MS&T Magazine - Issue 1/2011

www.halldale.com The International Defence Training Journal

Training Technology

Evolving Technology and Policy Training Technology

The Making of a FAC National Focus

More Helicopters, More Pilots

Training Technology

Out of the Schoolhouse

ISSN 1471-1052 | US $14/ÂŁ8

Issue 1/2011

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Editorial Comment

Managing Editor

" We can learn nearly as much from an experiment that does not work as from one that does" – Kevin Kelly

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that does not work as from one that does”- a lesson, he says, from science that benefits even daily life itself. He also notes “The habit of embracing negative results is one of the most essential tricks to gaining success”. There are some hints here of military lessons learned – and implemented.

Finally, I would draw Nicholas Christakis, physician and social scientist, to your attention. Christakis suggests that we add holism to our cognitive toolkit. He defines holism as the recognition that wholes have properties not present in the parts and not reducible to the study of the parts. He reminds readers that the whole has a complexity that rises faster than the sum of its parts. Holism is an appreciation of the complex, not the simple. But, he says, holism takes a while to acquire and to appreciate.

The preceding paragraphs hint at some strategies for dealing with complexity; however, defence researchers are conducting much more focussed initiatives to improve the military ability to deal with the complexity and complex systems that define the current and emerging defence environment. At the I/ITSEC 2010 Special Event, Adaptability and Complex Decision Making, the need for adaptive forces was stressed. The Special Event program note states that advances in the ability to improve individual and collaborative decision making and adaptability offer very high payoffs in effectiveness for relatively low investments.

It is hard to disagree. Speakers from Australia, Canada and the US described current research aimed at understanding complexity, complex decision making, adaptivity, and how to grow adaptive expertise in soldiers and noted that work is continuing.

We expect to see more and more interest in understanding complex systems and in giving soldiers the cognitive tools to deal with that complexity. Given the unknown unknowns in the world today, it is the least we can do for our soldiers. Military trainers and educators – consider including adaptive expertise as a learning outcome in training programmes and check out the strategies for developing adaptive expertise.

Jeff Loube Managing Editor, MS&T Magazine

jeff@halldale.com

03 MS&T MAGAZINE

Jeff Loube

Donald Rumsfeld famously stated “... there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don’t know we don’t know”. Could anyone have predicted today’s turmoil, even a few months ago? Certainly, chiefs of intelligence didn’t do so, nor did the pundits. Change in international relations, in internal power structures, and in the aspirations of populations is occurring almost as fast as communications technology allows – and, despite an inability to predict events, there are still countless pundits willing to speak to the root causes, the impact of Twitter and Facebook, the impact on international relations, the threats, or the strengths of these changes. As once said of economists, ask a dozen pundits for a way ahead, and you’ll get thirteen answers. Current events are underscoring the notion that the only thing we can be sure of is complexity, now and in the future; we need to learn to cope with complexity and uncertainty, and learn from the failures that are associated with that complexity. We need to train individuals, leaders and units at all levels so that they can adapt to complex and changing circumstances. They must be adaptive.

Each year the Edge Foundation (www.edge. org) poses a question to prominent scientists and intellectuals, both public and otherwise, with the goal of instigating discussion and opening minds. The 2011 question “what scientific concept would improve everybody’s cognitive toolkit?” generated 164 responses.

Scientific was understood in its broadest sense as a way of gathering knowledge about and understanding the world. In those responses we learn that uncertainty and failure can be useful and that there are ways to deal with complexity.

Lawrence Krauss, physicist and author, notes that uncertainty is not a well understood concept in science and that, to the public, uncertainty is a bad thing, implying a lack of rigor and predictability. He states that uncertainty is important. “Public policy performed in the absence of understanding quantitative uncertainties, or even understanding the difficulty of obtaining reliable estimates of uncertainties usually means bad public policy.”

It is just valid an observation if one substitutes “military” for “public”.

Kevin Kelly, editor and author, speaks to the virtue of negative results, holding that negative results should be exploited, stating that “We can learn nearly as much from an experiment

ISSUE 1.2011

Coping With Unknown Unknowns

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CONTENTS

MS&T Magazine Military Simulation & Training Magazine

06

Editorial

Editor in Chief Chris Lehman e. chris@halldale.com Managing Editor Jeff Loube

e. jeff@halldale.com

Group Editor Marty Kauchak

e. marty@halldale.com

Europe Editor Walter F. Ullrich e. walter@halldale.com

Procurement Chuck Weirauch e. chuck@halldale.com US News Editor Lori Ponoroff e. lori@halldale.com RoW News Editor Fiona Greenyer e. fiona@halldale.com

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03 Editorial Comment Unknown Unknowns. Managing Editor Jeff Loube reflects on a complex world and how to navigate in it.

06 Training Technology Evolving Technology and Policy. ADL is facing the challenge of evolving technology.

Group Editor Marty Kauchak reviews current policy initiatives and samples the technologies.

12 National Focus More Demand, More Simulation. Enhancement of deployed capabilities means more helicopters, more helicopters means more pilots. Chuck Weirauch explains the impact on FS XXI.

16 Training Technology The Making of a FAC. The training of a Forward Air Controller starts with the basics.

Dim Jones describes the training program at the UK’s JFACTSU.

20 Training Technology Changing Needs. Maintenance training technology continues to advance as the needs of the maintenance community evolve. Chuck Weirauch examines some new approaches.

24 Procurement A400M Training. A400M is an ambitious programme. Rémi Lecerf reports on the current status of this European transport aircraft development.

MS&T Magazine (ISSN 1471-1052, USPS # 022067), printed February 2011, is published 6 times per annum by Halldale Media Ltd, Pembroke House, 8 St. Christopher’s Place, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 ONH, UK at a U.S. subscription rate of $168 per year.

Periodical postage rates are paid at Middlesex New Jersey New York U.S.A. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Halldale Media Inc., 115 Timberlachen Circle, Ste 2009, Lake Mary, FL 32746, USA.

Circulation audited by:

28 Show Report

I/ITSEC 2010. MS&T’s editors report.

34 Show Preview

ITEC Returns to Cologne. Europe Editor Walter F Ullrich previews the show.

31 Conference Report

Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

MS&T’s Dim Jones attended SMi’s UAS conference – and reports.

32 Conference Report

IberSim 2010. Expectations were met;

there was a lot on offer for attendees.

MS&T’s Walter F. Ullrich reports.

35 NEWS

Seen & Heard. A round up of

developments in simulation and training.

05

Compiled and edited by Chuck Weirauch.

MS&T MAGAZINE

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – especially translating into other languages - without prior written permission of the publisher. All rights also reserved for restitution in lectures, broadcasts, televisions, magnetic tape and methods of similar means. Each copy produced by a commercial enterprise serves a commercial purpose and is thus subject to remuneration.

ISSUE 1.2011

www.halldale.com/mst

Training Technology

New ADL Horizons

ISSUE 1.2011

U.S. DoD’s advanced distance learning program is entering a new phase in its 13-year history, writes Group Editor Marty Kauchak.

MS&T MAGAZINE

06

Opposite The U.S. Air Force's BEAR DL Program provides familiarization with the system and the tasks airmen must complete for preparation and deployment of BEAR assets.

Image credit: VETS, Inc.

T

Paul Jesukiewicz, Senior Advisor for Advanced Learning Technologies, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, continues to advise the team that sets policy and strategic direction for ADL for the department. Their source policy document remains the DoD Instruction 1322.26 (Development, Management, and Delivery of Distributed Learning) which is being updated to reflect the rapid pace of technology change.

“We have moved to a completely newer and emerging learning technology environment since that instruction was released [in 2006],” Jesukiewicz told MS&T during an interview at the Advanced Distributed Learning CoLaboratory Hub office in Alexandria, Va. Two of the OSD staff’s priorities for the updated instruction are to ensure the department accounts for emerging technologies, and the document’s implementation provides sound instructional

Advanced Learning Technologies, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

Image credit: US DoD.

design principles, proper front-end analyses, and identification of optimal delivery methods.

A major sea change in this new policy document will be the effort to harness emerging technologies (social learning and networking, mobile devices, virtual worlds and others) to accommodate next generation learners. DoD expects to use these technologies as a tool to provide a more personalized, adaptive, and engaging learning experience. “So, five years later, this policy will have to account for these emerging technologies and we have to make a decision from a policy perspective on what has to be accounted for,” Jesukiewicz said.

To achieve that training construct, the updated instruction and future efforts will also address opportunities to integrate the technical infrastructure in the services’ learning programs with these emerging technologies. Jesukiewicz noted after describing a number of current virtual world environments used by the services, “These are all different virtual world environments, most don’t

communicate or integrate with each other." An approach which addresses these issues is being developed under a virtual world focused project funded by the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Readiness). “The good news is there won’t be a lot of isolated ‘islands’ and the goal is to create a concept of operations, a governance construct, a business model and a road map to pull all that together,” he pointed out.

Much to OSD’s credit, it is also examining a more fundamental issue. Servicemen and servicewomen can have fun using virtual worlds and social networking tools, but can they effectively learn and can you measure their performance based on learning objectives in these environments?

While some early research has shown that warfighters can effectively learn in a virtual world and learning objectives can be measured, more work is required. “The next step will be to conduct research to better quantify learning effectiveness using a virtual world-based construct. This research will in turn inform mainstream implementation” Jesukiewicz explained.

The OSD staff is also watching the proliferation of mobile devices being touted for training and asking: Can these devices interoperate with each other and can they serve in the role as a learning management system?

ISSUE 1.2011

Policy Update

Left Paul Jesukiewicz, Senior Advisor for

07 MS&T MAGAZINE

he U.S. DoD’s advanced distance learning (ADL) program is well-established and provides a foundation for learning across the department. Having demonstrated success over its 13 year history, ADL is entering a new phase, driven by training needs and the evolution of training technology.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense’s staff is refining its oversight policy to remain current with recent distance learning technology developments. And as the department is fielding higher fidelity and more capable distance learning courses, it is expanding its ADL partnerships with other U.S. government offices and NATO nations.

Training Technology

“What this ultimately comes down to is - can we track the performance of the learner? – and there has to be some way to do that. A more generic data communications protocol, perhaps, one that works across all these environments,” said Jesukiewicz. “So that way if you are learning you could be learning via Facebook that accesses a virtual world on your mobile device. There are several different mediums that you ultimately need to navigate to track an individual’s performance. With this diversity of mediums, performance and tracking data needs to utilize a generic communications protocol to accommodate going between the different environments.”

Jesukiewicz estimates it will take 18 to 24 months for the department’s learning community to see a next generation of standards and other deliverables from these ongoing efforts.

ISSUE 1.2011

Downstream Initiatives

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While OSD aligns its policy with recent technology developments, the DoDindustry team is integrating new technologies into its products.

One snapshot of this rapidly evolving state of the art is Boeing’s efforts to ensure its courseware continues to take full advantage of exponential increases in the transmission, processing, and rendering power made possible by the computing industry. Calvin (Trey) Cooper III, Boeing Manager for the Training Systems and Services Instructional System Design Integrated Product Team, noted beyond these general trends in computing, his company’s Web-available products are more routinely offering technologies that enable the personalization of training. “Think of it this way.

Nearly every shopping Website that you visit has recorded your purchases and has inferred your buying preferences.

Why shouldn’t training systems do the same?” he asked.

Boeing’s Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) architecture, for example, does exactly that. It records the learner’s actions during training exercises, and uses these data to identify trends and provide individualized training using Web-available content. “The result has been demonstrably superior preparation for follow-on, advanced training that may involve more costly equipment, added travel costs, and more labor-intensive training methods,” Cooper said.

As this issue was being published the U.S. Air Force’s Headquarters Air Combat Command was preparing to release the Fuels Operational Readiness Capability Equipment (FORCE) System and the Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR) distance learning programs on Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency’s (AFCESA) virtual learning center site using their learning management system (LMS). The products provide insight into the blend of technologies being used to meet DoD learning audiences’ requirements.

The FORCE training program is designed, in collaboration with 49MMSS/ OLA Unit at MacDill, AFB, Fla., to familiarize airmen with the new FORCE System components, which are progressively replacing the existing Fuels Mobility Support Equipment System. The program covers common issues and troubleshooting tasks for the R-18 pumping unit, R-19 filter separator, R-20 servicing platform, and R-21 plumbing assembly, as well as their individual components.

Also included are operating procedures for the FORCE System’s three major missions: fuel off-loading, transferring, and servicing fuel.

Jim Moody, Chief Operating Officer, at Veterans Enterprise Technology Solutions, Inc. (VETS, Inc.), the industry lead for the two products, pointed out the program utilizes interactive courseware (ICW) and simulation technologies.

“High quality rendered graphics, photographs, animations, and interactions keep the user engaged, while the speed of the courseware allows learning at his or her own pace,” he explained. The ICW also includes progress checks that allow the user to test his or her comprehension without fear of penalty, as they are not scored. “Users have two attempts to correctly answer the questions, which offer feedback and remediation to allow an elaboration of knowledge.”

Moody also described the blend of training technologies in the FORCE System. The ICW media includes interactive control panels and components as well as still graphics, which illustrate component locations and operating standards and procedures. “Components were recreated in 2-D and 3-D for use in the ICW and simulations, using the latest in 2-D graphic and 3-D modeling software, including the Adobe CS4 suite and 3ds Max 2010.”

The simulation technologies include three separate, self-paced simulations in which the user moves through the setup of the system in the Off Load Mission, Transfer Mission, and Fillstand within Fuel Servicing Mission scenarios. Each simulation contains two versions. The guided version provides immediate feedback to aid the user’s situational awareness in a discovery learning environment free of penalty, as it is not scored. The unguided version allows the user to perform the setup without any feedback until it is complete, at which point the user can see the effects of his or her decisions.

The BEAR DL Program targets the BEAR community as a whole, to include BEAR managers and technicians and other DoD members. The program provides familiarization with the BEAR System and the tasks airmen must complete for preparation and deployment of BEAR assets. The BEAR Program also serves as a proof of concept and validation of the 22-day BEAR order of battle (BOB). BEAR provides the foundational core infrastructure capability for austere locations and the supporting systems required for expeditionary airfield operations.

VETS, Inc. and its subcontractor for these products, American Systems, utilized ICW and simulation technologies which are used to familiarize the users on the purpose of each system and asset.

