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08 Mar 22. InVeris Training Solutions to Showcase VR and Simulation Training at Border Security Expo 2022. InVeris Training Solutions (booth #707) will demonstrate the VR-DT (Virtual Reality – Decisions and Tactics) and the FATS® 100P virtual training system at Border Security Expo in San Antonio, Texas, March 29-31. The VR-DT enhances training for de-escalation, safety tactics, mental health crisis intervention, use of force and protocol in a 3D immersive environment. The FATS 100P offers full scale virtual training in a portable, easy-to-operate system and works with InVeris’ patented BlueFire® simulated weapons that have the same form, fit and function of a live duty weapon.
“Our state-of-the-art VR training system enables law enforcement instructors to create real-world conflict situations based in local settings for more realistic training,” said InVeris Chief Executive Officer Al Weggeman. “When you combine those capabilities with our FATS® 100P virtual training system and our decades-long proven track record in live-fire solutions, it’s clear why InVeris has been an industry leader for almost 100 years.” (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
08 Mar 22. Singapore Air Force participates in Exercise Red Flag – Nellis in US Exercise Red Flag – Nellis will be held at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, US. The Singapore Ministry of Defence has announced that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is participating in Exercise Red Flag – Nellis in the US. The multilateral air combat exercise is being held from 7 to 18 March 2022 at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. During the exercise, the participating air forces will conduct a series of air-to-air and air-to-ground training missions to enhance combat skills. The RSAF contingent will include nine F-16C/D fighter aircraft and more than 100 personnel from Peace Carvin II detachment in Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Separately, the exercise will also include Royal Saudi Air Force’s F-15SA fighter aircraft and the USAF’s F-15E, F-16C, EA-18G fighter aircraft and B-1 bomber aircraft. Overall, around 55 aircraft will participate in complex mission scenarios that will be carried out under day and night conditions. The USAF contingent is expected to include around 1,750 personnel. In a statement, the Singaporean Ministry of Defence said: “The RSAF has been participating in Exercise Red Flag – Nellis since 1982.
“The exercise also enhances the professionalism and cooperation among the participating forces, and provides the RSAF with an opportunity to benchmark itself against other advanced air forces.”
In a separate statement, USAF 414th Combat Training Squadron commander colonel Jared Hutchinson said: “Red Flag allows us and our allies to perform in scenarios to prepare us should we ever be called on to engage a peer level adversary in combat.
“They will be able to lean on the experience they have built in this exercise and avoid making the mistakes during real-world situations.”
Last year, the RSAF received the first H225M twin-engine helicopter.
(Source: airforce-technology.com)
07 Mar 22. Cognata’s simulation suite was chosen by the IDF and The Israeli Ministry of Defense to accelerate algorithm safety and readiness. The Israel Ministry of Defense to Integrate Cognata’s Solution into IDF technology, Powering Next-Generation Autonomous Development. Cognata, Ltd., announced today the integration of Cognata’s simulation authoring software into IDF technology, to further accelerate algorithm safety and readiness. Cognata’s offering of a highly realistic simulation and testing platform for autonomous vehicles (AV) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) combines the market’s leading autonomous vehicle perception training and unique challenges presented by an unfamiliar terrain environment. Cognata Solutions simulation platform provides advanced military simulation solutions – including multiple unique army assets, Thermal camera (IR) sensor simulation, obstacles course, advanced vehicle physics, analytics and more.
Cognata’s AV off-road simulation is designed to test, train and validate perception and control challenges for terrains that do not offer a clear road definition and for paths that offer challenging conditions such as boulders, side slopes, difficult tractions, and more. Cognata’s simulation platform can create multiple use cases with limited visibility by other objects, bypassing a lengthy AI learning process by creating simulated environments for quick learning allowing AI to evaluate sensor generated large-scale situations, complex multi-source data sets, and generate automatic analysis, compressing the AI/ML training time to mere months.
Attributed to the increasing demand for land and ROV robots that could decrease in damage for human life, the land/ground robots market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period, from 1.1bn USD in 2020 to 2.1B USD in 2025, at a CAGR of 12.7%.*
“Cognata is proud to be chosen and work with The Ministry of Defense, supporting and accelerating the IDF development needs,” Cognata’s CEO Danny Atsmon says. “Highly accurate and scalable simulation technology is essential to validate autonomous vehicles in general, and algorithm safety and readiness specifically, within the nearly infinite combinations of real-world scenarios. Cognata’s technology rapidly creates novel visualization and synthetic environment approaches to enable improved AI/ML training that increases reliability, reduces human error in critical mission tasks, and positively impacts trust in human-machine teaming”.
“We carefully inspected several simulation providers, and were impressed with Cognata’s high-quality standards”, says Vladimir Vakulin, Major, Robotics Systems Knowledge Leader, IDF. “We are looking forward to a productive algorithm development process, towards IDF excellency”.
