Boeing and Cubic have formed an alliance to link air and ground forces, simulators and computer-generated forces to improve training. The two companies plan a demonstration in Alaska early next year networking a Boeing-operated F-15 flight simulator into live exercises on Cubic-supplied air and ground combat training ranges.
Boeing Training Systems & Services and Cubic Defense Applications have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop technology for integrated live, virtual and constructive training. Key to the venture is use of the test and training enabling architecture (TENA) communications standard to network live forces and virtual simulators.
For the Alaska demonstration, an F-15 distributed mission training simulator at Elmendorf AFB will be linked to the Yukon instrumented air and ground combat training range. The virtual F-15 will “fly” over the range and knock out unmanned threat emitters simulating enemy air-defence radars, clearing the path for real aircraft. “The simulator will see and engage the same threats as the live aircraft,” says Sam Long, Cubic’s director, homestation training systems.
For the company-funded demonstration, Boeing and Cubic will develop a TENA gateway enabling the F-15 device, which is networked using the DIS distributed simulation protocol, to be linked to the live range. The equipment will be left in place for subsequent training use, and similar upgrades offered for other instrumented ranges worldwide, says Long.
The integration of live and virtual assets is being pursued to avoid the expense of large-scale training exercises. Israel’s Elbit Systems is developing the ability to network simulators and aircraft using operational communication links, with a demonstration planned early next year involving an Israeli defence force Boeing AH-64 Apache. “We will insert virtual blues and reds into the aircraft’s mission computer,” says Jacob Rimon, vice-president, training and simulation.
Linking live aircraft with virtual and constructive simulations is expected to make training flights more productive. “Now, they are flying around watching TV, but there is nothing on,” as the complex threat environments simulated on the ground cannot be reproduced in the air, says Stefan Sandberg, Saab’s manager, training systems.
GRAHAM WARWICK/ITSEC ORLANDO
Source: Flight International