Melissa McCray, Lead Instructional Systems Designer at American Systems, pointed out the BEAR program also provides a simulated setup of an austere base using the BEAR System assets – enabled by the latest technology. “During the process of developing the program, the VETS team utilized only the latest software such as 3D Studio Max and Adobe Flash. The ICW media developed for this course includes 2-D and 3-D modeled components and simulations; embedded video clips, high quality graphics; and photographs. Background music was included during the simulation. By including ‘street view’ camera angles, the user is able to be fully immersed in the simulated environment.”

By creating realistic graphical images, the VETS team was able to populate a simulated austere base environment using BEAR assets. This program uses a streaming video framework, making it capable of running from AFCESA’s virtual learning center on its LMS platform.

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Another continued area of DoD interest is its collaborative efforts with allied and friendly nations and other U.S. government entities to advance ADL.

– is bringing the evolving Federal Learning Registry to reality.

The registry makes federal learning resources easier to find, access and integrate into learning environments wherever they are stored around the nation and world.

More details about the evolving registry may be obtained at http://www. learningregistry.org/.

Help Wanted To allow the ADL program more efficiently harness the previously described technology challenges, there are several support opportunities for the rest of the DoD, industry and the academic community.

“We need more studies on the learning utility and effectiveness the emerging technologies,” Jesukiewicz remarked and added, “If studies of this nature are underway, we would love to learn about them and collaborate if at all possible.”

And noting the proliferation of mobile training devices, the ADL team has an interest in ensuring the devices are low cost and easy to use, as well as effective for the department’s wide range of learning audiences. ms&t

ISSUE 1.2011

Partnerships – U.S. and Beyond

One recent milestone was Jesukiewicz’s election as chairman for the NATO Training Group on Individual Training and Educational Developments Subgroup at the organization’s September 2010 meeting. The subgroup is a proponent for ADL across the member and partner nations.

One of the subgroup’s current, leading efforts is enabling Allied Command Transformation to standardize the Sharable Content Object Reference Model through the alliance’s learning communities. While SCORM is the de facto standard in many of the alliance’s communities of practitioners, the recent focus on expanding SCORM’s use has led to success stories in Romania and other nations. “Five years ago Romania had no ADL capabilities. Today it has a strong ADL capability and is able to use open-source learning management systems and take developed content from other NATO countries – additionally, Poland has achieved the same level of capability,” Jesukiewicz pointed out.

Another DoD partnering effort – this one with U.S. Department of Education

11 MS&T MAGAZINE

“This program will save the Air Force millions of dollars by using technology rather than the actual deployment of assets and personnel around the world to validate the 22-day BOB flow”. McCray further stated that "BEAR initially required a 30-day build to establish an austere base. Through modeling and simulation the team validated it can be accomplished in 22 days.

From a broader technology perspective, Boeing’s Cooper pointed out another area where the learning community may see new product offerings is in the display of 3-D training content, such as showing equipment in 3-D during maintenance training. “This capability is not new, of course, but with the recent surge of 3-D display technologies in the commercial sector – 3-D movies, 3-D television – the introduction of new capabilities in the training market seems likely.”

National Focus

More Helicopters, More Pilots The US Army is increasing its helicopter capability, driving a demand for training throughput increases.

Chuck Weirauch describes the impact on FS XXI.

ISSUE 1.2011

W

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ith a determination to enhance capabilities of deployed forces, especially in Afghanistan, it's no wonder that the US services are making the enhancement of their rotary wing aircraft capabilities one of their top priorities. A major indicator of the enhancement is the Department of Defense (DoD) FY2011 budget request for $9.6 billion for 117 new helicopters and 35 V-22 Osprey aircraft to add to the existing rotary wing aircraft fleet. In particular, the US Army was looking for an 18 percent increase, or $900 million, over the $5.07 billion for all Army aircraft approved by the US Congress for fiscal year 2010.

The budget supports the creation of two Combat Aviation Brigades (CAB) by consolidating existing aviation assets to create a 12th active duty CAB in 2011 and by beginning actions to create a 13th active duty CAB in FY 2011 to be fielded as soon as possible. With this growth,

there is, and will continue to be, a high demand for increased production of helicopter pilots.

In FY 2010 Congress approved an added $426 million to increase the Army helicopter training capacity. This budget request adds to that higher funding and continues the increase in Army helicopter pilots.

Now, the Army and the Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, AL, have to produce. Fort Rucker is the largest helicopter training installation in the world; even so, Army Aviation Program Executive Officer Major General William Crosby has called for more and newer helicopter simulators.

Qualifying for Flight To meet the increasing demand for new pilots, the Army has stepped up its recruitment efforts. According to one source, there has never been a shortage of applicants for flight school, even

Above U.S. Army pilots check out the TH-1H Iroquois, at Cairns Army Airfield, Ft. Rucker.

Image credit: U.S. Army/Carlton Wallace.

though the requirements are high for admission. Unlike fixed-wing pilot schools that demand higher education, Army helicopter pilots can apply for flight school with a high school diploma, however, training is intensive. Students must first go through a nine-week Basic Combat Training Course as an enlisted soldier before they can apply to Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS). Candidates must then complete the rigorous sixweek WOCS before they can be considered for Warrant Officer Flight Training (WOFT) at Fort Rucker.

Once at Fort Rucker, new pilot candidates must first graduate from a nineweek officer leadership course, and

then a three-week survival and escape course. The next step is school, Flight School XXI. The goal of FS XXI is to graduate pilots from flight school with a higher level of combat readiness in less time than traditional approaches. To accomplish this, initial entry students complete Phase I in TH-67 Creek simulators and aircraft, then they go directly to Phase II for advanced aircraft training rather than deploying to a unit and then coming back for a qualification course for advanced aircraft as was previously done. Phase I is a 22 week course; Phase II can vary in length from 14 weeks to 25 weeks, depending on the type. For example, it takes 46 weeks of flight training overall to master the AH-64 Apache.

All major current US Army helicopter types are trained at Fort Rucker, including the Bell TH-67 Creek employed for initial flight training; the UH-60 Blackhawk utility aircraft; the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior; the CH-47 Chinook medium lift helicopter; and the AH-64 Apache. Complementing the helicopter training fleet are the current 50 simulators employed in the Fort Rucker Flight School XXI. Currently, in the primary Warrior Hall FS XXI facility in Daleville, there are 20 TH67s FFS provided by FlightSafety International (FSI) employed for basic flight school training, and eight UH-60A/L, two CH-47D and two OH-58D simulators provided by L-3 Link Simulation &

Training. An additional 18 Reconfigurable Collective Training Devices (RCTDs) – Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainers (AVCATTs) – provided by L3 in AH-64A Apache configuration, are located at Fort Rucker.

More Simulators and Upgrades To enable the increase student throughput, FS XXI will be adding a number of new simulators and upgrading others, according to Bill Cheverie, CSC's FS XXI Deputy Director. All are expected to be operational by 2012, with some coming online as early as this summer. They include four additional TH-67 full-flight simulators, and an additional TH-47 FFS

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Flight School XXI operates at Fort Rucker under an Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) $1.1 billion, 19.5-year FS XXI Simulation Services contract with Computer Science Corporation (CSC) as the prime contractor and FSI and L3 as CSC team partners. The FS XXI mission is to increase the number of the Army's qualified initial entry helicopter pilot graduates by 25 percent, to approximately 1,500 a year to meet the service's current needs.

"We are seeing a continual demand through the flight school, and that's why our student numbers are increasing" said Kevin Hottell, Program Manager for FS XXI Simulations for PEO STRI. "We are increasing the force size for the number of aviation units out there. As we draw down the number of ground troops that are in theater, the best way we can move them around and support them is with helicopters. So we are actually increasing the number of Army aviation units that are out there. This is a part of increasing student throughput here."

Fort Rucker also provides graduate courses for pilots coming back from their units for advanced courses such as the Captains Career Course and those who come back to train as instructor pilots after about three years of active duty. The goal is to increase the number of graduates who have completed such advanced career curricula by the same percentage (25%). In 2010, the flight school enrolled about 1,300 initial entry students and approximately 3,000 graduate students.

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National Focus

and OH-58D FFS. Three existing UH-60 A/L instrument flight trainers will be converted to operational later model UH60M flight trainers by mounting them on full-motion platforms and adding fullfidelity visual systems. The full-motion CH-47F Chinook FFS provided by Link will be the first of its kind.

Another factor that will enhance training quality and throughput is the infusion of the latest simulator technologies in all of the new and upgraded simulators, according to David Buchanan, FSI's Deputy Director of Military Programs.

"Being later deliveries, these simulators will include newer technologies in a number of critical areas," Buchanan said. "One area is in the visual display systems. The original simulators have CRT-based projectors, while the new sims will have new fixed matrix LCD projectors that can enhance the black levels required for night-vision goggle training.

The new units also use 30 percent of the power required by the previous generation sims."

"This also gives us the opportunity to update what the student pilots see out the window," said Rick Massey, Director of Army Training Support Programs for L3. 'We want to replicate the current operational environments in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Since the drawdown in Iraq we combined the terrain databases for both countries, and this has doubled the size of our current terrain database.”

Buchanan noted another way to enhance FS XXI simulator training fidelity is to improve the simulator flight models. He explained that the upgraded UH-60M simulators will feature a flight model that was developed from sensor data collected from an actual UH-60M.

ISSUE 1.2011

Increasing Simulator Use

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According to FS XXI team members, the increasing level of fidelity in the program's newer simulators could eventually influence the percentage of student pilot time in the training devices. With shrinking training budgets for US forces, the move towards more simulation could improve the cost-effectiveness of the program while enhancing student pilot performance. According to Hottell, the current program ratio of simulator time to actual flight time is approximately 38.6 percent.

Above The Warrior Hall facility accomodates twenty TH-67, eight UH-60A/L,

training in the simulator, which is really important since we do not have the range space at Fort Rucker to shoot Hellfires."

two CH-47D and two OH-58D simulators.

Image credit: CSC.

Apache and UAS

“We are looking for 15 simulator flight hours a day for each of the devices”,' Hottell said. “There is currently a 98 percent utilization rate on the TH-67 simulator fleet and a 60 percent rate on the combat aircraft sims. So we are looking at increasing the amount of simulation that we do, not just in the number of students being increased but also the percentage of simulation in the curricula. The test classes we are currently running could push us to a 50/50 simulator to actual flight time ratio."

More simulation is also starting to become an Army aviation requirement, Massey pointed out. All Army OH-58 Kiowa Warrior pilots are now required to come to Fort Rucker for three hours a year to train specific tasks in the OH-58 simulator, tasks that are too risky to learn in the actual aircraft, he said.

"There is a known problem with the digital fuel controls in the Kiowa Warrior that has led to many accidents and incidents," Massey explained. "So the Army wants its pilots to learn the system in the simulator. There currently are only two Kiowa Warrior simulators in the world, and one of them is here at Fort Rucker."

"We want simulation to augment live training in the aircraft because there are things that you absolutely cannot do in the live aircraft, such as turning off an engine," Hottell said. "So you can really focus on the things that can go wrong in the simulator. We also do gunnery

Although the FS XXI simulator fleet is capable of training a multitude of Apache RH-64 new tactics and procedures through its RCTD network, one capability that needs to be addressed is how to train Apache crew members in combined arms operations with unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Hottell said. The Army has conducted such operations in Iraq, where video feeds from UAS are sent to Apache aircraft. Additionally, the nextgeneration Block III Apaches, now slated for initial delivery in 2012, will feature the capability for the Apache crew-members to operate a UAS from the aircraft cockpit to extend their sensor range.

"The manned-unmanned tactical concept is going to save lives and make us more lethal," said Lt. Col. John Vannoy, the Army's product manager for Apache Sensors and Simulation at Redstone Arsenal.

Army research on the procedures and effectiveness of just how the Apache crews will perform this task while flying their aircraft is currently being conducted on the Army's Apache Risk And Cost Reduction Simulator (RACRS) developed by the Camber Corporation.

The concept is for the helicopter crew to be able to take over control of a UAS launched by a ground crew and send the UAS ahead of the aircraft to increase situational awareness. The Apache crew would then return control to the ground crew. In addition to the UAS capabilities, the Block III variant will feature several more operational advances. ms&t

training Technology

From Air to Ground The Forward Air Controller (FAC) is a vital link in bringing air support weapons to bear on the enemy and doing so requires special skills. The UK’s JFACTSU provides the foundations for those skills.

Dim Jones reports.

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he scenario has become all too familiar in the hostile environment of Helmand Province: a foot patrol has set off an improvised explosive device (IED), placed there under cover of darkness for exactly that purpose. Alerted by radio, another section moves to assist with the evacuation of casualties, but both units find themselves pinned down by heavy and accurate fire from a nearby compound.

Assistance is clearly required, and fast, but the proximity of both friendly forces and civilians demands pinpoint accuracy. Fortunately, help is at hand; Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are on patrol in the relatively benign sky above the battlefield. However, two crucial requirements must be satisfied before their weapons can be brought to bear: accurate target information; and co-ordination with other users of the airspace. The vital link which provides these is the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) and, specifically, the Forward Air Controller (FAC).

Many miles away, in darkest North Yorkshire, is the small unit which initiates the provision of this capability – the Joint Forward Air Control Training and Standardisation Unit (JFACTSU). The fundamental principle of forward air control – the teaming of 2 elements, one having weapons but no target acquisition, the other the reverse - is as old as offensive air itself, but was not formalised in British forces until the North Africa campaign of 1941. British ground forces in the Cold War included FACs – indeed, I recall being at readiness to stem the onslaught of the Soviet hordes across the North German Plain in 1969, armed with my trusty dayglo ‘T’, a dodgy radio and maybe a couple of Hunters, if I was lucky. FACs also played a significant part in the 1982 Falklands ground offensive. JFACTSU was established at RAF Brawdy in 1974 moving to RAF Leeming in 1995; however, it is only in the last 5 years or so that the requirement has increased markedly, driven by the unique operating environment of Afghanistan.

Above

"This should give them the best attack direction..."

