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03 Dec 20. Italian Air Force to double pilot training intake with move to Mediterranean island. Italy is close to opening a new pilot finishing school on a Mediterranean island where expanded air space will allow it to double its current intake, with a majority of students coming from overseas militaries.
Now based at Galatina air base in the southern heel of Italy, students in the final, Phase 4 stage of flight training will move to Decimomannu air base on the Italian island of Sardinia by 2022 when a new campus is completed.
“We currently have the capacity to graduate 40 students a year from Phase 4 training and we aim to double that to 80 in Sardinia, two thirds of whom will be from other air forces,” said Gen. Luigi Casali, who runs the training operation.
Less than half the students now hail from foreign air forces.
Italy currently gathers its Phase 2, 3 and 4 pilots at Galatina where pilots in Phase 2 and 3 fly the Italian MB339 and Phase 4 students fly 18 T346A air force jet trainers, built by Italy’s Leonardo, as well as another four of the type owned by the firm.
As the Phase 4 pilots move to Sardinia, the earlier stage students will stay on at Galatina to take advantage of the freed up space and start to switch over to new, M345 aircraft, also built by Leonardo, which is partnering the air force in the running of the flight school.
With 18 M345s ordered, the first two are due to arrive this year.
The changes reflect the growth of Italy’s pilot training program as more air forces show up to try out the mix of simulators and new aircraft in use.
Among the current students at Galatina are pilots from Kuwait, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Greece and Singapore. Soon to arrive are students from Qatar following a bilateral deal struck between Italy and the Gulf state in November.
Since the school received the T346A in 2014, 76 students have trained on the aircraft, of which 27 were from other air forces.
As well as student pilots, foreign air force personnel have also trained to be instructors at the base, with newly qualified instructors from Austria, Greece, Argentina and the United States now teaching there.
“We have had two US instructors train here, part of a US interest in seeing how they can make best use of their pending TX training program,” said Gen. Casali, referring to the U.S. Air Force’s trainer-acquisition contract.
So far, 34 instructors have trained in the T346A, of which seven were non-Italian.
The Italian Phase 4 training involves a 50-50 mix of real flight hours and simulator hours in a bid to reduce costs.
Two CAE full mission simulators combine with two Part Task Trainers offering a 220 degree image, while the T346A jets offer in-flight simulation which generates capabilities including radar, armaments and electronic warfare.
Helmet mounted displays are used in both the simulators and the aircraft.
Additionally, the base’s so-called Live, Virtual and Constructive training (LVC) capability allows simulator pilots on the ground to ‘see’ real pilots who are in the air and train alongside them, while allowing those pilots in the air to ‘see’ the simulated aircraft through their on-board simulation programs.
“That allows us to generate ‘red air’ scenarios involving hostile aircraft,” said Gen. Casali.
Phase 4 pilots already undertake some of their flight training at Decimomannu to access the expanded air space, so the permanent move there from Galatina makes sense.
The Sardinian base, which boasts two runways, is currently used by the air force as a stop-off to reach exercises held at nearby ranges which will now also be open to the flight school students.
The first is an Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) range where aircraft mount ACMI pods to allow them to be tracked while they hold air-to-air and live-fire, air-to-ground exercises.
“Flying the T346A’s there means live-fire exercises, but also forging closer ties with operational groups to stay updated about new tactics. The closer we are to the operational world, the better it is for the syllabus,” said Gen. Casali.
The T346A’s in-flight simulation program is also able to receive data from ACMI pods on other aircraft and identify their position. “That means the aircraft’s simulated radar can actually ‘see’ those aircraft,” he added.
The second range close to Decimomannu is Salto di Quirra, a testing range which will also be open to the training flights.
When the new campus is up and running, the number of full mission simulators will rise to three from the current two at Galatina, while the number of Part Task Trainers will also rise from two to three.
As more Italian pilots are required to fly Italy’s newly delivered F-35s, training modules have been drawn up by the flight school for F-35-specific training with help from Italian instructors working with the aircraft at Luke Air Base in the United States.
