Simulation Systems Put Trainer in Every Cockpit

By EDWIN R. EPSTEIN

When Navy or Marine Corps tactical air squadrons want to get realistic about high-quality air combat training, they usually have to fly to one of the relatively few instrumented fixed ranges, like the one at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev.

If they just want to work on their ground-attack skills, they have to try to book time on one of the increasingly limited live-drop ranges, which often are a long way from home base. And when the squadrons deploy aboard the carrier, the opportunity for meaningful instrumented tactical training is limited.

But those limitations to obtaining and maintaining required air combat skills are vanishing.

Portable, inexpensive high-technology simulation systems are becoming available that enable tactical air units to conduct a variety of air combat training close to home, while deployed in austere conditions or aboard the carrier. Aircraft-mounted equipment and laptop- or PC-powered ground monitoring and debriefing systems will allow Navy and Marine tactical air units to literally take training ranges with them.

The ultimate in this “rangeless” air combat training is achieved through the use of an externally mounted pod, which fits like a missile on the standard weapons station of most combat fighters, attack aircraft and the EA-6B electronic warfare jets.

This slim pod, with enhanced Global Positioning System capability, can record aircraft maneuvers and sensor data on a flash card-type memory system during a training flight. In an air-to-air exercise, the pods can simulate missile firings and provide real-time cues to the opposing pilots, including “kill” notification for the loser in a dogfight.

Newer versions of the pods will permit “no-drop” air-to-ground training anywhere, without the need for ground control or special ground safety considerations. The pods can record the simulated weapons drop and score it against the intended target, both in terms of miss distance and target lethality.

Working in tandem with existing ground-based threat simulators, the pods can inject computer-generated threat symbology into the cockpit for a wide range of threat radars, including surface-to-air missiles, to enhance the reality of electronic warfare training.

On landing, the memory card from one or multiple aircraft can be removed from the pod for instant replay and debriefing on portable ground units that can recreate the exercise on high-resolution, 3-D displays. The ground units also can be data-linked to the aircraft in flight for real-time monitoring of the exercise.

DRS, teamed with Cubic Defense Applications, recently captured a $525 million, 10-year contract from the U.S. Air Force for “rangeless” training systems. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract is for the Air Force P5 Combat Training System/Tactical Combat Training System that will replace the existing training systems on Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Air National Guard fighter aircraft at more than 25 sites, including deployed aircraft carriers.

The instrumentation provided under the contract will support a variety of fighter aircraft, including the F/A-18 Hornet and AV-8B Harrier II.

Edwin R. Epstein is president, DRS Training & Control Systems, DRS Technologies Inc.