About Cognata
Cognata provides the fast lane to autonomous driving with its testing and evaluation solution for self-driving vehicles—a realistic automotive simulation platform where virtual cars travel virtual roads in digital twins, from cities to unmarked terrain, all remarkably true to real-world conditions. Working with some of the largest autonomous vehicle makers in the world, Cognata brings the disruptive power of artificial intelligence and computer vision to the ADAS and autonomous driving simulation world and shaves years off the verification and validation process. (Source: PR Newswire)
04 Mar 22. HII concludes COCO air combat training mission with USAFE-AFAFRICA. HII created the training programme that lasted for 16 months. Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has concluded the contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) air combat training mission with the US Air Forces in Europe/Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA).
The first COCO training outside the US aimed to improve the training readiness for the country’s air force in Europe.
HII developed the training programme over a period of 16 months up until the start of the air combat training mission.
It also helped in integrating all the components that are functional with European governments, regulatory agencies and USAFE-AFAFRICA.
Under the air combat training programme, US Air Forces in Europe were provided with an opportunity to assess training effectiveness and interoperability of COCO training for their forces in the European theatre.
Apart from being economical, it also increased the combat equipment training and service life.
Top Aces served as the teaming partner and provided Douglas A-4N Skyhawks for adversary air support during the training programme.
HII Technical Solutions division ISR business group president Garry Schwartz said: “Adversary training enhances the US security defence posture, enables freedom of movement, fosters global security and increases combat effectiveness.
“HII is proud to have assisted in this groundbreaking effort in partnership with Top Aces to bring advanced COCO adversary aircraft training to USAFE-AFAFRICA’s fighter squadrons.”
Work was executed as part of a multi-role operations task order for US Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.
This was launched by the US General Services Administration under a single acquisition solution for an integrated services contract.
Schwartz added: “December’s flights with the US Air Force in Europe’s 480th Fighter Squadron Warhawks at Spangdahlem Air Base, were the culmination of months of work by the HII team and partner Top Aces.
“We presented sophisticated contractor adversary air training with advanced capabilities to a front-line fighter squadron within the unique constraints of Europe’s regulatory and airspace environment. Although this type of training has become commonplace for US-based fighter units, this is the first assessment in USAFE-AFAFRICA’s European area of responsibility.” (Source: airforce-technology.com)
04 Mar 22. Royal Navy and RAF sharpen submarine hunting skills in major NATO exercise. The UK’s anti-submarine forces took their skills to the next level during the largest workout in the Mediterranean.
For the first time two RAF Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft from CXX Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth joined the Royal Navy for NATO’s Dynamic Manta, two weeks of cutting-edge tech and training involving seven Allied nations in the vanguard of underwater warfare.
In service since 2020, the Poseidon MRA1 has concentrated its training and operations in waters around the UK to date.
Detachment commander Squadron Leader Pete Surtees said crews welcomed the variety of the combined training with numerous NATO allies off the coast of Sicily as the exercise tested individual skills and enhanced collective effectiveness.
“The momentum is really building,” he said. “We’ve taken Poseidon Force from securing the seas around the UK to operating overseas in support of a very complex exercise.
“It’s providing great training opportunities and moving the capability forwards, we’re really back to where we need to be.”
The Poseidon MRA1 is designed to carry out extended surveillance missions at both high and low altitudes.
It’s equipped with cutting-edge sensors which uses high-resolution area mapping to find possible threats on or beneath the waves.
Poseidon can also drop sonobuoys which sit in the ocean and ‘listen’ for submarines.
814 Naval Air Squadron from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall also dispatched a Merlin Mark 2 helicopter to Sigonella airbase near Catania. From there, they launched regular patrols over the exercise area in the Ionian Sea.
“Using our powerful dipping sonar, we were able to rapidly move across large distances to locate and track submarines that were attempting to target the task force,” said Merlin pilot Lieutenant Dominic Raeyen.
“Working alongside the RAF P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft as well as multiple other military patrol ships and anti-submarine warfare ships, this exercise has represented an invaluable opportunity to understand how different NATO nations operate, and the best training and procedures for joint operations.”
Canada, France, Greece, Spain, Turkey, the UK, and USA, plus hosts Italy committed ships, submarines and air power to Dynamic Manta 2022.
The long-running exercise is one of two NATO runs focusing on anti-submarine warfare; the other is held off Norway or Iceland to test forces in colder Atlantic waters.
At sea Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Trent acted as hunter and hunted with a NATO task group.
Trent is a general duties warship, not specifically equipped for anti-submarine warfare unlike a Type 23 frigate but still able to play an important role in Dynamic Manta, as Able Seaman Daniel Watters – an underwater warfare specialist – explained: “I was able to provide Trent with a greater understanding of submarine recognition and suggestions on how a submarine may act.
“There are many benefits Trent can bring to the NATO Task Group, such as acting as a ‘lily pad’ to refuel helicopters, acting as a decoy ship to confuse a submarine’s sonar picture or providing the task group with close-in security against small boat threats, allowing the frigates to continue their hunt for submarines.”
Each participating ship had the opportunity to conduct varied anti-submarine operations, while the submarines acted as both hunters and hunted, closely coordinating their efforts with the aircraft and surface vessels. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
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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 and commercial range customers safe, prepared and ready to serve – Because Seconds Matter™. With a portfolio of technology-enabled training solutions, and a team of 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 15,500 live-fire ranges and 7,500 virtual systems globally during its 95-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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