Image credit: RAF Leeming/Crown Copyright 2010

The primary task of JFACTSU is to “train ab initio UK and NATO ground and airborne FACs, and provide them with the necessary skills required to successfully integrate CAS into a dynamic battlespace” and additionally to “train TACP FACs and Supervisory FACs (SupFACs), Air Weapons Range Safety Officers (AWRSO), Air Signallers and Laser Target Marking Operators (LTMO)”. All elements of training are NATO-accredited, and the unit reports to a joint staff at HQ Air Command. There is a tri-Service staff of 25, including 4 pilots. Training support aircraft are provided by 100 Squadron, also based at RAF Leeming and flying Hawk T1. The collocation of the flying element is critical to the success of JFACTSU, as is its geographical location: surrounded

JFACTSU, alone among NATO nations, teaches this as a core skill. Here the greatest challenge is target acquisition, and the attack profile must take into account factors such as the terrain and sun position. Lastly, a CAS aircraft will not be alone in the airspace near the target – there could be rotary and fixedwing aircraft on unconnected missions, and other types of offensive operations - attack helicopters, artillery, mortars – conflict with which would be neither helpful nor healthy. Deconfliction with unconnected elements is achieved by co-ordination through the appropriate headquarters, or by airspace restrictions such as a Restricted Operations Zone (ROZ). Deconfliction with connected elements is more problematic, in that they may need to be closely co-ordinated to achieve a desired synergy. Where possible, this is accomplished by keeping the aircraft and the shells separated by height – CAS above, artillery, mortars and AH below; where this is impractical, deconfliction would either be geographical or by time.

Armed with all this theory, our student FACs progress to the next stage – synthetic training. Starting with a

ISSUE 1.2011

release parameters. Guidance can be by laser, designated from air or ground, millimetric-wave radar, Infra-Red Imaging, or GPS. In selecting the appropriate ordnance, the FAC has to take into account the target type, the proximity of friendly forces or non-combatants, and the potential for collateral damage.

This latter consideration touches on Rules of Engagement (ROE), which embrace the principle of proportionality – the relationship between the threat and the proposed action. Although the application of the extant ROE is a matter for higher command, the FAC and the aircrew above him are the ‘fingers on the trigger’, and both must be satisfied that any action they are taking is in compliance. It may be that all that is required to demonstrate to an aggressor the folly of his ways is a ‘show of force’ – a simulated or actual ‘shot across the bows’.

Weapon choice made, the attack needs to be planned. In an air supremacy environment, such as exists in Afghanistan, the CAS aircraft will almost certainly be at medium level, out of range of small-arms and the less capable SAMs. However, either the weather or the threat could dictate a low-level attack, and

17 MS&T MAGAZINE

by low flying areas, within which are dry training locations supported by local landowners; access to the tactical live training ranges at Otterburn and Spadeadam, and the air weapons range at Donna Nook; and the use of RAF Leeming itself as an exercise location.

The 8-week ab-initio course comprises classroom, synthetic and live training. The trainees are amazingly disparate in background, ranging in rank from corporal to captain, and in specialisation from Royal Logistics Corps, through RAF Regiment and Royal Marines to Special Forces. Their previous exposure to air power issues in general, and the employment of tactical air assets in particular, varies widely, and the first objective of the course is to establish a common baseline from which to build an understanding of the role of the FAC, the equipment and assets at his disposal, and how to employ them.

Today’s equipment is a far cry from the dayglo T and the dodgy radio and, just as the kit on the ground has developed, so have the air weapons. CAS aircraft routinely carry a variety of ordnance, including ‘dumb’ bombs, rockets, guns, and precision guided munitions (PGMs).

PGMs vary in warhead size and type, and

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simple, but surprisingly effective, sand model, and progressing through a device known as the ‘camera sim’, the basic procedures are practised in preparation for the first live exercise; thereafter, simulator sessions run hand-in-hand with live exercises throughout the course.

The primary device is a development of the Meggitt Dismounted Close Combat Trainer, incorporating a Liteflite aircraft programme. The student can practise all the comms and deconfliction procedures, and the instructor can replicate different types of aircraft and weapon, artillery and mortar fire, smoke and laser target marking and weapons impact. However, the simulator does not currently incorporate the hardware which the FAC will use in the field. This is collectively known as ‘Firestorm’, and includes: a V/ UHF radio; GPS equipment, which provides both accurate datum position, and a time reference which will be used by all players; a Long-Range Thermal Video (LRTV), through which he can locate a target by day or night; and a mini-laptop, or ‘Go-Book’, which will establish an accurate target position, and obtain database imagery of the selected target from medium level. Through Firestorm, he can send digital information to an aircraft, and receive a down-link from it, including images of what the aircraft’s sensors are seeing.

And so to the real thing – The Hill!

During the live phase, each trainee FAC has the opportunity to plan and control attacks against targets selected by the instructors. Regardless of theory and simulator, controlling a real aircraft is different. For the basic exercises, air support is provided by the Hawks, flown

by JFACTSU pilot instructors and replicating a wide variety of aircraft and ordnance. This has many advantages: they are dedicated assets with no training requirement of their own, and the Hawk can stay on task for an extended period; the pilots and the FACs know each other; the pilots know the course inside-out, its requirements and the correct procedures; and they can deliver a comprehensive debrief after each run. Perhaps the greatest challenge for the FAC – with eyes on the target but from ground level – is to visualise which ground features will stand out from the air, in terms of vertical extent, light conditions and contrast, size and uniqueness. Where possible, each student flies a Hawk sortie

Above

Job done!

Image credit: RAF Leeming/Crown Copyright 2010

to assist this understanding. For a low level attack, detailed instructions will be passed to the pilot before he begins the attack but, in the final stages, his eyes may need to be directed on to the target by the FAC. This made more difficult in that some of the aids which the FAC would use for real – such as laser target marking and mortar-fired smoke – are not available to him off-range. For a medium level attack, the FAC will have talked the pilot’s eyes onto the target before the attack commences. As the course progresses, the scenario is made more complex and demanding by the introduction of planning constraints, such as artillery and mortar fire, which require deconfliction or co-ordination.

Useful as the Hawk sorties are, the acid test of the FAC’s competence is whether he can successfully control a front-line aircraft, crewed by aviators for whom CAS is only one of many roles.

These aircraft also carry equipment which simplifies the FAC’s task, such as the Litening targeting pod, through which the crew can locate and mark the target. Off-range exercises are followed by control on an academic weapons range, and on the tactical air weapons ranges at Spadeadam and Otterburn.

Finally, all the elements of the course are brought together for Exercise Final Thunder, which is played out using the airfield at RAF Leeming and a scenario which includes the immediate elements of the FAC’s command chain, and also involves ‘enemy’ ground forces. Success-

ful completion of this exercise, and of the requisite number of controlled runs at low and medium level and at night, qualifies the trainee as a CQ FAC. The training provided by JFACTSU is only the first step on the ladder. On leaving RAF Leeming, the FAC will undergo a Unit work-up, under the tutelage of SupFACs, followed by a Combat-Ready (CR) evaluation. Before deploying to theatre, he will complete Mission-Specific Training (MST) and a Mission-Ready Check with his unit or Brigade and, once there, an in-theatre accreditation. In the future, he may return to JFACTSU to train as a SupFAC or remain there as a FAC Instructor (FAC-I).

Back to Helmand, and our operational scenario. All FACs in-theatre are ‘owned’ by the CO of the Brigade artillery regiment, and could be assigned to a battlegroup as part of a TACP; in this case, our FAC is attached to a rifle company on his own. The company is operating from a Forward Operating Base (FOB); if the patrol area is clearly visible from the FOB, the FAC may remain there, and will have his equipment set up. However, on this occasion, he is a member of the foot patrol. It is important to remember that he is a fighting soldier first, and an FAC second – in an infantry unit, he is a rifleman, and carries all the kit – weapons, ammunition and water required to fulfil this role, before he starts uploading his Firestorm gear. He has no dedicated transport, and so his limitations as a pack-donkey restrict him to radio, LRTV and lap-top. 72 hours before he embarked on the patrol, he requested air cover for it, and at 0300 this morning, he was told that he had been allocated 2 Tornado GR4s carrying Litening 3 targeting pod, PaveWay 4 LGB, Brimstone and

gun; he is familiar with their capabilities, and with the extant ROE, airspace restrictions and friendly assets.

The ‘contact’ call from the patrol alerts Company HQ, and our FAC is soon in radio contact with the aircraft. He and the patrol commander identify the source of the enemy fire – the corner of a compound - and confirm the proximity of friendlies and civilians. He agrees with the GR4 leader the best weapon for the target, in this case a Paveway 4 LGB with a 500-lb warhead, and obtains an accurate grid reference for the target using the LRTV. This is passed, along with the rest of the mandatory target briefing (known as the 9-Line CAS Brief), to the GR4s, who lock the Litening pod onto the co-ordinates; one of the aircraft will be marking the target and the other delivering the weapon. The downlink confirms that the aircraft is looking at the correct corner of the right compound. The FAC then reconfirms that the GR4’s attack profile avoids friendly forces, integrates the aircraft into the artillery and mortar fire and, less than 10 minutes after the first contact call, the weapon is delivered on target. The FOB reports an en emy survivor exiting the rear of the compound at some speed. The patrol is

up in the ground-attack role. Arming the Hawks with practice bombs to increase realism in training has long been an aspiration, and may yet come to pass.

JFACTSU plan to introduce aptitude testing, to maximise the course pass rate.

Funding is in place for augmenting the synthetic training suite with a modified Bohemia Interactive VBS-2 Fires programme – a system already in use with many elements of the Army – which is more flexible, allows more realistic battlespace management training, and can replicate elements of the ‘contemporary operating environment’ such as civilian population. Lastly, the JFACTSU staff, in conjunction with the Royal School of Artillery, is developing a simulated ‘Joint Fire Cell’, with all the appropriate comms and downlinks, to enhance training realism for FACs and TACP. This simulation will enhance capability, building to the advanced exercises which may, in the future, be played out with live weapons at Otterburn or Spadeadam.

In sum, JFACTSU provides the first step in the provision of a vital capability for UK and allied forces. It is, in the words of a former RAF Leeming commander, “a small unit which punches well above its weight”. ms&t

now free to attend to the wounded and resume operations; the aircraft will then either return to their previous task, or remain in the overhead, providing over watch of the patrol, until they need to refuel or return to base.

This process would not have changed significantly had this scenario been played out at night, nor if the aircraft on call had been an Apache attack helicopter, B-52 or B1-B heavy bomber or, indeed, an MQ-9 Reaper, with its crew sitting 8000 miles away in Nevada.

So what does the future hold for JFACTSU in these difficult times for UK Defence? The only certain thing about the nature of future conflicts is its uncertainty; in an environment where asymmetric warfare increasingly appears to be the norm, any advantage, such as air supremacy, must be exploited to the full, but within firmly established bounds.

Effective air-land integration is, therefore, vital, and the FAC’s role in it only likely to increase. The loss of the Harrier force in the recent Defence Review suggests that securing front-line support might be more difficult, and any further reduction in the size of the GR4 fleet could compound the issue; on the positive side, the Typhoon force is currently working

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training Technology

Out of the Schoolhouse Maintenance training technology developers are responding to the need to expand training and provide support to where it’s needed. Chuck Weirauch outlines some strategies.

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ilitary systems and equipment are becoming more and more complex and sophisticated, and so are the skill sets maintainers need to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair such hardware, which poses a challenge. Compounding this challenge is a shortage of skilled maintenance personnel. Faced with these challenges, the US military is shifting to of a broader systems knowledge approach for maintenance trainees rather than a traditional platform-specific one; is trending away from large, high-end simulationbased trainers to more desktop and parttask trainers; and providing more mobile training in the field via Web-based courseware and the porting of courseware to mobile devices such as iPads, iPhones and tablet computers.

A Growing Need According to Joe Labalbo, Deputy Product Manager for the Ground Combat

Tactical Trainers (GCTT) division of the US Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), the service is looking for skill-based maintenance training solutions that are less systems-specific, with a broader application so that maintainers would be able to fix anything in a product line, for example. The Army's Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) Sustainment Center of Excellence is in the process of developing such courseware, he pointed out. Overall, the Army is moving away from big, expensive handson trainers and more towards desktop and part-task trainers, Labalbo said.

"With skill-based training, it just makes more sense to train theory as opposed to the 'this is the specific platform brake assembly that you are going to be working on' approach to maintenance training," Labalbo pointed out And that approach will become more critical when manufacture soon ceases

Above The U.S. military is facing a shortage of skilled maintenance personnel.

Image credit: U.S. DoD/Myles Cullen.

for the current production variants of the Abrams tank and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and next-generation variants feature even more sophisticated operational systems. One answer to this problem is that these new variants will have advanced embedded diagnostics technology for training maintainers, Labalbo said. The result is that there will be less interest and funding for maintenance training solutions for these vehicles in the near-term, he added.

However, the Army's wheeled vehicle fleet will be getting much more attention, with a variety of part-task maintenance trainers for Tactical Wheeled Vehicles (TWVs) for electrical and braking systems potentially being funded

within a year or two, Labalbo reported.

PEO STRI also hopes to gain funding for MRAP vehicle fleet suspension and automatic fire suppression system maintenance trainers in the near future.

Distributed The Research Triangle Institute, or RTI, Inc., is the Army's prime contractor for the Army's Abrams, Bradley and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) maintenance programs. According to RTI VP for Training, Sam Field, one of the latest maintenance training trends is the porting of courseware to the Web and hand-held and mobile devices, something his firm is in the process of implementing. With the aid of 3D simulation via these media, maintainers can do the same job and practice the same skills that they could in more fixed training devices, he explained. Providing such training to maintainers in the field is becoming more important as maintainers have less time to do more, Field pointed out.

“One of the challenges is that we are asking these individuals to handle a broader array of tasks on a variety of systems that are changing more rapidly, and they are really not going to have the time

Defence iq presents

to come back to a brick-and mortar institution to take a systems-specific course," Field said.

"We have to get these maintainers to the point to where they have become selfmotivated and effective mentors of their own instruction and abilities, knowledge and skills, and they really understand the theory behind the systems," Field continued. "Another industry challenge is how we get them through the novice stage to a better level of understanding very rapidly so that when it comes to the time to apply their skills to a different context or different equipment, their skills and confidence are readily portable to the new situation."

3D One training provider that is developing maintenance training courseware that can be delivered to the field via the Web and mobile devices is San Franciscobased Heartwood, Inc. The company's business approach to providing 3D virtual training courseware is to “author once, deliver many ways" to enable training anytime, anywhere on any device.

One of the company's most recent Web and mobile-device-delivered solu-

tions as a vendor to Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems is a virtual maintenance part-task trainer for the Patriot ballistic missile radar system. Under Raytheon's Patriot contract, the PCbased trainer has recently been delivered to the Army's Fort Bliss, TX schoolhouse, where it is currently undergoing evaluation by the Army. The PC game-based trainer employs the Unity gaming engine and is a part of the Patriot Multi Echelon Training System that Heartwood has submitted to the GameTech 2011 conference awards competition.

