Sponsored by Meggitt Training Systems
https://meggitttrainingsystems.com/
————————————————————————-
06 Mar 19. HMS Prince of Wales crew undergo training ahead of sea trials. Personnel from the British Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales have been training at HMS Raleigh training facility in Cornwall. The training programme is part of preparations to take the aircraft carrier to sea for the first time later this year. HMS Prince of Wales’s replenishment-at-sea (RAS) team includes seaman specialists and members of the vessel’s company.
During their two-day stay, 28 personnel trained in ways to transfer stores and fuel safely from ship-to-ship at sea using HMS Raleigh’s RAS trainer, a mock-up of a warship and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessel.
The transfer of stores and fuel between vessels is undertaken using heavy wires.
HMS Prince of Wales bosun chief petty officer (CPO) Jamie McNeil said: “Some of the team are just out of their specialist training while others have spent some time on our sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, to gain some experience. This is a great training facility.
“The programme of getting on-board and taking ownership of the maintenance, breaking down the stores and getting them onboard and conducting the training on the relevant bits of kit, is all hotting up and speeding up, which is why we have come to do this at HMS Raleigh.”
The 65,000t vessel is the second of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, which are the biggest ships ever built for the Royal Navy.
It is in the final phase of construction at Rosyth Royal Dockyard and is planned to undergo sea trials by the end of the year.
Earlier this week, the first stores have been loaded on HMS Prince of Wales, including supplies such as bandages, pots, pans, camp beds, pipe clamps, hoses, valves, and firefighting equipment. (Source: naval-technology.com)
08 Mar 19. BAE Systems provides world-class trainer with RAAF Hawk upgrade. The Royal Australian Air Force’s lead-in fighter Hawk trainer fleet is now among the most capable in the world following a major capability upgrade supported by BAE Systems Australia.
Each upgraded Hawk aircraft provides new training capabilities, including simulated radar, electronic warfare, digital mapping, ground proximity warning system and traffic collision avoidance.
The Australian Hawk Mk127 fleet has been an integral part of the fast jet training system since 2001, enabling the RAAF to produce highly trained aircrew for life in the cockpits of combat aircraft, including the RAAF’s fleet of F/A-18 A/B Classic Hornets, F/A-18F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.
BAE Systems Australia chief executive Gabby Costigan welcomed the milestone achievement, saying, “The work undertaken on these aircraft demonstrates the important sovereign capability that we have developed in Australia and which will underpin our sustainment of the F-35 aircraft.”
The 33 aircraft upgrade began in 2014 and finished on time and within budget. The modified aircraft provides the RAAF with a lead-in fighter that is comparable with the Royal Air Force Hawk T2 Advanced Jet Trainer and ensures the Australian Hawk aircraft is suitable for a fifth-generation air force, preparing pilots for fast jets including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
“With this extremely capable upgraded Hawk aircraft, the RAAF has a world-class lead-in fighter that is ready to deliver high calibre pilots for the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter,” Costigan added.
The project has involved BAE Systems engineers in the UK and Australia, BAE Systems and RAAF technicians, and industry partners CAE and Cubic Defence Applications Inc have played pivotal roles.
Defence Minister, Christopher Pyne welcomed the milestone, saying, “Completion of the aircraft modification program means the Lead-In Fighter training capability is well positioned to support Air Force’s fast-jet pilots for transition to the next generation of fighter aircraft including the Joint Strike Fighter, Super Hornet and Growler capabilities.”
BAE’s upgrade program includes the replacement of two legacy synthetic training devices with three full-mission simulators provided by CAE and the incorporation of an air combat manoeuvring instrumentation capability onto the aircraft by Cubic Defence Applications Inc.
Hawk is the world’s most successful advanced jet trainer aircraft with more than 1,000 aircraft ordered and delivered to 18 countries, preparing more than 20,000 pilots for life in a fast jet cockpit.
Using advanced airborne simulation technology, Hawk is a flying classroom that can put student pilots at the controls of a combat aircraft, delivering a seamless transition to the front line.