Gen. Casali said that the first pilot set to go straight from Galatina after Phase 4 training to Luke to train as an F-35 pilot has recently been selected. (Source: Defense News)
30 Nov 20. eBullet Brings Richer Realism To Army Training; No More Laser Tag. A new training network will simulate the effects of weapons — from mortars and grenades to, potentially, germ warfare — and tell troops if they’re “killed” or “wounded,” then play the whole exercise back for AI analysis. One Army engineer told us: “We’ve never been able to train this stuff, never.”
For 40 years, US soldiers have trained using a militarized form of laser tag, called MILES. Those days are drawing to an end. The Army replacement, called eBullet, calculates true ballistic flight paths to within a seventeenth of a degree and allows for a much greater array of weapons to be simulated.
The new system superimposes simulated trajectories, explosive blasts, and other virtual effects on real-world terrain, adjusts for real-world weather factors like wind and temperature, and electronically notifies soldiers whether they’re been “killed” or “wounded.”
The new system promises much greater realism since real bullets don’t behave like beams of light, which follow perfectly flat trajectories and can’t penetrate smoke, tents, or even leaves. And it can simulate a much wider array of weapons than MILES.
eBullet will not only simulate the flight paths of rifle rounds more accurately than a straight-line laser: It can simulate the arcing trajectories of such vital infantry weapons as grenade launchers and mortars, which MILES can’t cope with at all. Future upgrades could simulate the propagation of radio-frequency jamming, poison gas, and biological agents.
“MILES has not been able to replicate or simulate many weapons systems,” said Frank Tucker, the live-training technology lead for the Synthetic Training Environment team at Army Futures Command. “It’s only been able to simulate 60 percent of the current inventory of weapons.” Worse, he said, it can’t simulate enemy weapons or potential future weapons at all.
But with eBullet, Tucker told me in an interview, adding a new weapon could be as simple as tweaking a few factors in the model to create a “digital twin” of an existing or potential technology. “The Army now can dream up a new weapons system and synthetically deploy it in a training exercise to see how it works or doesn’t work, without bending metal,” he said. “It can just simply be a model that’s embedded in e-bullet.”
For more complex phenomena, like electronic or biochemical warfare, the service could just take existing Army effects-propagation models and plug them into the eBullet suite. “You can do some very, very interesting things we never had in live training,” Tucker said. “We’ve never been able to train this stuff — never.”
What’s more, the first product using eBullet technology has applications in combat, not just training. “The normal process for aiming a mortar, it’s a very manual approach,” Tucker said. “You have to go out and put out aiming stakes. It takes up to five minutes to set up and start aiming.” And, he told me, mortar crews need to carry a 40-pound, $60,000 gyrocompass called a Talon II to ensure everything’s correctly aligned.
By contrast, the new system, called WULF (Weaponized Universal Lightweight Fire Control), weighs about 10 pounds. It uses computer vision and digital maps to determine exactly where the weapon is aligned relative to the terrain, then calculates the proper settings for both elevation (up/down) and azimuth (left/right). The mortar team reads the settings off their handheld device, “and all they do is they crank twice,” Tucker said. “Instead of five minutes, it takes less than one minute to aim a mortar.”
In combat, saving four minutes could save lives.
How accurate is this system? It’s twice as good as the existing Talon II, Tucker said, with errors under one milliradian: That’s less than one-seventeeth (0.58) of one degree.
Now, there’s a crucial caveat here. To get that accuracy in real life, your digital map has to be accurate – down to the precise locations of trees and trenches, modeled in three dimensions. Otherwise eBullet’s simulated trajectories won’t correspond to actual flight paths in the real world.
That’s why the Army is investing heavily in a global 3D database known as One World Terrain. Since the landscape constantly changes – due to new construction, mudslides, or, in war zones, large explosions – that database will have to be constantly updated. The Army’s developed technology to let drones or soldiers with video cameras scan new terrain features, using photogrammetry software to automatically turn the images into map updates.
From Mortars To Rifles To AI
The mortar-aiming system will be the first eBullet application, not only because of its tactical and training value, but because a device mounted on a mortar can afford to be heavier than one fitted to, say, a rifle. As the Army matures the technology, Tucker said, it’ll both scale it for vehicle-mounted weapons and miniaturize it it to fit on smaller and smaller infantry weapons:
* eBullet on the 81mm mortar will achieve what’s called Technological Readiness Level (TRL) 6 – prototype demonstration in a realistic environment – in 2021.