According to a Heartwood release, previously maintainers read manuals and watched videos of others performing repairs to learn how to troubleshoot and repair the radar system. The game based trainer allows users to learn by doing; clicking on 3D simulations to open panels, make electrical connections and learn correct maintenance procedures while being provided with audio and on-screen written instructions. The radar maintenance trainer has been ported to iPads and other hand-held devices so that maintainers can easily access the system for refresher training in the field after they complete the course.

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21 MS&T MAGAZINE

DAte:

3D courseware – virtual maintenance parttask trainer for the Patriot ballistic missile radar system.

Image credit: Heartwood, Inc.

to other schools and to units deployed in the field in various formats and online.

There are perhaps more than 17,000 of these pumps deployed at various locations, Lindahl said.

"What is happening in the military around the world is a shortage of skilled workers," Lindahl said."They have to do more with less, and they just don't have the skill sets. So the people who are doing the maintenance are much less specialized than they used to be. So what you do is provide them with training in the field if they are unskilled in maintaining the equipment."

Reconfigurable At I/ITSEC 2010, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions introduced what the firm believes is a new concept, a reconfigurable maintenance trainer. The Maintenance Blended Reconfigurable Avionics Trainer (MBRAT), reflecting a rotor craft's instrument panel, consoles and overheads using a blend of computer touch screens alongside physical controls, is designed as a part-task rotary aircraft systems trainer for maintenance personnel. The MBRAT was developed

by DEI Services Corporation, which was acquired by Kratos last year. The initial MBRAT employs UH-60 Blackhawk avionics software, but the trainer is designed so that it can be reconfigured with other rotary wing aircraft packages such as the CH-47 Chinook and other helicopter types employed by the US Army. While

3D Stereo Projection Also at I/ITSEC 2010 was Christie Digital's Christie HoloStage Mini projection display system configured to be utilized as a maintenance trainer. The Holostage projected a 3D stereoscopic image of an Army vehicle engine. Featured were a head-tracking device to monitor the user’s eye points of focus and an optical tracker to monitor the user's hand and finger movements while the person manipulated the projected 3D engine parts. While the HoloStage is a projection system and not a maintenance trainer per se, the exhibit showcased the system's capability to be employed for that function.

According to Dave Kanahele, director of Christie's Simulation Solution Management, another maintenance training application might be a 3D stereo projection of an F-22 jet fighter engine, for example. The HoloStage Mini system can be employed for several other maintenance training applications according to customer needs and requirements, he pointed out. Christie considers maintenance training as just one area where 3D stereo projection technology can be applied to enhance training effectiveness and reduce training costs, he added. ms&t

ISSUE 1.2011

Above

the MBRAT currently hosts avionics systems, it can also be configured with aircraft electrical systems packages.

According to Jose Diaz, Kratos/DEI VP, the MBRAT fits into the 'walk' phase of Army training, a step beyond desktop trainers and before high-fidelity full-flight simulators. The MBRAT allows maintainers to master the more complex aircraft systems and understand the full operational capabilities of the rotary wing platforms while developing the ability to maintain, troubleshoot and repair the systems without tying up the high-end FFS, he explained. DEI has developed common software for the MBRAT that was derived from other training systems the company has provided for the military, providing a cost-savings advantage, Diaz pointed out.

"Platforms have become more and more complex, and onboard systems more integrated with each other," Diaz said. "So a much higher level of maintenance training is required now as systems become more and more sophisticated, and more time is needed to master maintenance skills."

23 MS&T MAGAZINE

"Definitely retention rate is increasing, sometimes doubling for our customers, since the maintainers are actively involved with the equipment through 3D simulation," said Heartwood Cofounder and VP for Sales and Marketing Neil Wadhawan."Today's soldier does not focus by reading all the time. This technology also helps pass on such systems knowledge to the next generation of maintainers."

According to NGRAIN CEO Paul Lindahl, his company has recently been involved in delivering maintenance training to the field through various 3D simulation-enhanced training courseware programs. The most recent effort this January is the delivery of two Virtual Task Refresher (VTR) solutions to the US Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) as part of the SAIC team. The VTR solutions will provide the Joint Forces Training and Support Branch with highly detailed vehicle parts and procedure familiarization and be designed by NGRAIN to provide vehicle operators with the information they need to perform critical field expedient repairs during field operations.

The VTR solutions will be provided to the NSWC schoolhouse as classroom courseware. They will then also be distributed to vehicle operators in the field through the NSWC's online Learning Management System and ported to Toughbook laptop computers. Using the laptops, maintainers will use them as guides to perform repairs on vehicles during field operations.

"Currently there is no schoolhouse training available at the level that is needed because of the number of vehicles that are being fielded," Lindahl said.

"Such issues are being created by operational tempo in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular, where the maintainers are involved with equipment that they have never even seen before. So we have taken the 3D simulation technology, made it very nimble, and taken it to the field. " Another recent NGRAIN 3D maintenance training course destined for use in the schoolhouse and in the field, this time by the US Army's Transportation School at Fort Eustis, VA is the Virtual Task Trainer (VTT) for the P-100 diesel pump system. This trainer will allow maintainers to virtually practice the installation, maintenance and repair of the pump.

The Army will be distributing the VTT

Procurement

From Analysis to Results Creating a multifaceted training programme for seven buyers is not easy. It requires a systematic process.

Rémi Lecerf describes the approach and the planned training suite for the A400M.

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he A400M is an ambitious defence programme: ambitious because of the importance of strategic and tactical flights in current military operations; ambitious because of the diversity of stakeholders in the programme and the future of European defence; ambitious because of the technological challenges and the depth of knowledge required; and ambitious because of the amount of workforces and the budgets in place. The programme will bring new airlift capacities to eight Participating Nations: seven EU members (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom), and Malaysia.

The buyers, the eight Participating Nations, have tasked OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation) to manage the programme on their behalf through a unique contract. On 27 May 2003 Airbus Military Sociedad Limitada (AMSL) became the seller of the A400M and related support elements. After 6 years, AMSL announced major delays and budget slippage due to technical challenges. Renegotiations took place with the Nations allowing the programme

to continue. The first A400M (nicknamed Grizzly by the flight test crews) to be delivered will be for the French Air Force, and delivery is scheduled for early 2013.

Training will be ready 4 months before Entry into Service.

So with approximately 2 years before first delivery and the first training of personnel, what activities have already been achieved and what other activities are foreseen for the establishment of the A400M training system? What are the expected results?

Analysis The first step to creating the A400M training was to develop a concept, one of the initial tasks of the A400M Training Expert Working Group (TEWG). Nations identified the air crews: pilots, loadmasters and “third crew members”. This is an optional post in the cockpit for a crew member that can support the pilots during difficult missions. Nations identified maintenance and support personnel.

The latter are jump-masters, dispatchers, aeromedical, movement and support to operation personnel.

For each one of these categories, a

Above The first A400M is scheduled for delivery to the French Air Force in early 2013.

Image credit: David Malley/Halldale Media.

prerequisite and an output level were established, the latter being the actual requirement of the Nations. By following a modular approach, it has been possible to keep to the line of “Civilian regulation when possible, military peculiarities when necessary”.

Starting from the military concept, the industrial training experts developed a list of the various training objectives to be reached. This list is the gap between the input and the output. Each of the training objectives is hence thoroughly analysed.

Is this objective bringing knowledge, skill or attitude? Is it important, frequent and difficult? Therefore, shall it be trained or even “over-trained” and which type of device should be used?

This holistic analysis allows courses to be created by assembling and rearranging the objectives, as well as establishing the functional requirements of the training aids. TEWG has been heavily

&

process is followed for the creation of A400M training, something which is quite standard. Firstly a common concept is established. A holistic analysis is used to create a list of training objectives, which form the basis of both the courses and the training equipments’ functional requirements. The process of selection and negotiation enables purchasing to be carried out. Qualification sets a standard and non regression is verified for the acceptance at delivery. This process enables Nations to create their own A400M training system.

Training Aids and Devices The Full Flight Simulator (FFS) and the Flat Panel Flight Training Device (FPFTD) use the latest standards of flight simulation. Both are being developed by Thales Training and Simulation. The FFS is a flight simulator which is a perfect representation of the cockpit. Critical Design Review has already been achieved. The FP-FTD is more oriented towards procedure training and is equipped with touch panels to represent the cockpit. All side sticks, throttles, radio, automatic pilot and flight management system interfaces are physical replicas. The FP-FTD

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tries to respond to these requirements, • creation and negotiation of the future contract, and • monitoring the development until delivery.

While the initial competition of the Design and Development entire programme included the provision AMSL has the contractual obligation to of training as an initial support element, propose courses in its industrial training a price investigation is nevertheless forecentre and to install training aids in the Page Horizontal 178mm x 124mm seen. It should demonstrate the accuracy National centres. During a training conand fairness of the prices. ference period, each Nation selects trainA400M training is currently at this ing within a specific timeframe dependstep of the process. ing on the delivery date of the aircraft.

This conference enables each Nation Qualification and Acceptance to order courses, training aids and the For the training aids, the main idea is relevant services it requires, adapting not to repeat the verifications on each its own training system. Coordination single simulator but rather to check the between Nations is necessary to spread non regression compared to the very first out the delivery of the simulators. Some device. Each first training aid is qualiconcessions are unavoidable. fied. The entire set of tests is performed Whilst the design and development once only, but AMSL, the manufacturer, predominantly are a technical matter, this the A400M Programme Division and the step in the process needs coordination Nations will all be involved. This process between technical and commercial spewill formally recognise the design that cialists. Any constraints of the specialists would then be repeated for the next trainmust be taken into account by OCCAR ing aids in the national training centres. and AMSL at the following stages: Courses follow a similar approach • establishment and analysis of the indiwhere reviews establish a standard. vidual requirements, As we have just seen, a thorough • creation and review of the offer which involved in reviewing these documents, providing harmonised customer views, something which is on occasion quite challenging to do.

Procurement ISSUE 1.2011 MS&T MAGAZINE

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Preliminary Design Review is about to be passed.

Those two simulators will be given civilian certificates, which guarantee appropriate representativeness for flying the Grizzly. The synthetic intensive tactical environment enables the pilots to be trained on complex combat missions’ management. Those missions could be performed by several aircraft using a network of simulators or engaging computer generated forces. These could be day or night missions using night vision goggles in order to perform aerial delivery or assault landings. They use the whole range of threats or the Grizzly defensive aids.

Cargo Hold Trainer-Enhanced (CHTE) is a replica of the cargo hold. This trainer is used by the loadmasters, jumpmasters, dispatchers, and aeromedical and movement personnel. It enables loading and unloading training of actual pallets, vehicles and personnel for transportation or delivery. It is also used for cargo role change training. It simulates some failures and emergency situations, leading to procedures either in the cargo hold itself or at the loadmaster workstation.

The Load Master WorkStation Trainer (LMWST) uses the same principle but the cargo hold is displayed on screens.

It focuses on the actions performed from the loadmaster workstation.

Both are developed by Rheinmetall Defence Electronics. System Design Reviews have recently been achieved.

The Cockpit Maintenance Operation Simulator (CMOS) trains the technicians on aircraft maintenance procedures. This software can be used in a classroom where the instructor is giving his course, or on a stand alone mode. The aircraft is simulated on the ground. The trainee carries out “virtual maintenance” to repair failures created by the instructor, as he would do in the real aircraft, from initial analysis to the final tests after repair.

CMOS is being developed by CAE. System Design Review is scheduled mid 2011.

The Computer Based Trainer (CBT) allows all categories of staff to acquire knowledge. It is based on learning by seeing, hearing and doing. In addition to the purely theoretical modules, which are unavoidable, the CBT is fitted with a virtual aircraft for component location and for learning to do the walk around and walk inside animated diagrams

Above The A400M's preliminary tests in preparation for rough field trials.

for the development of the courses for jump-masters, dispatchers, and aeromedical and movement personnel.

Image credit: Author.

Training Centres showing the various streams. Different emulators allow the trainee to virtually interact with the represented systems.

The trainee learns alone in self-paced learning or with an instructor in computer aided instruction.

CBT is being developed by Airbus Military. Critical Design Review has just been passed.

Courses Starting from the training concept, AMSL is developing the courses for pilots based on EASA type rating. This initial training enables him to fly the aircraft. A module is added to operate the aircraft in all types of civilian airspace and in all weather conditions. The next courses focus on learning the various military systems and their use: low level flight, aerial delivery, assault landing, air to air refuelling, defensive aids. Nations will then develop their own courses for more complex and more intense missions in line with the latest operations.

A modular approach is applied for technicians. AMSL’s courses should suit Nations who already follow a civilian integrated model for their technicians (to the point of obtaining an EASA certificate), and should also suit those Nations whose technicians’ jobs are still segregated. In addition, AMSL develops courses for technicians who do not have a civilian equivalent, for example, weapons specialists.

Courses for loadmasters are the basis

AMSL has to establish a training centre four months before delivery of the first A400M. AMSL decided to build it in Seville, Spain, in front of the Final Assembly Line. This centre has just been inaugurated and it is already equipped for the other Airbus Military aircraft (CN 235 and CN 295).

Nations will also open their own training centres shortly after delivery of their first aircraft. The number and type of training aids depends on each national training policy, on the size of the fleet, on the amount of trainees and on future possible cooperation. By setting up national training centres, Nations will avoid having the personnel abroad for long periods or undertaking frequent trips in addition to their operational duties.

Summary The A400M training system is based on a training analysis and on a holistic process. It is established to deliver the training to all stakeholders using dedicated courses and training aids. OCCAR and Nations are currently negotiating the first training courses, aids and services selections.

Several training centres will be established for operational reasons. Future cooperation, including with the recently created European Air Transport Command, could be announced, thus reducing global cost and further implementing the creation of a European training community. This is the real ambition of this programme. ms&t

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Left & Opposite

Show Report

Business as usual – impressions from this year's show.

Image credit: Elke Ullrich.

I/ITSEC 2010 MS&T’s editors roamed the show floor, attended events and spoke with exhibitors. Here are some impressions stitched together from their reports. There is more at the Halldale/MS&T website www.halldale.com.

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/ITSEC 2010 is over for another year. This is clearly the world’s premier military simulation and training event; the numbers bear this ranking out. Approximately 20,000 registrants, including 4,000 conference delegates, 8,000 exhibit visitors, and 8,000 exhibit personnel converged on the Orange Convention Center in Orlando in the traditional week after US Thanksgiving. About half the registrants overall were from government and the 2000 international registrants represented 57 countries. In the 12.5 acre (5 hectare) exhibit space, the 8000 exhibit personnel supported the 595 exhibiting entities in 494 exhibits.