The aircraft are operated by 76 Squadron at RAAF Base Williamtown and by 79 Squadron at RAAF Base Pearce near Perth. The Hawk Mark 127 lead-in fighter is a tandem, two-seat jet aircraft. It is used to prepare the RAAF’s fast jet aircrew for operational conversion to the F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. BAE Systems Australia provides the ADF and related security customers in vital areas such as through-life support, security, logistics and systems integration. (Source: Defence Connect)
05 Mar 19. Army to kick off virtual reality pilot training program in April. The U.S. Army will kick off in April a program to test just how effective virtual reality and simulation may be in training students to fly helicopters, with hopes the results could offer a strategy to improve its curriculum and get more would-be pilots in the air faster.
The effort comes in part to better position the Army to meet more ambitious training requirements that the service hopes will combat the ongoing struggle to head off a pilot shortage.
“When there’s been no appreciable increase in the number of simulators or aircraft here to train, every touch point on an aviation platform — simulator or live — is critical,” Maj. Gen. William Gayler, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) and Fort Rucker, said in an interview with Defense News. “Leveraging virtual reality with eventually some artificial intelligence, and some cognitive aiding technologies, are going to produce a far better product because there will be more frequency and repetition on those platforms.
“You may find that it also allows you to increase the throughput velocity through flight school, meaning they’re going to learn tasks quicker, they’re going to retain them longer. And if that translates into less time in flight school and less blade hours, that logically means less money because we pay for student training by blade hours.”
Defense News visited Fort Rucker while traveling with Army Secretary Mark Esper in January.
Virtual reality simulators are newer to the Army in part because finding a simulator that actually performs like a helicopter has been a challenge.
“In the commercial marketplace, people want to jump in and fly an airplane. And when people jump into a video game, they want to be able to succeed. It’s not designed to be difficult,” nor is it realistic, said Col. Chad Chasteen, commander of the 110th Aviation Brigade at the USAACE. “But I think we found a very good simulator. You pull in the power, you can feel it shake a little bit, you can hear the turbines increasing in pitch, you can feel the aircraft vibrating, and it requires a little bit of work to hover like a real helicopter. And I think that as we progress through the trials, we’re going to actually be able to make it even closer to the flight regimes that we want.” (Source: Defense News)
04 Mar 19. US Army National Guard buying FlexTrain instrumented live training system. The US Army National Guard is buying two additional sets of Ravenswood Solutions’ FlexTrain instrumented live training system under a USD39.9m contract that includes a five-year licence to use the Ravenswood ORION exercise control (EXCON) software.
FlexTrain is a rapidly deployable, GPS-based instrumentation system that tracks vehicles, units, and individual participants during training exercises or testing events, monitors and records all exercise combat activity, and provides an after-action review (AAR). It is designed to be used with multiple integrated laser engagement system (MILES) tactical engagement simulation (TES) equipment.
The individual trainee communications equipment is the First Responder Enhanced Dismounted Instrumentation (FREDI-2), which is integrated with the MILES harness and includes GPS. It can also be installed on vehicles. FREDI-2 has a positional reporting update rate of between 0.5 seconds and 3.75 seconds, providing a smooth rendering of locations in the EXCON system.
An additional Local Data Storage (LDS) Module for FREDI-2 was developed and allows data to be stored on an internal SD card if the network is unavailable; this can also be used for non-networked training, with the locational and activity data uploaded on completion of training for AAR. Under typical conditions this can record up to 350 days of data.
The ORION EXCON and AAR software records and provides a real-time view of all activity down to an individual level in 2D and 3D, including MILES shot direction and detection. It captures all tactical radio traffic and provides on-demand video of exercise activity where available. The exercise timeline can be bookmarked for subsequent AAR and analysis.
For the latest contract, Ravenswood will provide the Army National Guard with two additional brigade-sized systems, consisting of individual trackers for personnel and vehicles, the communications and networking hardware required to operate the systems over areas up to 6,400 sq km in size, and the ORION software. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
05 Mar 19. Hundreds of trainee military pilots waiting to start flying. Hundreds of trainee military pilots are not flying because of long delays in the Ministry of Defence’s privately contracted training programme. The backlog in the Military Flying Training System (MFTS) has doubled over the past year. Three hundred and fifty pilots, including helicopter and fast-jet pilots, are waiting to fly because of a shortage of planes and instructors. The MoD says there are enough trained air crew for current front-line needs. The BBC has been told training which should take three years is taking six or seven, with trainee pilots spending their time doing office jobs rather than flying. The multi-billion-pound training contract is run by Ascent, a partnership between Babcock International and Lockheed Martin.