* Fiscal year 2022 (which begins Oct. 1st, 2021) will see eBullet become available for heavy-duty bipod-mounted weapons, like the M240 medium machinegun, the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, and the Mark 19 rapid-fire grenade launcher.
* The next wave is handheld weapons, like the M4 carbine and the M320 single-shot grenade launcher. Timing on these applications is still TBD, Tucker told me.
* The hardest challenge of all, Tucker said, will be fitting eBullet’s sensors on a pistol.
Not all of eBullet’s components have to fit on the weapon itself, however. Much like MILES, it’ll typically have two modules: one that goes on the weapon to measure precisely where it’s pointing – azimuth, eleventh, attitude, et al – and one worn on the soldier’s body.
For MILES, the weapon-mounted module is a laser emitter that’s only used in training. eBullet, by contrast, will use, whenever possible, the new FWS-I digital gunsight that the Army is already issuing to frontline troops. Like the WULF aiming system for mortars, FWS-I’s primary application is combat, not training. It calculates precisely where each shot will go and transmits that data to the soldier’s augmented-reality goggles (either the new ENVG-B or the forthcoming IVAS), which then superimpose a digital cross-hairs over the real-world target. The difference is that, in training battles, you don’t fire an actual bullet, just a simulated one.
Then there’s the body-mounted module. Whereas MILES’ chest-mounted unit is merely a laser receiver, which emits a high-pitched whine whenever it detects the soldier has been hit, the eBullet wearable module will house the system’s computer brain. “It’s doing all the computations,” Tucker said.
When the soldier fires, the “lethality” simulator in his eBullet computer calculates a host of factors – the exact orientation of the weapon, the muzzle velocity, wind direction, ambient temperature, even the grain of the specific ammunition being simulated – and uploads a data packet to the training network. If the software determines another soldier is in the flight path of the virtual bullet, or in the blast zone of the virtual grenade or mortar round, that soldier’s computer downloads the lethality data, compares it to a “vulnerability” simulator that models the effects of such things as body armor, and then tells the soldier if they’re killed or injured in a specific way.
The simulation doesn’t stop there. MILES can’t tell you if your shot hit or missed, and it can’t replicate real-world techniques like tracer rounds or “walking” machinegun fire onto a target. But if you combine eBullet with the augmented-reality graphics on the IVAS goggles, Tucker said, you could superimpose virtual dust plumes, tracer rounds, and explosions on the wearer’s field of view, giving instant and realistic feedback.
Then, after the training exercise is over, you can upload all the data – the simulated gunshots and explosives, hits and misses, deaths and casualties – into a high-powered computer for analysis. This is potentially the biggest benefit of eBullet, because it allows the Army to assess soldiers’ performance with unprecedented rigor, apply big-data techniques, and even train artificial intelligence.
Today, “live training is very subjective,” Tucker argued. MILES tells individual soldiers if they’ve been hit, but it doesn’t record or share that data. Ultimately, it’s up to experienced humans, known as observer-controllers, to monitor the training battles at the Army’s Combat Training Centers and assess each unit’s performance for detailed after-action reviews.
But with eBullet, “each trigger pull is a data event, and we track every single bullet,” he said. “It captures every detail of a tactical engagement, [so] you can literally replay it, digitally, in a game engine, and it becomes a movie… You can zoom in on something, you can pan and tilt.”
eBullet not only generates a lot of data. Tucker said It also tags and labels that data as it generates it – this is a bullet trajectory, this is shooter’s location, this is a target – so it can be easily digested by big-data analytics and machine-learning algorithms. (By contrast, real-world reconnaissance data often requires extensive processing by human analysts before it’s tidied up and intelligible to machines). That lets commanders analyze their troops’ performance with the same kind of statistics that elite sports coaches now have on their players.
“The Army needs to get into the age of data analytics, and it isn’t, frankly,” Tucker said. “With this system being digital, we now have the foundation of data analytics and the ability to extract patterns and meaning from the data.” (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
01 Dec 20. USN, USMC Plan Big Wargames For Big Wars: Virtual Is Vital. Future multi-domain combat will be so complex and long-ranged that the military will rely heavily on simulations to train for it, because battles have become too big for real-world training ranges.