Despite the 2,000 international registrants, I/ITSEC is first and foremost a national event for the U.S. services and I/ITSEC provides an opportunity to read between the lines, or even better, listen to the message. While the conference theme "Training Centric, Readiness Focused" suggested a continuing emphasis on support of current operations in central Asia, the I/ITSEC Special Events and some sections of the conference with their educational, academic or non-governmental topics indicate offi-

cials have a post-Afghanistan horizon in view.

One special event in particular, “Adaptability and Complex Decision Making”, addressed the progress in understanding complexity and in developing the capability for decision making in complex environments – a sure sign of the times and an acknowledgement of the future.

Another special event “Building Partnership Capacity: The Whole-of-Nations Approach” explored national and international non-governmental cooperation and more global international partnerships – a true whole-of-nations approach for a ready and trained global force. Panelist Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, from NATO’s Allied Command Transformation (ACT) pointed out: “We no longer play civilian partners in exercises, but we have the original actors doing their original task.” According to the Lieutenant General, that applies to the United Nations and the European Community, as well as to non-governmental institutions which are all well integrated into NATO training and exercises.

Both special events noted above

addressed key issues that frame how both countries and individuals are being prepared to cope with a changing world.

Mr Frank DiGiovanni, Director, Readiness and Training Policy and Programs, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) moderated both panels.

I/ITSEC continued to showcase outreach initiatives such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), an initiative to further interest in technology and science. STEM activities included future leaders pavilion, scholarships, Serious Games Showcase and Challenge, professional development workshops, and workshops for educators.

The Serious Games Showcase and challenge is of special interest to MS&T and this year MS&T sponsored the People`s Choice award won by Allied Command Transformation`s “Boarders Ahoy!”, developed by Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) (see more at page 37). Other winners included Marketing 101 - The Principles of Marketing

by Muzzy Lane, best business category; Energize by FIEA, best student category; and Moonbase Alpha by NASA, best government category. For more information on these winners and the other finalists, go to http://www.sgschallenge.com/ contest2010.shtml Overall the growing presence of serious games for learning, new medical simulation products, the quest for more capable hand-held learning devices, and advancements in visual systems and related technologies indicate growing technology sectors.

Military and Government On the floor, there was evidence of the technical innovation meeting the rapidly changing challenges of the 21st century.

EDGE, for example: The US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) demonstrated the Enhanced Dynamic Geo-social Environment, a massively multiplayer gamebased environment where Operational Environment (OE) scenarios are dis-

ISSUE 1.2011

tion Training Centers (MSTCs), with a full "kit" on the floor. A new addition to the medical training push was the Vehicle Casualty Extractor (VCE) trainer.

Also new to the show was the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Maintenance Training System for the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

Some of the biggest audience draws were the US Air Force exhibits. Featured at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) was the Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training Rehearsal System (JTAC TRS). This system was linked to

a deployable mini-dome variant of the AFRL's F-16 Experimental Deployable Tactics Trainer (X-DTT) at the show for the first time in the Immersive Display Solutions exhibit area for ongoing joint demonstrations throughout the conference. At the Air National Guard booth, the tabletop QuantaDyn Micro Boom Operator Simulation System (MicroBOSS) for KC-135 boom operators drew attention as a more cost-effective training solution than other boom operator simulation systems.

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Submarine Learning Center and the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory shared an exhibit area. Two area of emphasis were virtual worlds for skills training and a Collaborative Architecture Simulation Environment. Other areas of emphasis were submarine onboard training and human performance analysis, along with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training.

The Quality of Training Effectiveness Assessment (QTEA) human performance research project based in an FA-18 Multi-Mission Tactical Trainer was again featured at the Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD). Some

29 MS&T MAGAZINE

played. Multiple commands, agencies and academia can collaborate through EDGE to pool ideas and resources to respond to ever-changing actual OE situations. Making use of EDGE and contributing to it is TRADOC's Training Brain initiative to develop training solutions to the new OEs and deliver them to the force. The Joint Training Counter-IED Operations Integration Center is a part of the network.

The US Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) had an extensive number of exhibits and training products at the show. A major focus was the expansion of the common vehicle driver trainer concept, with the newer MRAP trainer on display. Another continuing and expanding effort displayed is the move towards Reconfigurable Vehicle Trainers (RVT), with the mobile variant (Mobile RVTT) at the show. Another vehicle area of concentration is for Construction Equipment Virtual Trainers (CVETs), with the Hydraulic Excavator (HYEX) and Wheel Loader (WL) variants on the show floor.

In cooperation with RDECOM, PEO STRI demonstrated the Medical Simula-

Show Report

of the other training products featured included the ASW VAST MET3 AntiSubmarine Warfare Trainer, the synthetic DDG-51 Machinery Control System and E2C Reconfigurable Training Devices.

The emphasis at the nearby Marine Corps Program Manager for Training Systems (PMTRASYS) was on Home Station Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) training and an Infantry Immersion Trainer for Small Units.

While the US military was well represented at I/ITSEC, several other countries provided overviews of their latest training initiatives as well. The Swedish Armed Forces provided ongoing demonstrations of the VIKING multinational Computer Assisted Exercise initiative. Team Australia and the Australian Defense Simulation Office showcased Australian companies and products NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) had its largest exhibit at I/ ITSEC in recent memory, highlighting the fact this the agency provides the leading Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) capability for NATO, demonstrating the NATO Education and Training Network and NATO M&S Standardization activity. Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, ACT, and Frank DiGiovanni, US DoD, took the opportunity to sign an Advanced Distributed Learning Memorandum of Understanding between ACT and the Joint Advanced Distributed Learning (JADL) Co-Laboratory to establish closer cooperation between the two organisations. A major NATO theme brought forward at I/ITSEC is how the organization is working to provide educational opportunities for the people of Afghanistan and support for the Afghan National Army (ANA).

ISSUE 1.2011

And These Exhibits Caught the Editors’ Eyes...

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RUAG’s presentation of their VR reference product the "Simulateur de Tir d'Equipage et de Section", for training vehicle commanders and gunners in asymmetric scenarios.

While Krauss-Maffei Wegmann brought along its fully mobile 6DOF heavy truck simulator, the really interesting news was KMW’s new Terrain Deformation Technology. It simulates in real-time the virtual reshaping of topography such as craters, trenches or embankments.

Although Kongsberg Maritime Simulation demonstrated the Protector

Weapon Control System, the real draw was rides on the company’s Small Boat Trainer Polaris, mounted on a 6DOF electric motion base.

A Generic Crew Trainer with Forward Observer demonstrated BAE Systems capabilities for providing modular virtual training and distributed training, linking the Orlando based equipment with an Archer Crew Trainer in Karlskoga, Sweden. Both trainers are based on the BAE System Common Operator Training software Oxus.

Rheinmetall Defence presented their latest three-channel AVIOR VisIR projection system, which is based on diode laser technology, at the FlightSafety International booth on an FSI's Crewview Rigid Display System. Barco’s rear-projection dome technology, which was launched at I/ITSEC, was designed specifically for training tasks such as formation flight, air-to-air interception, airto-ground attack, long-distance flights, including air refuelling, and training in the use of night-vision goggles. Norwegian projectiondesign were literally thinking outside of the box with their Remote Light Source™ technology It would have been practically impossible for Bosch Rexroth to set up their large stroke, sustainably accelerated motion technology for driving simulation.

And so the gigantic high-performance electric hexapod motion system was only visible on a display mounted on a motion table providing X-Y-axis movements.

SUN, the Soldier Urban Navigation System, an element of Elbit’s Live Combat Training System (LCTS), caught our eye. SUN is an inertial navigation system, twice the size of a cigarette pack and mounted at belt height on the soldier’s back. SUN, which needs no pre-prepared sites, provides highly accurate tracking of locations, as well as body postures in an indoor environment.

Lockheed Martin showcased Prepar3DTM, a medium-fidelity simulation environment that is based on Flight Simulator X software and licensed from Microsoft. Software developers are given access to the code to create add-on features, which they can then offer for download via a link from the Prepar3D website – a whole new way of doing business for a major aerospace company and defence contractor. “The agility of this product will be driven by third-party providers innovating on top of our platform,” said

Chester Kennedy, Vice-President of Engineering, at I/ITSEC. We noticed American Systems’ F/A-18 Hornet Simulated Aircraft Maintenance Technology Trainer (SAMT) being closely examined by industry observers. The highly intuitive simulator uses physics based simulation and photo-realistic imagery to digitally replicate every inch of the Hornet jet fighter.

Cubic’s new Integrated Training Environment (ITE) applies the latest live, virtual and constructive technologies to replicate a close combat infantry/special operations scenario. Using COTS visual technologies the simulator allows dismounted units to conduct mission rehearsals for kinetic and non-kinetic training in geotypical or geospecific environments. The ITE is deployable and includes networkable domes for a 360˚immersion, surround sound, integration of live and virtual players, and the Holographic Avatar Role Player (HARPS) projection system.

CAE’s growing interest in the rapidly-expanding global UAS market was demonstrated by its Predator mission simulator, developed in conjunction with, and operated very effectively by, ex-Predator aircrew from Unmanned Experts. Closer to home, the USAF is laying the groundwork for the expected competition to develop the next generation of the Predator Mission Aircrew Training System (PMATS2), for which the RFP is now overdue.

Less complex, but equally effective, were the Virtual Terrain Board from Night Readiness, and a cockpit procedures trainer for Mi-8, 17 and 171 helicopters from ASE and VRM. The former is an NVG classroom training system designed for high-fidelity, low-cost ab-initio training of all NVG operators.

The latter addresses the lack of a suitable device for these widely-deployed aircraft, training which has hitherto been conducted – very expensively – in the aircraft themselves.

NGRAIN continues to extoll the virtues of 3D models for maintenance training, demonstrating significant ROI in aviation and heavy equipment training applications.

Lastly, Bohemia Interactive’s VBS2 is ubiquitous.

As we noted at the beginning, for more on I/ITSEC go to the Halldale/ MS&T website www.halldale.com. ms&t

Left

conference Report

MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft – currently employed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Image credit: USAF/Christopher Griffin.

wire just happens to be 8000 miles long instead of 8 metres.” Indeed, an RPV flying in controlled airspace must have an airworthiness rating equivalent to its ‘manned’ counterpart, and may have ‘sense-and-avoid’ systems far superior to ‘see-and-avoid’, but it might be hard to persuade the average air traveller to share his airway with one.

Current and future challenges and potential applications of UAS were discussed at the SMi conference.

Dim Jones reports.

T

he annual SMi Unmanned Aircraft Systems Conference took place in London in November, and attracted a large and knowledgeable audience, comprising a good mix of military and industry participants.

The focus of the conference programme on military applications reflected the current employment of UAS, but their growing potential for other purposes was also acknowledged. An interesting diversion was the debate on the morality of unmanned aircraft, representing as they do the ‘unchivalrous’ ability to deliver weapons without putting the operator in harm’s way; however, a public long reconciled to the use of stand-off and ballistic missiles is unlikely to be outraged

by UAS.

Recognition Perception of unmanned systems was a recurring theme. The surveillance capabilities of ‘drones’ are regarded by the public as intrusive and redolent of the ‘Big Brother’ society, yet their potential for effective employment in more positively-regarded applications - crime prevention, counter-terrorism, anti-narcotics, people-trafficking, illegal immigration and disaster relief, to name but a few - attracts little attention. Equally, the ‘pilotless’ connotation of UAS impacts negatively on the efforts of those seeking to integrate them into desegregated airspace, to the point where the preferred taxonomy is now ‘remotely piloted’. As one proponent put it, “this is a fly-by-wire system – the

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The Future of UAS

The military UAS spectrum is impressive, from small hand-launched devices with short range and endurance, to Global Hawk, capable of employing a wide range of sensors for 10 hours at a range of 3000 nm. Towards the top end of the range are perhaps the most widely publicised examples, the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, currently employed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2004, the USAF was capable of sustaining 4 Combat Air Patrols (CAPs) on a continuous basis; during the conference, the 46th US CAP was established, and the goal for 2013 is 65. Although the conference emphasis was firmly on operational issues and developments, rather than on training, it was acknowledged that this almost exponential increase in capability, complexity and volume by definition generates a training challenge which must be addressed by technology as well as numbers.

The tenet that ‘every shooter should be a sensor, and every sensor a shooter’ is an admirable aspiration, but the proliferation of systems and the increasing capability of the sensors results in an analysis task which could easily overwhelm resources. Equally, the view that ‘need-to-know’ has been trumped by ‘need-to-share’ – for example, the ability to communicate to every soldier on the ground, through a device as simple as an iPhone, the information he needs for enhanced situational awareness must have both cost and security implications.

Overall, this was a most informative gathering which – like any successful seminar – posed as many questions as it answered. ms&t

ISSUE 1.2011

Wide-ranging

Left

Conference Report

Andrea Del Bravo from Selex talks about System of System Engineering.

Image credit: Walter Ullrich.

Iberia and Beyond: IberSim 2010 The exhibitors, visitors and officials were all satisfied with the event.

MS&T’s Walter F. Ullrich reports.

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fter IberSim’s successful premiere in 2009, expectations were fairly high for 2010.

And to get straight to the point: IberSim was worth the journey. There was a lot on offer for the 300 conference attendees from 17 different nations on five continents who gathered at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain on 27 and 28 October 2010.

Over the past few years, Spain and Portugal have been fairly under-represented at international events such as ITEC, I/ITSEC or SISO meetings, although there is a lot of simulation and training know-how available in the region. So, one of the aims of IberSim is to show the world that Spain and Portugal have a core competence in simulation and training. This is the task of the IberSim training and simulation consortium, which is responsible for developing collaboration between Iberian training and simulation players from industry, government and academia.

“We changed a lot this year,” said Gaël Ramaen, IberSim Event Organiser.

“We organised ourselves better in terms of promotion and information sharing.

The IberSim Training and Simulation Consortium ALA2 Ingenieros, Amper Programas, Antycip Simulation, CASSIDIAN, Chemring Defence, DiSTI, DI-Guy, Empordef TI, ETSA, European Virtual Engineering, Indra, Isdefe, ITEC, MASA, NATO MSG Group, Nextel Engineering, Previfor Simulation, projectiondesign, Thales Espana, Tecnatom, Telvent, VT MÄK, the Spanish MOD, the University of Valencia and the University Rey Juan Carlos.