“It’s a huge contract and it’s fundamentally failing,” said one source. “There are so many elements that aren’t working. It’s not doing justice to the young trainee pilots. They do initial officer training and then everything stops for at least a couple of years.”
More than doubled
The BBC’s File on 4 programme has been given exclusive figures, via a Freedom of Information request, that show in one year the number of trainees waiting to start their first course, elementary flying training, has more than doubled – from 85 in February 2018 to 190 in January this year. In the summer of 2016, there were just 11 people on hold.
When officers waiting for more advanced courses are included – such as fast-jet or helicopter pilots – the number ‘on hold’ is now 350, more than twice as many as this time last year.
The figures also show the estimated time for an RAF fast-jet pilot to complete the MFTS programme is now seven and a half years.
‘Unable to fly over water’
Some of the problems date back to the Strategic Defence Review of 2015 which brought in new plans for enhanced military capacity, and an associated demand for more aircrew. But sources say there’s a lack of planes for these pilots to be trained on, and instructors to train them – with some new aircraft requiring costly modifications before they can fly.
The sources, who wish to remain anonymous, claim that US trainer jets bought for training at RAF Valley on the island of Anglesey cannot be flown over water, while Hawk T1 jets from the 1970s are being drafted in to fill gaps in training.
Defence journalist Tim Ripley said the MoD had not invested in enough in planes and instructors, despite a boost to spending in the most recent defence review.
“The 2015 defence review did not make a corresponding increase in the budget available to the MFTS to buy or lease extra planes, extra simulators and employ extra instructors. Therefore there’s not enough room on the courses for the pilots,” he said.
‘Unacceptable and ridiculous’
Some former officers like Matt Kitson have left the armed forces altogether rather than wait years to complete their training and gain their wings.
“The most frustrating part was to be sent to a squadron with no set date of when you’re starting,” he said.
“It was just ‘oh, it will be in six months’, then that six months became maybe nine months and then that became a year. So with no set date you’ve got a lot of highly motivated guys. It’s frustrating.”
After spending two years in jobs such as being a careers adviser, he gave up his own military career to become a commercial airline pilot.
Conservative MP Dr Julian Lewis, chair of the Commons Defence Committee, said he would write to the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson for an explanation in the light of the BBC’s findings.
“The idea that somebody might be waiting until their late 20s until they graduate as a fully-fledged RAF fast-jet pilot is clearly ridiculous, unacceptable and will have to be resolved speedily,” he said.
‘Phantom’ courses
File on 4 has also discovered the MoD is paying Ascent for “phantom” courses, which never actually take place, because the contract says courses must be completed on time. At the same time, millions of pounds are being spent sending pilots to private flying schools to do their helicopter and multi-engine aircraft training.
A spokesperson for the MoD says there are reasons when it’s decided not to run a course. If these are attributable to Ascent then they are not paid, the spokesperson said. However, “should the reasons be related to the MoD, then it is designated as ‘zero loaded’ and Ascent are paid as if the course had run as normal”.
The MoD admitted the number of holding officers is greater than they would expect, but said it was normal for people to be put ‘on hold’ before flying training, and insisted all aircrew fulfilled essential roles to expand their skills in other areas of the job.
“The Military Flying Training System is the biggest transformation of UK military aircrew training in a generation that, when fully complete, will deliver a world-class training system across pilot and aircrew pipelines,” a spokesman said.
“The transition to the MFTS is well underway, with student aircrew beginning training and throughput increasing as the new aircraft, simulators and other state of the art training aids bed in.” (Source: News Now/BBC)
04 Mar 19. K-8 jet trainer seen with Angolan Air Force markings. A photograph circulating on the Chinese blogging site Weibo has indicated that Angola is in the process of acquiring Hongdu K-8 jet trainer aircraft. The photograph showed Luo Ronghuai, president of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), inspecting a Hongdu facility. In the background a K-8 with the National Air Force of Angola (FANA) roundel on its tail could be seen. The aircraft’s cockpit had been covered for protection and the leading edge of its tail had been removed. Angola has not traditionally acquired defence equipment from China but it was revealed in January 2017 that its army was operating WMA301 tank destroyers and command post variants of the WZ551 armoured personnel carrier made by the Chinese company Norinco. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
04 Mar 19. BQM-177A SSAT target achieves IOC. The US Navy’s (USN’s) new BQM-177A Subsonic Aerial Target (SSAT) has achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC), the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on 28 February. Designed to initially augment, and eventually replace, the service’s existing BQM-74E aerial target, the BQM-177A is a new high-fidelity recoverable target developed by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to replicate subsonic anti-cruise missile threats in support of fleet training and weapon system testing and evaluation. Compared with the systems it will replace, the BQM-177A will deliver longer-range, lower cruise altitudes (down to 10 ft), higher speed (Mach 0.95) and greater manoeuvrability (-2g to 9g). (Source: IHS Jane’s)
04 Mar 19. US Navy awards $240m IDIQ construction contract at NS Mayport. The US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast has awarded contracts to five businesses to deliver construction works for certain projects. The $240m indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) design-build multiple award construction contract (IDIQ-MACC) is related to projects at Naval Station (NS) Mayport, Florida, US, and the NAVAC Southeast area of responsibility (AOR).
