging because we have the opportunity to learn and gain insight into what everyone is doing.” Bushika refers to the insights which come from the partnerships and collaboration that exist within Team Orlando. The level of productivity and success stem from pooling the accomplishments of each Team Orlando member for a greater impact on the whole. Seeing the possibilities for ARES, Bushika became part of a Marine Corps Systems Command effort to bring ARES from a potential technology to a reality. Part of that effort is conducting limited-user evaluations, which Bushika explained are planned to take place at the Basic School on Quantico. PM TRASYS also plans to take another table developed by STTC to this year’s Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in December to be part of the Joint Live-Virtual-Constructive story there. There will also be a table in the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation booth. But before ARES transitions from a proof of concept, Bushika and Amburn have to be sure the Augmented Reality Sand Table is necessary. “We have to determine if this is worthwhile or not,” Bushika said. “We know Marines build these sand tables to

Modern Day Marine attendees look down at the contour map projected onto the sand of the Augmented Reality Sand Table. [U.S. Marine Corps photo by Carden Hedelt]

collaborate during planning, but we don’t know if it’s going to be worthwhile. We hope to help STTC in this effort by letting Marines get their hands on it.” The ARES team, which also includes Dignitas, Design Interactive and the University of Central Florida (UCF) Institute for Simulation and Training, is conducting user needs analysis at Quantico and Fort Benning, Ga., which will feed in design recommendations. “We are organizing the first experiment with UCF ROTC to determine the efficacy of ARES as a platform for visualization of 3-D terrain,” Amburn said. “Additionally, we are partnering with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to bring a table there for evaluation as a collaborative scenario generation tool. “This project, in addition to its research and relevant value to the military, tells a great story of synergy—academia, industry and two service partners working together,” Amburn said. “The bottom line is that we are fortunate that we have so many collaboration opportunities right across the street.” O For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.

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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Military Training Technology

Larry Raines Vice President, Virtual Systems Meggitt Training Systems Q: Can you describe Meggitt Training Systems’ history and evolution? A: In 2003, Meggitt acquired live fire training systems company Caswell International, the manufacturer of the patented first production bullet trap and first production target system. In 2006, Meggitt acquired Firearms Training Systems Inc. (FATS), and two years later merged Caswell and FATS to create Meggitt Training Systems. This merger sought to capitalize on synergies resulting from combining the operations of Caswell and FATS to provide both live fire and simulation training as an integrated product offering. Since 2008, Meggitt Training Systems has continued with innovation at the forefront of its mission, and as a result was awarded the largest global simulation contract by the U.S. Army in June 2014. Q: What are some of Meggitt Training Systems’ key products in the DoD training and simulation industry? A: Meggitt Training Systems specializes in integrating COTS hardware and software products into realistic training systems for marksmanship, crew and collective missions, engagement skills, mission rehearsal, gunnery, convoy and armored vehicles, and more. To date, Meggitt has fielded more than 5,100 small arms trainers and more than 40,000 laser-based weapon simulators (with more than 300 weapon variations), and is deployed in more than 130 countries. Meggitt Training Systems’ innovations have set the standard for simulation training. They include the enhanced realism of BlueFire wireless “smart” weapons and the intelligent integration of enhanced visual game engines, 3-D graphics and the FATS M100 flexible systems architecture, providing customized training and combat readiness solutions in a flexible, immersive environment. Q: What are some of the new training/ simulation technologies Meggitt Training Systems is developing for 2014 and planning for 2015? 40 | MT2 19.8

manufacturer of advanced simulation systems to support joint training and provide combat readiness solutions in the virtual, live and constructive domains. The EST II system is the most innovative system developed to date. But as quickly as these systems are installed worldwide, requirements may change, and Meggitt Training Systems will be ready with an innovative solution.

A: Meggitt Training Systems is continuously looking beyond today’s defense requirements and researching ways to improve upon its existing solutions with evolving technology. Much of what Meggitt develops now and in the future will be possible due to a very robust open architecture internally developed in 2011/2012 that maximizes the flexibility to replace/enhance, modify or add to improved components and new technology. With increasing demand for mobile devices and operator-guided instruction, significant focus will be on the intelligent training benefits afforded by iOS and Android handheld devices. This flexibility allows operators and coaches (instructors) to engage in a one-to-one mentoring environment. “Automatic Coaching Mode” takes the burden off the coach by putting instructional tools in the hands of the soldier. Real-time feedback from the smart weapon and the FATS M100 system notifies the instructor in real time if the soldier’s marksmanship skills are not within standards for cant, trigger pull and butt pressure. Meggitt’s FATS M100 is then able to pull training support pamphlets and field manual sections or prepared videos for the instructor and soldier directly on the handheld device, providing immediate and consistent instruction. Q: How are you positioned for the future within the U.S. military? A: Meggitt Training Systems has long been the training system of record for numerous U.S. and allied nation defense forces. With the recent confirmation of the U.S. Army’s Engagement Skills Trainer (EST II) contract, Meggitt truly is the leading

Q: What is Meggitt Training Systems’ connection with the defense community? A: Meggitt’s FATS simulators are the selected systems of record for the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. National Guard, U.S. Air Force, U.K. Ministry of Defence, Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, Australia Defence Forces, Italian Army, Singapore Army and Singapore Police Coast Guard. Most of these are long-term relationships that have existed for more than 20 years with continuous engagement, resulting in multiple upgrades and training enhancements delivered to meet their evolving training requirements. Q: What is an example of your success in the military, and what are some of your goals in the training/simulation industry over the next year? A: Meggitt Training Systems enjoyed much success over the last year and anticipates several other big announcements in the coming months. The biggest announcement in 2014 has been the previously mentioned EST II program, a $99 million IDIQ contract solely awarded to Meggitt based on “best value.” Meggitt is especially proud of the “best value” recognition, which shows its commitment to a high-quality, comprehensive solution. Meggitt Training Systems is developing and incorporating advanced technology to meet the defense industry’s current requirements, creating these solutions to allow the system to evolve and scale to meet future requirements. This kind of intelligent design minimizes costs associated with full system replacement, gaps in training due to system upgrades and much more. O larry.raines@meggitt.com www.MT2-kmi.com

INNOVATION IS A POWERFUL WEAPON. MEGGITT IS THE SYSTEM OF CHOICE. The U.S. Army’s Engagement Skills Training (EST II) required a realistic, virtual small arms training system for marksmanship, collective and judgmental scenarios to meet current and future needs. Meggitt Training Systems delivered the Best Value solution that met the Army’s requirements, providing intelligent training and innovative products.

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Innovation is key: 3-D marksmanship with moving eye-point perspective, an intelligent coaching application and flexible systems architecture, featuring a wireless mobile tablet that allows instructors to control the system during training. Being chosen as the Army’s EST II system of record solidifies Meggitt Training Systems as the global leader in virtual simulation training. Meggitt ensures training consistency and supports uniform instruction, with realistic simulation systems and live fire range components at home and around the world. Visit us at I/ITSEC in Orlando, Florida, December 1-4 in Booth 1712