We involved more experts in the different ministries - defence, development and ministry of interior, both Spanish and Portuguese.” According to Ramaen, the organisers also put a lot of effort into mobilising users from the three services (army, navy and air force) – resulting in 50 per cent more attendees than last year. What is more, the organisers managed to get on board the real decisionmakers who actually define the future needs for simulation. “Simulation in the Spanish armed forces is organised differently than in other nations,” Ramaen explained. “Two or three experts from the

air force, for example, define the national needs - and they are here at IberSim.” IberSim is organised in conjunction with national and international institutions specialising in training and simulation, as well as systems integrators, technology companies and educational bodies. Although the conference was free for attendees, and “unclassified” and open to NATO, Partners, Mediterranean Dialogue and Contact Nations, it was first and foremost a training and simulation networking event for the Iberian region.

Most of the conference attendees came from Spain and Portugal. The exhibitors and speakers, however, came from other European countries as well. About half of the talks were in Spanish; however, a good simultaneous interpreting service helped to overcome the language barrier.

The conference covered a wide range of topics, focussing on technologies for simulation and training, current solutions, current projects, trends and users requirements.

More specifically, the following topics were addressed: • Standards for modelling and simulation and VV&A; • Unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) simulation; • Terrain databases and re-usability of terrain databases; • Emergency response and emergency planning; • Technologies and trends for simulation and training; • Cyber warfare; • Simulating the future soldier; and • Virtual reality and tactile interfaces for simulation and training.

There were also presentations by systems integration companies specialising in training and simulation, technology companies and institutions such as EADS Defence & Security/CASSIDIAN, DCNS, Amper Programas, the Spanish Ministry of Defence, the Spanish Development Ministry, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, VT MÄK, Antycip Simulation and Selex Galileo. Some of the talks were educational in the best sense of the

AGI attended IberSim for the first time, and presented its products for modelling, engineering and operations in the areas of space, cyberspace, aircraft, missile defence, C4ISR and electronic systems.

Antycip Simulation demonstrated its latest software solutions for training, simulation and virtual reality. That included tactical training scenarios with MyBehaviour, modelling and simulation of cyber warfare with EXata/Cyber, as well as innovative visualisation techniques. The company also showcased its

The IberSim exhibition: small but excellent.

Image credit: Walter Ullrich.

projection and display capabilities with real-time demonstrations using the Mersive auto-calibration technologies.

Bull Solutions for 3D visualization is a leading company in high-performance computing (HPC) with over 500 specialists dedicated to this market.

With customers in government, oil and gas, manufacturing and finance, Bull has a very strong knowledge of HPC. Due to the amount of data these customers analyse, visualisation is of maximum importance. Nevertheless, visualisation has its issues due to the amount of data that has to be processed and visualised in real time. Many different strategies have been developed to solve one or two of these issues, but they do not offer a global solution to all of them. Bull has developed a hardware platform to solve these issues and offer customers a solution for today's visualisation. Bull was at IberSim for the first time.

Di-GUY showcased its ability to quickly generate human characters in simulation applications. It also showed their artificial intelligence capabilities with Di-Guy AI. Di-Guy was at IberSim for the second time in a row.

DiSTI is a global industry provider in empowering the human-machine interface. DiSTI was at IberSim again this year to present its award-winning software tools and to demonstrate how its proven services organisation can benefit users.

It presented the latest capabilities of the HMI software suite, including GL Studio.

DiSTI was also part of the innovation session in which it presented the GL Studio application running on i-devices, such as iPads and iPods.

Presagis demonstrated its suite

ISSUE 1.2011

Exhibiting at IberSim

Above

of integrated COTS software solutions for training and simulation application development. Products and demos were on display at the booth, including: Urban Warfare, UAS Ground Station, Vega Prime Marine Demonstrations, Virtual Construction Sites and Cockpit Displays.

Previfor Simulation in partnership with ENODO is the only company in Spain offering Cry Engine 2 developments. The viewer, developed by German company Crytek GMBH, is used in the Crysis and Crysis Warhead games. Latest developments are: professional training, driver education simulators, virtual worlds, custom projects and 3D rendering projects. projectiondesign returned to IberSim in 2010 with a host of innovative products.

On the projectiondesign stand, the latest innovation was the F35 wqxga projector, featuring the new Texas Instruments’ new WQXGA DLP® chip (2,560 x 1,600 pixels), which sets a new standard in performance. This resolution produces double the pixel count of any competing projector. It greatly reduces integration complexity, promising better performing systems at lower installation and operating cost.

VT MÄK was at IberSim 2010 to show its commitment to the Spanish and Portuguese modelling and simulation community. The demonstration areas presented applications running on VR-Forces (that are used by the Spanish Army for its live virtual constructive training applications). VT MÄK also presented the latest features of VR-Vantage (visualisation solution). The company also showcased its terrain server, VRTheWorld.

VSTEP is an international developer of simulators and virtual training software. VSTEP creates 3D virtual training applications and simulators that allow people to build their skills in a practical and cost-effective way. At IberSim 2010 VSTEP presented NAUTIS and Maritime Simulation Training, a new generation of affordable, advanced maritime training solutions for the military and civilian maritime industry, and RescueSim, an emergency response procedure training software that prepares public safety and security professionals for real-life incidents and allows them to experience and train incidents in a safe virtual 3D environment. ms&t

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word, as were the presentations on challenges and opportunities on the military training and simulation market, and on M&S Standards in NATO and Europe. In the latter talk, Jean-Louis Igarza, now at Antycip Simulation, a veritable institution in simulation, urged southern European countries, namely Spain and Portugal, to get more involved in this sector.

“Standardisation activity is key for future robust M&S activity,” he said. “Please join and support SISO, NATO and ETSA in this effort!”

The IberSim 2010 Exhibition demonstrations included urban simulation, cyber warfare, terrain visualisation, projection technologies, satellite simulation, high-power computing, models and doctrines, and crowd simulation.

IberSim Exhibitors were: AGI, Airline92. com, Antycip Simulation, Bull, Cassidian, Defensa.com, Di-Guy, DiSTI, ETSA, INDRA, Infodefensa, ITEC, MASA, MS&T, MT&SN, Presagis, Previfor Simulation, projectiondesign, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, VSTEP and VT MÄK. In sum, the exhibitors, visitors and officials were all satisfied with the event.

The visitors were almost entirely qualified experts. The audience was happy because it got the big picture. And the organisers were pleased because the event showed new ways in which IberSim might develop. “We are glad to see the huge increase in interest surrounding IberSim this year, especially from outside Spain and Portugal,” said Gaël Ramaen.

“We had some visitors from Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. Latin-American governments are interested in S&T products from the Iberian region, and Spanish and Portuguese companies are interested in selling to Latin America. Next year we will promote our event even more. But will we then have to call it 'LatinSim'?”

Image credit: Walter F. Ullrich.

Show Preview

ITEC 2011 ITEC is pulling out all the stops to ensure a successful show.

MS&T’s European Editor Walter F. Ullrich writes.

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TEC is set to return to Cologne, Germany four years after the record-breaking event of 2007.

From 10-12 May 2011, Europe’s leading conference and exhibition for simulation, training and education will take place in the city on the banks of the Rhine.

Cologne is a good choice, as many visitors confirmed when they first learned about the new old venue at I/ITSEC in Orlando.

Of course, the ITEC organisers and feeders face a much more difficult situation today than four years ago. Since then the world has been in the throes of the economic and the Euro crisis; and countries are suffering on account of budget cuts, which have hit the military community especially hard. ITEC 2011 is also not likely to emerge unscathed from the drastic cutbacks. Due to the need to set priorities, the German MoD decided not to assume patronage of ITEC 2011 – a missed opportunity to present national capabilities on an international platform.

But NATO has jumped to the rescue: the organisers succeeded in getting Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Force Training, NATO Allied Command Transformation as ITEC Keynote Speaker. ITEC staff also thought long and hard about how to attract as many visitors as possible to the event. “We are mindful of the financial constraints within which many militaries are now working and believe that the introduction of a hosting scheme, whereby delegate admission fees for qualifying personnel from the military procurement and operational communities will be waived, demonstrates our commitment to bringing military and industry together to share knowledge and ideas,” says Anna Campagnoli, ITEC Event Director. It is to be hoped that the generous, albeit not entirely altruistic offer of free conference attendance for serving military will be widely used by the military and civil service employees.

According to Mrs Campagnoli, ITEC is

providing an important and time-effective platform for procurement and operational specialists to keep abreast of the issues and developments that help them meet their current and future needs. "It is also a valuable opportunity for the military customer to brief industry on priority goals."

ETSA (European Training and Simulation Association) will once again be supporting the conference, with Anne O’Reilly (ETSA Director) chairing ITEC for the second year in succession.

The programme will include a new "Future" theme, which will be managed by David Rees from SAIC. "ITEC this year introduces a new, more strategic theme using a combination of high-level speakers, senior panels and workshops to take a considered look at the future of MS&T in the context of the developing strategic environment,” Rees announced. The discussions will include evolving training requirements, emerging technologies and the implications of budgetary austerity on the industry. Speakers in this track will typically be 1 star level or above, thus providing a unique insight into and access to the concerns and perspectives of the leadership of the MS&T community be they academic, industrial, military or government.

Clarion Events, the organisers of ITEC, back in December 2010 reported that a great deal of interest was being shown in ITEC 2011. Featuring a broad mix of companies from across the global training and simulation community, participants that have already signed up include: Boeing, CAE, Cubic Defense Applications, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin Simulation Training & Support, Raytheon Technical Services, Rheinmetall, Saab Training Systems, SAIC, Selex Systems Integration, Chemring Defence and Serco Defence Science and Nuclear.

New companies and those who will be returning after a few years' absence include VirTra, KMW, RUAG, Barco, Cassidian and Wittenstein.

It remains to be seen whether or not ITEC can capitalise on the success of 2007. What is really needed is greater participation on the part of the military community. Giving them free access to the conference sessions should be an offer that they can't refuse. ms&t

A compendium of current news from the military simulation and training industry, compiled and edited by the MS&T editorial team. For the latest breaking news and in-depth reports go to www.halldale.com.

surveillance and fire control radar applications. It is becoming part of Rockwell Collins’ simulation and training portfolio based in Sterling, Va. New Oshkosh California Training Facility – Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is expanding its training support services in California by opening a larger facility in Temecula, Calif., and moving out of its facility in Oceanside. The new California Regional Logistics Center, scheduled to open in February, is located adjacent to the Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton and will provide vehicle operator and maintenance training to Marines and Navy Seabees. The new training center has larger classrooms and dedicated training maintenance bays, where more Marines and Seabees can build on the knowledge they acquire during initial vehicle maintenance training.

Opinicus C-27J Sim Inaugurated

by Italian Air Force – The Italian Air Force has inaugurated its first C-27J full flight simulator in Pisa, Italy. The C-27J IAF FFS is a joint effort built by prime contractor Alenia Aeronautica and

Above Italian Air Force C-27J full flight simulator.

Image credit: Alenia Aeronautica.

Opinicus Corporation. Opinicus provided a fully integrated, Level D full flight deck assembly to Alenia, who made available a C-27J cockpit shell which was reworked

by Opinicus. The simulator includes the integrated simulator sub-systems for the cockpit, instructor station, aft cabin, motion platform, QXGA NVG LCoS-based 200º x 45º visual display system, REALCue™ electric motion system, REALFeel® electric control loading, and enhanced TCAS. The Level D compliant C27J FFDA was delivered to Alenia Aeronautica’s facilities in Turin, where Alenia integrated it with the C-27J full avionics suite and cockpit equipment, host computer architecture and input/output subsystem with complete cabling, and Alenia’s “Sapphire” image generator including the Italian entire territory geographical database.

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Kuwait & Malaysia Order Sims – Kuwait and Malaysia have ordered training simulators for their army, navy and air force under the US foreign military sales (FMS) program. Boeing, Computer Sciences Corp., Cubic Technical Services, Engineering Support Personnel, Fidelity Technologies, L-3 Link Simulation & Training and LB & B Associates, all US based companies will receive multiple contracts together worth $900 million.

Services to be provided include operations and maintenance support, instruction, training, training device modifications, training device relocations, training system management, in-service engineering office support, spares, product support, and other related trainer support services. Work performed under these contracts is expected to be completed in December 2015.

Saab to Acquire Assets of E-COM – Saab has signed an agreement to acquire the assets from Czech company E-COM, a developer and producer of virtual simulators. The acquisition strengthens Saab’s product portfolio within training and simulation with a number of new capabilities and services within the virtual domain.

E-COM has delivered simulators to the Czech Army and has an international presence with exports to the U.S., Germany, United Arab Emirates and Singapore. E-COM will continue to exist as a company following the acquisition and will pursue some of its current operation in close cooperation with Saab.

Rockwell Collins Acquires Blue Ridge Simulation – Rockwell Collins, Inc. has acquired Blue Ridge Simulation, Inc., a supplier of high-performance sensor simulation. Blue Ridge Simulation provides a broad portfolio of sensor simulation that span basic weather radar simulators to high-performance Digital Radar Landmass Simulators (DRLMS) for

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World News & Analysis

Seen&Heard

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SEA Common Simulation Framework for UK MoD – Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA) has achieved Full Operating Capability (FOC) for its Common Simulation Framework (CSF), a system which will do much to enhance simulated training in the land environment for the Ministry of Defence (MoD).The main deliverable under the CSF contract has been the Single Common Interface (SCI). The SCI dynamically manages, and is capable of combining and augmenting, data from legacy simulation facilities such as the combined arms tactical trainer (CATT) and command and staff trainer (CAST) sites in the UK and Germany, as well as live training on Salisbury Plain and in Canada.

Indra Simulators to Spanish Army – Indra is to deliver seven new VICTRIX simulators to the Spanish Army. The simulators have been specially designed to train the security forces and corps destined to UNO (United Nations Organization) international peacekeeping missions. They were designed and developed at Indra's Centre of Excellence of Security Systems in Leon. The project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Regional Government of Castile and Leon.

Cubic US Navy FTSS Contract – Cubic Worldwide Technical Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Cubic Corporation, was awarded one of eight indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) multiple award contracts for Fielded Training Systems Support Services (FTSS). The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, Florida, awarded the contracts to support over 900 training simulators for the US Navy and Marine Corps, and for other governments under potential Foreign Military Sales.

As part of the FTSS III award, CWTS also received the initial FTSS III Task Order for operations, maintenance and instructional support for the E-2C training devices at Navy facilities located in Norfolk, Virginia, and Point Mugu, California.

The task order began in January with a two-month mobilization/phase-in, and will be followed with a 55-month period of performance.