One of the contracts was awarded to the Archer Western Federal JV to construct the P427 littoral combat ship (LCS) Operational Trainer Facility (LTF) at NS Mayport.
The company is expected to complete the work for the task order by January 2021.
Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two commander captain Shawn Johnston said: “The LTF provides innovative, immersive, virtual reality training for LCS crews which allow them to be better prepared for the operational scenarios they will encounter at sea.
“It is not surprising that many other ship classes will begin to utilise similar high fidelity simulators. This increased LCS training capacity will allow the 14 LCS expected to call Mayport home.”
The LCS crew training is based on a virtual ship-centric concept and will involve classroom instruction, vendor training, shore-based trainers and sophisticated virtual reality training systems.
The new training facility is designed to provide necessary training and certifications to LCS crews before their deployment.
Under the IDIQ-MACC contract, the businesses will work on general building type projects such as industrial, airfield, aircraft hangar, aircraft traffic control, infrastructure, administrative, training, dormitory, and community support facilities.
The scope of the work includes new construction, renovation, alteration, demolition, and repair work.
Apart from the Archer Western Federal JV, other businesses chosen for the contract include B.L. Harbert International, The Haskell Company, The Korte Company, and Mortenson Construction.
To be performed in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, the NAVFAC contract has an expected completion date of February 2024. (Source: naval-technology.com)
04 Mar 19. India and Bangladesh begin joint military exercise Sampriti-2019. Indian and Bangladeshi armies have started the eighth annual Sampriti joint military exercise at the Bongobondhu Cantonment, Tangail, Bangladesh. The exercise began on 2 March and is scheduled to conclude on 15 March. The opening ceremony was conducted on 3 March and saw 36 East Bengal Battalion representing Bangladesh and 9th Battalion the Rajputana Rifles from the Indian Army. Sampriti-2019 is being conducted as a part of the ongoing India-Bangladesh defence cooperation.
In a statement, the Indian Ministry of Defence said: “A company group from Bangladesh Army and an equal number from Indian Army are taking part in the two-week long exercise that will see them hone their tactical and technical skills in countering insurgency, counter-terrorism and aid to civil authorities for disaster management in a UN peacekeeping scenario involving a combined deployment at a battalion level.”
The objective of the two-week exercise is to increase mutual cooperation between the armies through interoperability, in addition to honing tactical and technical skills during joint strategic exercises.
These skills will help the armies to counter terrorism and insurgency, as well as provide aid to civil authorities in the event of a disaster or neutralise threats encountered during UN peacekeeping operations.
In 2009, the event initially commenced as a platoon level exercise and it gradually progressed to a company level exercise from 2015.
The armies conducted the seventh annual Sampriti exercise in 2017 at Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte in Mizoram, India. (Source: army-technology.com)
04 Mar 19. Nova Systems secures partnership with Aerospace, Maritime, Training and Surveillance Branch. The ‘Team Nova’ major service provider (MSP) consortium has commenced a new strategic relationship with the Aerospace Maritime, Training and Surveillance Branch (AMTS). This is the third Integrated Work Package (IWP) contract to be awarded to the Team Nova MSP through the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) MSP IWP mechanism.
The AMTS branch of CASG within the Australian Department of Defence, is responsible for the acquisition and sustainment of the maritime surveillance capability being acquired under the AIR 7000 program and the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning capability.