From the Navy’s sprawling Fallon training range in Nevada, to Marine Corps Battle Simulation Centers, to the cockpits of individual F-18 fighter jets, the Navy and Marines are upgrading training technology to capture the complexity and scale of future war.
Real-world field exercises are no longer enough because even the largest training areas are too small to hold the long-range missile duels envisioned by concepts like Naval Integrated Fire Control and Army Strategic Fires. Submarines and F-18s will get hypersonic missiles, dramatically extending the ranges at which they can kill targets. (Such missiles are also too costly to live-fire in large numbers during training). Traditional simulations are stovepiped, each built to train a specific system and skillset – pilots, for example, or Aegis missile defense operators, or supply officers — so they don’t depict how those systems interact in actual conflict.
Now, the sea services haven’t publicly embraced the concept of Joint All-Domain Command & Control (JADC2) — a meta-network coordinating operations across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace — as enthusiastically as the Army and Air Force. The Marines already operate on land, sea, and air and have units with organic capabilities, while the Navy is increasingly linking air, surface, and submarine forces, and the sea services’ new Project Overmatch effort will plug into JADC2. Their existing training systems simply weren’t built to replicate this new kind of interconnected combat.
The Marine Corps’ approach, for now, is to upgrade and integrate existing simulations and live-training ranges into a single unified network by 2024, Lt. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, the new chief of Training & Education Command, said. TECOM looked at creating an all-new training and simulation system from scratch, he told the vIITSEC training & simulation conference Monday, “[but] frankly, there’s just too much that’s already out there for us to start over.”
The 2024 upgrade – what Craparotta called “our Live-Virtual-Constructive Training Environment, Increment One” – will build a dedicated network to link existing Battle Simulation Centers at Marine Corps bases around the country. Increment One’s focus is on battalion and regimental-scale wargames, the general said. The Marines know future conflict will occur on a larger scale than that, but their division/Marine Expeditionary Force-level simulations require significant “reengineering” and will only be brought in during an Increment Two, for which he didn’t give definite dates.
The Navy, meanwhile, has already upgraded its existing training hub in Fallon, whose website boasts it’s “the only facility in existence where an entire carrier air wing can conduct comprehensive training” together. Now, said Vice Adm. Mike Moran, the Navy’s top uniformed acquisition official and a proponent of linking different networks, “for the first time, we really can bring our AEGIS guys in with our F-18 and E-2D folks.” That means it’s not just the air wing, he said, but also a Carrier Strike Group’s shipboard AEGIS operators, training both with live aircraft physically flying over Fallon and with simulated ones.
The Navy has also installed new software in its F-18 Super Hornet fighters, which allows a single aircraft to take off on a training flight by itself and interact with a host of simulated friends and foes. “We’re getting… rave feedback” from the first units to adopt the new in-cockpit technology, Moran told the conference, and the service will soon start installing it in the E-2D radar early-warning planes as well.
Without this new technology, the admiral said, the Navy can’t adequately train for the sheer reach and complexity of its newly fielded Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter Air system (NIFC-CA) and the associated Concepts of Operations (CONOPS).
“It is a very complex CONOPS for the fleet to execute — effective, but it is complex,” Moran told the conference. “We got that feedback pretty quickly.
“We’re really looking at really complex capabilities that enable us to be more effective in the fight, but we have to provide the training packages to enable… the fleet to execute them effectively,” he continued. “So that’s a big investment and a focus area for us.”
The Marines, likewise, envision far more complex and wide-ranging operations in any future operations against China and Russia than the village-by-village guerrilla warfare in Afghanistan for which the Marines have spent much of the last 20 years training for. “To properly prepare for peer adversaries, we have to be able to train…at scale,” Craparotta said. “This means large headquarters and expansive training audiences, integrating capabilities across five domains, integrating people across our bases and stations and around the globe.”
“We can’t really do that today without a lot of front-end work, and even if we do front-end work, we can only do it for short periods of time,” he told the conference. The goal, he said, is to give Marine units access to complex training on demand, “24-7.”