Renaissance US Navy Simulator Contract – Renaissance Sciences Corp. has received a $9.75 million contract to help supply simulator technology to the US Navy. The Chandler-based company

received the contract from the Navy's Air Warfare Center in Orlando at the end of December. The company will work on research and development on a number of simulation projects. As a result of the contract, RSC plans to hire 10 to 20 people beginning next fall.

Cubic Javelin Field Tactical Trainer Award – Cubic Corporation’s defense systems business was awarded a $26 million contract for basic skills trainers and student stations for the Javelin Field Tactical Trainer. Cubic will begin delivering the systems in January 2012 under a follow-on contract with the RaytheonLockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture.

Cubic's Basic Skills Trainer uses realistic scenarios to train troops in field surveillance, target recognition and acquisition, and fire mission control on Javelin, a man-portable surveillance and anti-armor missile system. Basic Skills Trainer components include a classroom trainer and student and instructor stations.

Aircrew Training C17 ITC – In December, the Boeing Company announced it received a contract from the US Air Force to deliver C-17 training devices to three sites. The contract value is $44 million initially and up to $72 million if options are exercised.

The first set of devices is an Integrated Training Center (ITC) to be delivered to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in the first quarter of 2012. The ITC will consist of a weapon systems trainer

Above Boeing will deliver C-17 training devices to three US Air Force sites.

Image credit: The Boeing Company.

(WST), pilot and co-pilot station, loadmaster station and related courseware and support equipment.

Tracy Mead, Program Manager of Boeing’s C-17 Aircrew Training System, pointed out that the ITCs are a way to provide the full spectrum of aircrew training at the locations where there are C-17s based. “At Wright Patterson, for example, there are not yet any C-17 aircraft there.

However, they are going to be delivered there in the spring time-frame [2011]. To co-locate the training to keep the aircrew members fully proficient in emergency procedures and normal procedures, we co-locate the training with the basing of the aircraft.”

A second WST will be installed at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., in the third quarter of 2012 and a third ITC will go to a new C-17 training site in early 2013. The ITCs support pilot and co-pilot instruction in flight operations, mission planning and emergency procedures through computer-based training, scenarios in the WST and training on other desktop training devices. C-17 loadmasters also receive computer-based and aircraft training in addition to training on the loadmaster station, cargo loading models and cargo compartment trainer.

The goal of the Serious Games Showcase & Challenge is to identify innovative game-based technologies and solutions that improve training across all segments for individuals, groups and systems. Voting for the People’s Choice Award began on Monday, the first day of I/ITSEC 2010 and closed on Wednesday. The result of the three days of voting to select the people’s choice from the 12 finalists was revealed Thursday morning, on the final day of the show.

MS&T publisher Andy Smith presented the People’s Choice award to “Boarders Ahoy!”, a serious game developed by ECS Engineering & Computer Simulations of Orlando for their client Allied Command Transformation (ACT).

When presenting the award, Mr. Smith noted that Halldale Media Group is proud of the role MS&T magazine is playing in the advocacy of S&T. He went on to note that MS&T was privileged to sponsor this fifth People’s Choice Award.

Boarders Ahoy! has its genesis in ACT’s initiatives to improve current and future training through technology.

In support of both Operation Active Endeavour and NATO’s anti-piracy mission around the Horn of Africa, Boarders Ahoy! is focused on Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO). Wayne Buck, ACT project manager for Boarders Ahoy!, explained that over the past 10 years NATO forces have hailed over 100,000 vessels and in the last few years boarded 260. He explained there

was a clear demand for a method to bridge the gap between classroom training and live training at the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center (NMIOTC) in Greece and to establish a knowledge baseline for that training.

Boarders Ahoy! provides a virtual world in which students participate in an immersive team-based mission to board and search a suspect merchant shipping vessel, applying the standards of ATP-71. Students are tasked with crew control and identification, to searching the vessel for up to 250 searchable objects: weapons, IED components, contraband or even suspicious cargo, and, of course, to taking the correct action. Students are scored.

ACT is planning a roll out of the game in June of this year. The game will be distributed via internet for multiplayer scenarios, and by CD for individual applications. Classified versions may be played on local LANs. Shane Taber, ECS Art Director and Boarders Ahoy! project lead, when asked what he thought influenced people in their choice, said “people liked the graphics, the look and feel”.

ECS is a software development and solutions company with a focus on advanced learning technology solutions. ECS has completed two previous virtual world projects for ACT in the last three years: a simulation of ISAF Headquarters, used to enhance augmentee training; and a virtual ACT headquarters. – Jeff Loube

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MS&T and The People’s Choice

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Mead noted the computer-based training covers C-17 general knowledge areas – how does the hydraulics system work, procedures to manage the fuel and hydraulic systems, and the like.

Also in December, Boeing delivered a C-17 WST to Charleston AFB. The device has a new visual system, simulated avionics and other enhancements, which are expected to be replicated in the systems to be delivered in this latest contract award.

Boeing’s major industry partners for the newly awarded C-17 systems will include FlightSafety International’s Simulator Systems Division and Visual Simulation Systems entity.

BAE Bids – BAE Systems has submitted its proposal to support a flying training service to the UK's armed forces.. The team comprises of Gama Group Limited, Babcock Aerospace Limited and Pilatus Aircraft Limited.

The aircraft offered is an upgraded Grob 115 with a digital cockpit, and the Pilatus PC21 with a Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer optimised cockpit to ease the transition of pilots onto the Hawk AJT. For multi engine training, the Cessna Citation Mustang has been proposed.

KC-135 Aircrew Training System – CAE USA has won a $20 million USAF contract to provide comprehensive KC-135 aircrew training services. CAE USA will provide aircrew training services at 13 USAF bases in the United States and internationally where more than 3,500 KC-135 pilots, co-pilots, and boom operators train annually. The contract was awarded as a nine-month base contract with nine one-year options and is expected to produce more than $250 million in revenues over ten years.

Hellenic Air Force – L-3 Link delivered a second F-16C Block 52+ Aircrew Training Device (ATD) to the Hellenic Air Force. The simulator, operated from the HAF’s Araxos Air Base, is networkcapable with the first F-16C Block 52+ ATD that L-3 Link delivered to the HAF’s Souda Bay military installation in 2005.

The F-16C Block 52+ ATD will allow HAF pilots to conduct simulated air-to-air and air-to-ground combat exercises.

Fighter Pilot Brains – New research suggests that the brains of professional fighter pilots are wired differently to the average human, potentially paving the way to reducing costs for pilot training and recruitment. Results from the study,

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Dealing with Complexity MGen Tom Lawson, Canada’s Assistant Chief of the Air Staff opened the Human Factors and Complex Systems Conference, held in Ottawa 23 - 24 November. About 90 registrants, representing the core of the defence human factors community in Canada, gathered for this first ever event. Presented by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) in collaboration with Gladstone Aerospace Corporation (GAC), and sponsors Esterline/ CMC, Convergent Performance and CAE, the conference focussed on the challenges of and solutions for dealing with human factors issues associated with the development and operational employment of complex systems.

In his keynote, MGen Lawson provided the foundation and context for the remaining presentations. He linked the human to the system by noting that humans remain generally the same in complicated environments; therefore, the requirement is to adapt the system to fit the human, not train the human to fit the system. Systems analysis should start with the human, and wrap the systems around them.

Presentations ranged from enterprise level interventions to specific platform level activities. For example, Chris Lutat, Convergent Performance LLC, described the Canadian AF ASTRA program, an enterprise wide programme to provide a framework to close the performance gaps encountered in the transition to modern fleets of weapons and transport systems.

On the other hand, Tab Lamoureux, CAE PS spoke of the HF Engineering lessons learned in the development of a new naval command and control system.

Overall, the presentations all pointed to the fact that HF for complex systems is complex and it is moving into areas where team performance is critical.

According to Ian McIntyre, COO, Gladstone Aerospace, the conference was a success. We should expect to see another HF conference in 2012. – Jeff Loube

led by Dr. Masud Husain at University College London (UCL), were published in the December issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Comparative experiments were conducted between a group of 11 seasoned RAF Tornado pilots and another of volunteers with no flight experience.

MRI scans and a series of cognitive tests demonstrated that the right-hemisphere white matter of the pilots' brains exhibit an unconventional structure.

Dr. Husain explained that fighter pilots are an "expert group making precision choices at high speed" and perform at the limits of cognitive ability. The findings present an avenue for further analysis to attempt to discover whether successful pilots are born with this cognitive ability, or whether their brains undergo a physical change during the learning process. Understanding this could have a huge impact on both recruitment and training P-3C TORTS – The US Navy accepted five P-3C Orion Tactical Operational Readiness Trainers (TORTs) from L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link).

The P-3C TORT is designed to match the aircraft’s physical arrangement, which includes tactical coordinator, navigation/ communications, non-acoustic sensor and acoustic sensor crew stations. Pilot and co-pilot flight stations are also integrated as part of the trainer’s design.

Canadian Air Force Adopts FlightPro – Nova Scotia-based Atlantis Systems Eduplus (ASE), was selected to support the implementation of the FlightPro Management System to Air Force units in Canada in partnership with lead contractor Ocean Software Pty Ltd. and integrator Accenture.

FlightPro is an Australian operations and training management system developed by Ocean Software the Canadian Air Force has been using at NATO Flight Training in Canada (NFTC) since 2003.

The implementation of FlightPro across the Air Force will leverage the ability to track individual aircrew training, proficiency and operational readiness from recruitment to retirement.

Australian Pilot Training System – Raytheon Australia has teamed with BAE Systems to bid for the Air 5428 Pilot Training System Program. Air 5428 Phase 1 aims to utilise advanced training systems to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Australian Defence Force's (ADF's) fixed wing pilot training. The

solution centres on the Hawker Beechcraft T-6C military trainer supported by advanced simulation and a comprehensive training system architecture.

ATC Training UFA Tower Simulator – UFA, Inc. has completed installation and user training for UFA’s ATTower Tower simulator for the first Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) at Fort Riley's Marshall Army Airfield (AAF). This is the seventeenth ATTower Tower Simulation System employed in support of the U.S. Army and Army National Guard (ARNG) with full ATVoice® Voice Recognition and Response capability.

The system integrates state of the art ATView® 3D Graphics with simulated weather information, integrated radar displays, ATRadio® ETVS simulated VCS and other simulated tower systems to provide high fidelity training capability. UFA’s ATVoice Voice Recognition and Pilot Response system is used to automate the execution of Controller clearances and generate the appropriate pilot responses.

Helicopter Training Navy MH-60R TOFTs – CAE USA has been awarded a US$44 million contract to design and manufacture two additional MH-60R tactical operational flight trainers (TOFTs) for the United States Navy.

The first simulator will be a fixed-based MH-60R TOFT delivered to Naval Station (NS) Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida in mid-2013. The other MH-60R TOFT, which will also be reconfigurable to the MH-60S helicopter variant, will be a fullmotion simulator delivered to the Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi, Japan in the summer of 2014.

An MH-60R TOFT includes both an MH-60R operational flight trainer for training pilots and an MH-60R weapons tactics trainer for training sensor operators and airborne tactics officers. The two training devices can operate independently or networked to provide a total aircrew mission training system.

Under a contract originally signed in 2006, CAE has already delivered two fixed-based MH-60R TOFTs to the Navy that are currently in-service at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island and NAS Jacksonville, as well as a full-motion MH-

New Army Live Training Web Portal – The US Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), in collaboration with the Training and Doctrine Command Capability Manager for the Live training environment (TCM-Live), have unveiled an enhanced web portal (www.lt2portal. org) for the live training community. The updated web site design aims to expand communication among the Army (specifically PEO STRI's Project Manager for Training Devices (PM TRADE) and TCMLive), the live-training business development community, and the public.

While the information on the Live Training Community portal is largely the same, the new layout expands the way PM TRADE and TCM-Live communicate with industry partners, said Tom Coffman, assistant project manager for training devices. While the previous site was mainly used for technological purposes, the revamped site is geared more toward industry, he said.

Skills-based Training SKATE – A team comprised of Rockwell Collins, Advanced Infoneering, Inc. and The University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL) has been awarded a Phase 2 contract by the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division in Orlando, Florida. The contract will allow

Training Aircraft Swiss Air Force – The Swiss Air Force is to expand its successful PC-21 Jet Pilot Training System (JEPAS) with a followup order for Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. for two further PC-21 turboprop training aircraft with logistics and engineering services, plus another debriefing system. The contract with armasuisse, the Procurement and Technology Unit of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), is worth some 30 million Swiss francs. Delivery is scheduled for the first half of 2012.

Urban Operations Training UOTS – The US Army’s Program Executive Office of Simulation, Training and Instrumentation awarded Lockheed Mar-

Above The Swiss Air Force has ordered two further PC-21 aircraft.

Image credit: Swiss Air Force.

tin an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide Urban Operations Training Systems (UOTS) for the US Army, Army Reserve and National Guard. The award includes an initial $22,000 delivery order with a potential value of $287 million over five years.

The UOTS program will support the full spectrum of operations – from traditional war fighting tactics, to nation-building, to overseas contingency operations. The contract includes the Integrated Military Operations and Urban Terrain (MOUT) Training Systems, Mobile MOUTs and the Combat Training Center MOUT Instrumentation System.

Driver Training USMC Driving Simulators – Wegmann USA, Inc. Training & Simulation Division won a contract from USMC PMTRASYS to develop, fabricate, produce and install four high fidelity full motion Light Armored Vehicle (LAV-25) driver simulators, sixteen high fidelity Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) driver simulators and weapons stations upgrades.

This program leverages proven systems designs and components while incorporating key new features such as dynamic terrain and physics based water simulation for training in swimming and shallow water training exercises; deliver-

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Online Training

further development in a new concept for mass military training called Skill Appropriate Training Environment (SKATE).

SKATE is aimed at ensuring that mass military training exercises are tailored to individual skill sets versus a 'one fits all' approach.

In Phase 2, the team will conduct human factors studies using simulators and flight test assets at OPL in order to validate the SKATE concept by developing an initial prototype for a softwarebased assessment tool. This prototype will utilize the Rockwell Collins Instructor Operator Station currently used in simulation and training programs for the military. The work will take place over the course of 2011.

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60R TOFT that recently entered service at NS Mayport. With this new contract, CAE has delivered or is under contract to deliver a total of seven MH-60R TOFTs to the Navy US Navy MH-60 STE – Northrop Grumman Corporation will provide specialized test equipment (STE) and related training support for the MH-60 Seahawk helicopter program at the US Navy's Fleet Readiness Center Southwest. Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division will provide the STE and training for US Government technicians, subcontracting to Lockheed Martin Corporation, prime contractor for the US Navy's MH-60 Common Avionics Suite. Once trained, the technicians will be able to utilize the STE to perform depot-level repairs to Northrop Grumman-developed MH-60 cockpit avionics equipment at the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest.