Aiming to achieve collaborative excellence with Defence and industry, Nova Systems, together with subcontractors PwC and QinetiQ, are drawing on the capabilities of their preferred suppliers and leveraging the strength of small to medium enterprises and small businesses to support the branch.
Nova Systems Australia & New Zealand chief executive Steven Robinson said that the MSP arrangements are transforming the way CASG engages with industry to support the branches, projects, systems program offices and centres of expertise.
“We’re very pleased to be on this journey together with Defence and industry. The outcome focused MSP contracting arrangements will deliver shared long-term benefits and value,” he said.
Team Nova is confident that its approach will ensure the provision of best for Defence outcomes and will build capability and capacity within the sector to meet the challenges of the Integrated Investment Program. There are significant opportunities for small business to provide MSP support services through Team Nova in support of AMTS for the next five to eight years.
With three IWPs contracted and a fourth expected to commence shortly, Team Nova is working closely with its supply chain to ensure the best of Australian industry is available to provide solutions to CASG. As of February 2019, a considerable number of small to medium enterprises and small businesses are already employed across the three contracted IWPs. (Source: Defence Connect)
04 Mar 19. DisTec to launch at ITEC 2019. The organisers of ITEC, Europe’s premier conference and exhibition for military training, education and simulation technology, are pleased to announce DisTec; a brand new show-floor experience, exploring solutions shaping the future of training and simulation. Located on the ITEC exhibition floor, the DisTec area will invite the industry’s brightest innovators and thought-leaders to present on four key areas:
- Wearable Technology
- Augmented Reality and Simulation
- Artificial Intelligence
- Enhancing Human Performance
With the rapid speed at which technology is developing, military and civil protection training communities are striving to provide a more realistic and effective training environment.
An increasing number of game-changing solutions are coming from start-up companies and cross-sector technology transfer, providing fresh competition to the well-established primes in training and simulation. With smaller budgets to showcase their solutions, new market entrants rely on the cutting-edge tech to speak for itself.
Thanks to the further development of simulated or synthetic training capabilities, the last decade has brought about significant changes in the way personnel are trained. Barriers to the effectiveness, use and integration of these technologies still exist and while the military training establishment have been restricted to a degree in their speed to leverage available technologies, the landscape is now changing.
ITEC Event Director, Tracy Bebbington said: “With so many SMEs attending ITEC this year, including a record number of first-time exhibitors, we are delighted to be able to provide a platform from which they can display their most pioneering developments. DisTec will allow start-ups and other ambitious organisations to showcase their novel technology in front of global, state-level procurement officials who are openly investing in new and disruptive training systems in the civilian and military sectors. This is one of a number of new features at ITEC 2019, ensuring the event’s 30th anniversary edition will be one to remember”.
Defence Innovation Directorate, Ministry of Defence commented: “The Ministry of Defence has embarked on an ambitious and bold innovation initiative, aimed at transforming the way we think, operate, and use technologies to give us an edge over our adversaries. Being aware of and able to pull through the latest disruptive technologies, and innovative products, services, and processes will help us deliver innovative solutions to Defence’s challenges and prepare for potential threats. Our attendance at ITEC will provide us with a greater understanding of the challenges facing industry and the direction technology may be taking in the future.”
DisTec is free to attend for ITEC exhibition visitors.
With a mixture of curated content and commercial presentation slots, DisTec provides an ideal platform for innovators to show practical and relevant applications for their technology. The organisers are excited to announce a number of headline participants taking part in the inaugural DisTec, including the keynote speaker from the UK MOD Defence Innovation.
ITEC 2019 takes place at Stockholmsmässan, Sweden from 14-16 May.
————————————————————————-
Meggitt Training Systems, makers of FATS® and Caswell technologies, a division of Meggitt PLC, is the leading supplier of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training systems. Following the acquisition of FATS® virtual training systems and Caswell International’s live-fire ranges and services, Meggitt Training Systems continues to grow its capabilities based on the legacy of these two industry leaders. Over 13,600 Meggitt live-fire ranges and 5,100 virtual systems are fielded internationally, providing judgmental, situational awareness and marksmanship training to the armed forces, law enforcement and security organizations. Meggitt Training Systems employs more than 400 people at its headquarters in Atlanta and at facilities in Orlando, Canada, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, UAE, Australia and Singapore. It can deploy service personnel anywhere in the world for instructor training, system installation and maintenance. Learn more at https://meggitttrainingsystems.com/
————————————————————————-