“I think the initial integration of individual collective and staff training simulations on a dedicated network, we think, can be delivered as part of increment one by 2024,” Craparotta said. Beyond that, he said, the Marines want to link not just the Simulation Centers but other training simulations and live exercises at ranges around the world. “We don’t currently possess the systems or the network capabilities to support Increment Two,” he said, “[but] that’s the direction that we’re heading.” (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
01 Dec 20. Italian Eurofighters and Tornados conduct air defence training with SNMG2. The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) has deployed four fighter jets to conduct air defence training with Standing Nato Maritime Group Two (SNMG2). The training programme was carried out in the Mediterranean Sea. During the exercise, two Italian Eurofighters were assigned to play a friendly role. They provided defence to the SNMG2’s maritime units. The airforce deployed two Tornado aircraft in attack role. The Tornados carried out different attacks by simulating missile profiles or bombers.
SNMG2 commander rear admiral Manuel Aguirre Aldereguía said: “The assets provided for the air defence exercise were outstanding, challenging my team and providing valuable training as well as a unique opportunity to improve interoperability between allies.”
SNMG2 is one of the two standing frigate groups of Nato and comprises two task units. The multinational integrated maritime force offers high readiness capability to the Nato Response Force. The first unit is made of the ESPS Cristobal Colon and replenishment ship ESPS Patino. The other task unit includes the FGS Brandenburg and Turkish and Greek patrol boats. The second unit is deployed in the Aegean Sea to aid the efforts of the international community in controlling the illegal traffic of people. Prior to the air defence exercise, SNMG2 was involved in training activities with other Allied navies in the Mediterranean. Last week, the Italian Air Force’s F-35A and F-35B aircraft operated in ‘beast mode’ for the first time. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
01 Dec 20. Boeing Starts Production of T-7A Weapons Systems Trainers, Operational Flight Trainer. The U.S. Air Force is one step closer to receiving its next-generation trainer as Boeing [NYSE: BA] started producing the T-7A Red Hawk’s “real-as-it-gets” ground-based training system (GBTS).
Boeing teams are currently assembling the first two weapons systems trainers and an operational flight trainer at the company’s St. Louis site. These simulators, which are the foundation for pilot training and key to the Air Force’s readiness, can digitally connect to actual T-7A aircraft and enable live virtual constructive and embedded training scenarios.
“The Red Hawk’s training system is arguably the most advanced in the world. It’s a game changer,” said Chuck Dabundo, vice president of Boeing T-7 Programs. “This system is 100% integrated with the pilot’s real-world experience, offering ‘real-as-it-gets’ simulation. We’re working closely with the U.S. Air Force and look forward to testing and fielding the devices.”
The training simulators are equipped with high-fidelity crew stations that include dynamic motion seats and the Boeing Constant Resolution Visual System’s 8K native projectors, offering 16 times the clarity of traditional high-definition video (1080p).
“This is the most accurate, immersive experience that any pilot can have outside the aircraft,” said Sherri Koehnemann, T-7A Training & Sustainment director at Boeing Global Services. “We’ve integrated the training across the board, including ‘one push’ software updates. What a pilot sees in the classroom, on his or her desktop training devices, and in the operational and weapon systems trainers will be what they see in the jet. Future pilots can expect more holistic, immersive training.”
The T-7A’s GBTS was built on an open systems architecture of hardware and digital software that will allow it to grow with the Air Force’s evolving needs.
Boeing expects to deliver the first T-7A Red Hawk simulators to the Air Force in 2023.
Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As the top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.
27 Nov 20. UAE Chief-of-Staff Attends Conclusion of ‘Saif Al Arab’ Military Exercise. Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief-of-Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, attended the conclusion of the ‘Saif Al Arab’ military exercise, which witnessed the participation of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Sudan and Egypt, Emirates news agency WAM reported.
Arab Sword was launched Tuesday 17 November and concluded on 26 November.
The military exercise, which was held in Egypt’s Northern Region at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base, was organized to support the military cooperation between the armed forces of participating Arab countries, as well as to strengthen their capacities to manage and implement joint combat operations using various modern weaponry.
The exercise aimed to train armed forces personnel to protect the security and stability of the borders of participating countries, as well as in counterterrorism and military knowledge. The participation of the UAE Armed Forces in the exercise is part of its plan to take part in joint military exercises both inside and outside the country.
Lt. General Al Rumaithi met with Lt. General Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, during his visit to Egypt.
Meanwhile, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs, and Minister of Defense of Slovakia, Jaroslav Nad, reviewed through a video call earlier this week bilateral ties and ways to enhance them, particularly in defense and military fields.