World News & Analysis ISSUE 1.2011

ing significant immersion and training capabilities, said Don Kemper, Wegmann USA Director of Training & Simulation.

Maintenance Training Navy Vehicle Maintenance Trainers – NGRAIN has announced that SAIC will deliver two NGRAIN® Virtual Task Refresher™ (VTR™) solutions to the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Crane, IN. The VTR solutions will provide the Joint Forces Training and Support Branch with highly detailed vehicle parts and procedure familiarization and be designed by NGRAIN to provide vehicle operators with the information they need to perform repairs during field operations.

In the schoolhouse, instructors will use the VTR solutions to teach critical field expedient repairs such as securing a broken drive shaft while maintaining operational mobility or repairing brake lines.

Troops will have access to the NGRAIN solutions through the NSWC Learning Management System upon completion of the course. In addition, the NGRAIN training solutions will be provided on a laptop to support the Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS) methodology which requires maintenance tasks to be performed on equipment prior to, during, and after a mission.

L-3 US Air Force Aircraft Maintenance Contract – L-3 Communications’ Systems Field Support (SFS) division has won an initial $8.6 million contract from the US Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC) to provide trainer maintenance and precision measurement and equipment laboratory (PMEL) support. The total value of the contract with options is approximately $53 million over five years.

L-3 will support AETC's 82nd Training Wing at Sheppard AFB, Texas with maintenance and operations support of aircraft trainers, ground instructional training aircraft, civil engineering trainers, PMEL, munitions storage areas, aerospace ground equipment (AGE) and associated support equipment.

Small Arms Training

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Range Targetry System for MoD – Lockheed Martin UK has been awarded a £37 million ($58 million) contract to deliver the Small Arms Range Targetry System (SARTS) to the Ministry of

Defence (MoD). SARTS is a live fire range training capability that features modular equipment scalable to different environments. The system will provide the UK armed forces with the ability to conduct small arms live fire tactical training on ranges and field firing areas to satisfy their Operational Marksmanship Standards, from basic all-arms weapons test to advanced field firing exercises.

Firearms Trainer for Kosovo – VirTra Systems has announced a multi-screen simulator sale to the Republic of Kosovo.

Kosovo's new firearms simulator was delivered and installed with real world, multiple-branching high-resolution video scenarios, as well as the ability to train against multiple threats on multiple screens by utilizing situational awareness and customizable marksmanship programs. Their system is equipped with the patent pending Threat-Fire™ shoot back system, which simulates return fire via electric pulse.

VirTra Systems also announced the sale of eleven advanced firearm training systems to various locations throughout South American and Mexico. All eleven judgmental-use-of-force-simulators include real-world, multiple-branching video scenarios, as well as the ability to train against multiple threats on multiple screens, thereby training situational awareness and marksmanship under duress. All systems were delivered with the patent pending Threat-Fire™ return fire simulator.

UAS Training SDS UAS Trainer for AFRL – SDS International (SDS) has delivered a second ROVATTS-based mission training device (MTD) to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). SDS' Advanced Technologies Division in Orlando, Florida which originally developed the ROVATTSbased MQ-9 Reaper MTDs to support Air National Guard (ANG) Reaper crew training, delivered this specialized version of the ROVATTS-based MTD to support distributed mission operations (DMO) research and training.

The new system provides realistic MQ-1 and MQ-9 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) capabilities for use in AFRL DMO and Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) operations and training research activities. It consists of two tabletop simulator stations that preserve the cor-

rect physical layout of the MQ-1/9 pilot and sensor operator components of the actual ground control station.

Simlat Opens US Office – Simlat has opened a new North American office in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Simlat Ltd., an Israeli-based company, is a leading provider of next generation missiontraining solutions for unmanned vehicles systems (UAS) and for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). The company expects to begin operations in Grand Forks in December 2010 with plans to continue growth and expansion of its turnkey UAS training solutions there.

Cyber Warfare Training A Serious Game – Aptima is addressing the problem of insider cyber espionage with the development of "Resisting Espionage and Sabotage with an Intelligent System for Training Expert Managers (RESIST-EM). RESIST-EM is a "serious game" for training front-line Department of Defense managers to identify and manage the insider threat. Aptima is teaming with Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Altadyn Corp., and Florida State University on the project that is sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Mesa, Arizona.

RESIST-EM will perform much like an intelligent tutor, featuring an "Accelerated Learning Architecture" that speeds the training of novices to master practitioners in the complex, hard-to-define missions encountered by today's modern military. This system of learning tools will be combined with applied research in psychosocial factors, organizational policy, and managerial tactics to provide the technical and managerial skills to detect and manage insider threat.

Training Systems Iraqi Naval Training – VSD LLC (VSD) won a contract from Naval Air Warfare Center, Training Systems Division in Orlando, Florida to provide the design, fabrication, installation, and testing of Iraqi navy training systems and training development and delivery to support the 60-meter Offshore Support Vessel (OSV). Work on the $15,050,000 contract is expected to be complete in November of 2011.

VSD will deliver four simulators to include the Full Mission Bridge Trainer,

30mm Fire Control Trainer, Engine Control Room Trainer, and Small Arms Trainer. The training effort will involve OSV operation and maintenance to Iraqi naval personnel in one training session in Morgan City, La. It will also include support for Iraqi engineers who will monitor the ship’s construction. The training will ensure the Iraqi sailors have a working knowledge of OSV operation and maintenance to sustain operational requirements and systems availability throughout the OSV service life.

range communications and after-action review upgrades and enhancements. The new equipment enhances Mission Specific Training (MST) for British troops.

US Navy Underwater Training Range Complete – The US Navy has completed the Barking Sands Underwater Range Expansion (BSURE) refurbishment, located off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. The Naval Aviation Training Systems Program Office (PMA-205), along with Naval Underwater Warfare Center Newport, R.I., Lockheed Martin and L3 Maripro, completed the project.

Training Ranges Visuals Upgrades to UK Army Range – Cubic Defense Applications (CDA), the defense systems segment of Cubic Corporation received a $40 million contract for the expansion and modernization of the instrumentation for the British Army's Salisbury Plain ground combat training range. The contract was awarded to Cubic as part of an urgent operational requirement to enhance troop readiness and predeployment training to support ongoing operations in Afghanistan. The award includes Cubic's latest MILES Individual Weapon System (IWS) gear, as well as

Distributor Agreement – Video Display Corporation (VDC) and eyevis GmbH have signed an agreement that appoints VDC as a North American distributor of eyevis products. The agreement enables VDC to market, sell, install, support and maintain eyevis products throughout North America. It provides the vehicle for VDC to introduce the eyevis products into both the existing VDC markets and also new expanded markets.

Dutch ADOS – VT MÄK (MÄK), a company of VT Systems, Inc., announced

that Rheinmetall Canada selected VRForces, MÄK's simulation solution, and VR-Vantage Stealth and Toolkit, MÄK's visualization solution components, as part of its Air Defense Operations Simulation (ADOS) for the Dutch Army.

The Air Defense Operations Simulator will be used for decision-making training of air defense unit’s staff responsible for Command and Control (C2). The Dutch Army is fielding new Ground Based Air Defense Systems (GBADS) from Rheinmetall and integrating these with Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) systems, requiring new training systems for tactical decision-making as opposed to purely operation training. The ADOS system will also be used as an aid in the development of air defense Doctrine, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (DTTP).

Acquisition – Kopin Corporation has acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Scotland-based Forth Dimension Displays Ltd. (FDD). The purchase price was approximately $11 million in cash plus an earnout provision if certain revenue milestones are reached within one year of the purchase date.

Helicopter Sim Upgrades – CAE selected Barco to supply projection

nomadic encampments, a mountain village and a tiered village on a mountainside.

“The focus now is Afghanistan. Those venues have expanded our training offerings off of the main, urban town site out into the 400,000 acre ‘playbox’ that we have in that area,” Kim Kvamme, PTRC Director, explained.

Cara Rooney, Manager of Government Services at Arlington, Va.-based IDS Interactive, told MS&T that her company continues to refine its Afghanistan Online serious game. The virtual trainer is being developed to help service men and women bolster their cultural awareness of the Afghanistan theater of operations. Afghanistan Online is expected to be released this April Marathon Targets is building upon its early successes with two-wheeled, intelligent, human-like robots to support marksmanship training with a four-wheel model that has been field tested on Australian Department of Defense ranges in Western Australia.

Blackheart International (BHI), as a result of its recent takeover of Mid-Atlantic Training Resources, is offering an expanded live foreign weapons training program. Travis Ernst, Chief Operating Officer at BHI, noted the weapons used in his company’s live training events include the AK-47 and an increasing array of other models. BHI’s live fire training ranges and facilities are in Philippi, West Virginia, about four hours west of Washington, D.C. As MS&T spoke with Ernst, Marine Corps units were training at the company’s training facilities. – Marty Kauchak

41 MS&T MAGAZINE

The NDIA SO/LIC Symposium and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. highlighted efforts to strengthen the 3 Ds – defense, diplomacy and development – in supported missions. No longer is the SOF member viewed only as a “shooter”, trained and educated to go into harm’s way. When necessary, contemporary SOF personnel are also expected to be soldier diplomats and support non-kinetic missions.

Captain Bill Wilson, Commander of the Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWC), provided the conference attendees with his service’s insight on current and future SOF learning. Most significantly, the center has expanded its accession training programs during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to replace SEALs who were lost to retirement, battlefield injuries and other reasons.

The service will designate 350 personnel as SEALs this year. In addition to the one-year it takes to earn the SEAL warfare device, “we then tack on three months of language and culture training – very initial acquisition training at the end. Every single SEAL NSWC graduate is attending an in-house language training program,” Wilson said. At the front end, SEALs are refining the selection process, increasing the training success rate.

Industry attendees at the SO/LIC conference provided highlights of their S&T programs and products during MS&T’s walkabout of the conference floor.

The New Mexico Tech/Playas Training and Research Center (PTRC) is developing new facilities to be built around an existing core regional population center used for training, that will include

ISSUE 1.2011

Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict

World News & Analysis

technology for the helicopter simulators at the Army Aviation School based in Bückeburg Germany. Under the terms of the contract, Barco will upgrade eleven helicopter simulators with 88 Barco SIM 7 high-resolution simulation projectors.

The German Army Aviation School (Heeresfliegerwaffenschule) in Bückeburg is responsible for the basic and advanced training of helicopter pilots for the German Armed Forces. Germany's Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement awarded CAE Germany a contract to upgrade the visual display systems in the CAE-built helicopter simulators located at the School's Hans E. Drebing simulator center. The training facility includes two UH-1D, two CH-53, and eight EC135 helicopter simulators. As part of the upgrade, eleven of the simulators will be equipped with eight Barco SIM 7 projectors each.

Ordnance Training Virtual Reality Training System – szenaris GmbH has delivered a new virtual reality training system to the German Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal centre that will make training more efficient in the detection and disposal of explosive ordnance.

The detection and disposal of explosive ordnance such as mines and bombs is a dangerous task, often carried out by remote-controlled robots. The operation of these systems requires skills and a comprehensive training – which the German Army will now carry out with the new training system.

ISSUE 1.2011

Terrain Simulation

MS&T MAGAZINE

42

TerraSim Terrain Auto-generation – TerraSim, Inc. introduced a new TerraTools process for the automated generation of large area terrain databases that cover hundreds of one-degree cells.

Using TerraTools Batch Mode, users can now generate simulation databases that cover very large areas using only a single TerraTools license and workstation.

Batch Mode processes run without a user interface and generate detailed timing and process log files to support automated verification and validation for fully unattended large-scale geospatial data processing. It also supports the assembly of large area geospecific phototextures for advanced visual simulation.

Quantum3D GeoScapeSE Database to Lockheed – Quantum3D, Inc. has delivered its GeoScapeSE® Worldwide Database (WWDB) to Lockheed Martin for use with its suite of Independence IDX image generators for high-speed jet flight simulation. GeoScapeSE WWDB delivers a realistic, geo-specific representation of the entire earth, and is the industry’s first commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) database built from the highest resolution world coverage available today.

Arrivals and Departures New projectiondesign VP – Åsmund O. Fodstad has been appointed to the position of Executive Vice President.

Fodstad has over 15 years of solid sales, marketing, management and operations experience in the energy, software and telecom industries across four continents.

Fodstad is charged with expanding projectiondesign's business into new markets and will focus on increasing market share and presence in both corporate AV as well as key vertical markets instrumental to projectiondesign's success. ms&t

Index of Ads CAE www.cae.com Christie Digital www.christiedigital.com/MST Cubic Defense www.cubic.com Global Space & Satellite Forum www.gssforum.com HTP Ostravia Cz a.s. www.htpostrava.cz Defence IQ (a division of IQPC) www.uastrainingconference.com I/ITSEC 2011 www.iitsec.org ITEC 2011 www.itec.co.uk L-3 Link Simulation & Training www.L-3com.com Low-Cost Training Conference www.andrich.com MT3 Conference www.mt3.bz RGB Spectrum www.rgb.com SAIC www.saic.com Team Orlando GameTech 2011 www.teamorlando.org/gametech WATS 2011 Conference www.halldale.com/wats

OBC 13

Calendar 19-21 April 2011 WATS 2011 – World Aviation Training Conference & Tradeshow Rosen Shingle Creek Resort Orlando, Florida, USA www.halldale.com/wats 20-21 September 2011 APATS 2011 – Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok, Thailand www.halldale.com/apats 8-9 November 2011 EATS 2011 – European Airline Training Symposium Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Czech Republic www.halldale.com/eats

12-15 April 2011 LAAD (Latin America Aero & Defence) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil www.laadexpo.com 17-20 April 2011 2011 AAAA Annual Professional Forum & Exposition Nashville, Tennessee, USA www.quad-a.org

9 25 17 21 10 4

9-11 May 2011 Global Space and Satellite Forum Abu Dhabi, UAE www.gssforum.com 10-12 May 2011 ITEC 2011 Cologne, Germany www.itec.co.uk

IFC 29 15 11 IBC 22 27

Advertising contacts Business Manager: Jeremy Humphreys [t] +44 (0)1252 532009 [e] jeremy@halldale.com Business Manager, North America: Mary Bellini Brown [t] +1 703 421 3709 [e] mary@halldale.com

He helps to keep soldiers safe around the world.

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

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