Also discussed were the latest developments in the fight against coronavirus, COVID-19, and the precautionary and preventive measures in both the UAE and Slovakia. The talks covered various international and regional issues of common interest. (Source: Al Defaiya)
01 Dec 20. Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) was recently deployed to assist Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Navy (RN) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) F-35B aircrew training as a component of Exercise Joint Warrior, the largest military exercise in Europe. JTE is a mobile air defence electronic warfare threat simulator that provides a battlespace environment, designed to help train military personnel to identify enemy missile or artillery threats. During the exercise, JTE provided electronic range simulation training capabilities and played a key role in the training of F-35B pilots from the RAF, RN and USMC.
“Warfighters need realistic training and it’s particularly important to the UK, and its allies, as they bring the F-35 Lightning II into service,” said Andy Horler, director, business development, Northrop Grumman. “Our Joint Threat Emitter offers a high level of preparation for aircrews as they train to combat various threats.”
Exercise Joint Warrior brings together all branches of the UK’s armed forces combining with NATO and other allied forces, incorporating 58 aircraft and 16 warships from 14 allied nations. Going head to head against the JTE simulation is a key component of the F-35B aircrews’ training ahead of their deployment as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group in 2021.
01 Dec 20. Egypt, UAE, France, Greece, Cyprus Start MEDUSA 2020 Exercise. The multinational aeronautical training exercise MEDUSA 2020 began on Monday 30 November, running until 06 December 2020, CyprusMail reported. The multinational interdisciplinary exercise is taking place in the greater Alexandria area of Egypt and the Cairo Flight Information Region.
The Cypriot Defense Ministry said the exercise will take place in three phases that will deal with search and rescue, cyber war, surface drills and marine formations.
The MEDUSA exercise, which has taken place since 2017, is part of the tripartite cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt in Defense and Security.
This year this cooperation is enhanced with the participation of forces from France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On Saturday, just two days before the MEDUSA 2020 exercises began and following cooperation of the Greek military with the General Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, a joint PASSEX (Passing Exercise) training of surface units of the Greek and Egyptian Navies was conducted, Greek City Times.
Cyprus is participating with Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Andreas Ioannides and with a Military Liaison Officer in the joint military staff for the coordination of the drill, the Cypriot Defense Ministry announced.
Turkey is feeling isolated in the East Mediterranean because of the MEDUSA exercises.
Turkish Defense Ministry spokeswoman P?nar Kara said: “Another exercise has been added to the countries that have united against Turkey, such as Greece, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Greek Cypriots and France, and since August they have been conducting successive exercises in the Mediterranean and trying to increase tensions.”
In November 2019, Egypt’s Mistral-class helicopter carrier Gamal Abdel Nasser, El Fateh frigate, the German-made Type 209 submarine, the Sulayman Ezzat rocket launcher, the El Seddiq minehunter, and a number of F-16 fighter took part in the MEDUSSA 9 military exercise, a Spokesman from the Egyptian Armed Forces said then. (Source: Al Defaiya)
26 Nov 20. Military Flight Training Roundtables Online.
- December 7, 2020
- Online Event, Your Computer
Transforming Training for the Future Fight
We are delighted to host a series of online discussion groups.
Taking place on December 7, the virtual discussion groups will bring together senior figures from international air forces and leading industry to explore the transformation of training for future operations in the air domain.
Chaired by Lt Gen (Ret’d) Tony Rock and Air Marshal (Ret’d) Stuart Evans, the online discussion groups will provide a touch-point for the military flight training community at a time when face to face engagement is difficult to arrange. Attended by Heads of Training and capability planners, the virtual discussion groups will address outsourced training, technologies to mitigate the pilot shortage, immersive solutions & VR, simulation & LVC, trainer aircraft requirements, and the transformation of the training syllabus for the next generation of airmen.
Recognising the strategic imperative to innovate through collaboration, the virtual discussion groups will provide a forum for knowledge sharing, network expansion, and international cooperation. The discussion groups will focus on the most pertinent elements of the MFT conference, set the scene for the physical event, and foster new partnerships ahead of physical iteration
Meet the Chairmen
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Anthony J. Rock, Inspector General, U.S. Air Force (2016 –2017), US Air Force
General Rock graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio and earned his Air Force commission through Officer Training School. During his career, he has commanded a fighter squadron, a center, and fighter and air expeditionary wings in Idaho and Iraq. He has held staff assignments at the Joint Warfighting Center, Air Combat Command, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Forces Iraq, the Air Staff, and the Joint Staff. General Rock was Chief, Office of the Defense Representative, Pakistan. General Rock’s final assignment was as the Inspector General of the Air Force, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. In this capacity, he reported to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on matters concerning Air Force effectiveness, efficiency and military discipline. The general is a command pilot with more than 4200 flying hours, incl150 combat hours in F-15C.
Air Marshal (Ret’d) Stuart Evans, Deputy Commander (2016-2019), NATO Allied Air Command
Air Marshal Evans joined the RAF in 1983 as a pilot. He commanded IX(B) Squadron (Tornado GR4) at RAF Marham. Staff tours have included the Weapons and EW post in HQ Number 1 Gp and in the Directorate of Operational Capability Audit team at the MoD. He also served as the first RAF member within the Strategic Studies Group working directly for the Chief of the USAF, followed by a tour at the Defence Doctrine and Concepts Centre as Head of Joint Doctrine. He became the Commandant of the Air Warfare Centre in July 2011, followed by an overseas deployment as the CAOC Director, 603rd AOC in 2013. Prior to assuming the appointment of Senior British Military Advisor to US Central Command in Florida in 2014 as an Air Vice Marshal he served within the Joint Forces Command at Northwood. On promotion to Air Marshal, his final assignment was as Deputy Commander of NATO’s AIRCOM. (Source: ASD Network)
30 Nov 20. Kongsberg Digital releases first cloud-based simulation service for maritime radar training. Kongsberg Digital’s new radar application will enable instructors to facilitate online radar training for students, who can practice anywhere and anytime using their own laptop and an internet connection
Kongsberg Digital is delighted to announce the launch of a new cloud-based simulation service for maritime radar training. Used as an advanced eLearning tool, it enables instructors to manage and control exercises with realistic radar simulations to students, who now can practice and prepare for their exams anytime, anywhere and at their own pace.
The new K-Sim Navigation radar application introduces a new line of navigation instruments based on IMO performance standards, leveraging the market-leading K-Sim Navigation functionality and cutting-edge cloud technology.
Designed to be compliant with the IMO Model Courses 1.07 and 1.08, it assists in delivery of learning objectives such as marine radar operational principles; radar navigation and plotting; use of radar in Search and Rescue (SAR); and use of ARPA.
The radar simulation application is the first in a line of training applications to be released on K-Sim Connect as part of the K-Sim Navigation portfolio. Within the next few months the radar application will be supplemented with ECDIS, followed by increased functionality for the complete cloud-based K-Sim Navigation, which will be compliant with all the requirements for ship officer training as stated in the STCW convention.
“The next-generation digital training tools are flexible, adaptable to changing training needs and specifically designed to enhance knowledge, safety and sustainability in the evolving maritime industry,” says Andreas Jagtøyen, Executive Vice President, Kongsberg Digital.“Our legacy in simulation excellence, combined with our state-of-the art cloud technology, puts us in a unique position of setting a new standard in maritime training”.
The new radar application consolidates the example set by the previously launched K-Sim Cargo and K-Sim Engine cloud-simulation solutions, which have been favorably received by instructors and students worldwide, with more than 15,000 simulations carried out in eLearning sessions since March this year.
Both the radar application and all other cloud-based training solutions are accessible via subscription through K-Sim Connect. Visit www.ksimconnect.com to find out more.
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About InVeris Training Solutions
InVeris Training Solutions combines an agile approach with an unmatched expertise in training technology to design and deliver customized, cutting-edge, first-rate training solutions that keep military, law enforcement, private and commercial range clients safe, prepared and ready to serve – Because Seconds Matter™. With a portfolio of technology-enabled training solutions, and a team of more than 400 employees driven to innovate, InVeris Training Solutions is the global leader in integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training solutions. With its legacy companies, FATS® and Caswell, InVeris Training Solutions has fielded over 15,000 live-fire ranges and 5,100 virtual systems globally during its 90-year history. The Company is headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia and partners with clients in the US and around the world from facilities on five continents.
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