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19 Jun 19. Meggitt Training Systems Outfits Dual-Use and Rare Two-Story Live-Fire Indoor Ranges. Meggitt Training Systems, the leading provider of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training products and services for armed forces and law enforcement, is taking marksmanship to another level, literally, by equipping a two-story firing range in Ohio and a dual-use one in North Carolina. Renovation of Parma Armory Firearms in Parma, Ohio began in July 2018 and was completed in April 2019. The privately owned, 45-foot firing range, located in a former US Army Reserve building, now features 21 custom stalls on two levels, only the second double-decker configuration in the country. The upper level is pistol rated, while the lower one is rifle rated. The state-of-the-art range is controlled by a Meggitt RangeMaster™ 10K, which combines wireless and touchscreen technologies for convenience and flexibility in range operations. Targets are provided by 14 XWT GEN4 wireless, 360-degree turning carriers and seven XWT ProImage® projected systems that provide gaming and entertainment imagery to help maximize revenue-generating range time. A 12-foot GranTrap™ granulated rubber bullet trap stops incoming rounds and captures them predominantly intact.
The all-new, 31,000-square-foot Haynes/Lacewell Police and Fire Training Facility in Wilmington, North Carolina broke ground in August 2018 and is expected to open in December 2019. The city-owned complex’s 10-lane firing range will include running man targets and Meggitt’s AA2 single turning target system, which improves live-fire training through unpredictable, fast-action presentation to shooters. The facility will accommodate 100-yard static and 25-yard tactical applications for maximum flexibility during a variety of long-range and close-quarters training exercises and scenarios. Meggitt’s Range Master 10K range control system and GranTrap bullet trap rated for .50-caliber rounds will be featured here as well. The facility’s large size and dual use for police and fire department officers make it a model for other jurisdictions contemplating investment to deliver similarly high levels of training.
“The new Meggitt-equipped Parma Armory and Haynes/Lacewell indoor ranges demonstrate the breadth of our product line, including shooting stalls, target systems, range control and bullet traps,” said Jon Read, Meggitt’s live-fire systems director. “Both are also noteworthy for their scale and sophistication: Parma as a double-decker range and Haynes/Lacewell for its flexibility as a dual-use tactical facility. From design and installation through training and support, our firing range customers count on more than nine decades of innovation to meet the most demanding requirements for performance and safety.” (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
19 Jun 19. US Navy uses new airborne mine countermeasures in BALTOPS. Naval aircrewman 1st class Patrick Miller operates the common console, used for both ALMDS and AMNS, on an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter. The US Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Two Eight (HSC 28) has used the latest airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) systems in the BALTOPS exercise in the Baltic Sea. HSC 28 performed AMCM operations as part of the BALTOPS 2019 Mine Warfare Task Group. The Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) and Airborne Mine Neutralization System-Archerfish (AMNS-AF) were used in the Baltic Sea and the Naval Forces Europe area of operations for the first time. Aircrew operated the ALMDS and AMNS-AF systems from the MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter.
US Second Fleet commander vice-admiral Andrew Lewis said: “You should not underestimate the significance of this deployment for this squadron or naval aviation or the littoral combat ship platform.
“In concert with our partners and allies, this is a real opportunity to up the game from an airborne mine countermeasures perspective.
“We have not done this kind of thing in a long time. There is a lot that we can learn in the theatre on both the capability side and on the exercise side. But it starts by being in the region, you have to do it here.”
ALMDS is a laser-based, high-area-coverage system designed to provide a wide-area reconnaissance and assessment of mine threats for Carrier and Expeditionary Strike Groups (CSG/ESG).
It uses pulsed laser light and streak tube receivers to image the entire near-surface volume to detect, classify and localise near-surface, moored mines.
AMNS-AF is designed to tackle the threat of modern mines. It has the ability to provide reacquisition, identification and neutralisation capability against bottom and moored sea mines. After identifying the threats during mine-hunting operations, AMNS-AF emits a warhead to explosively neutralise the target. ALMDS and AMNS-AF are part of the MCM Mission Package certified to be integrated on the Independence-variant littoral combat ships (LCSs). Assets that were part of BALTOPS 2019 Mine Warfare Task Group included more than 15 MCM ships, 15 unmanned undersea vehicles, five drone ships, and AMCM. (Source: naval-technology.com)
17 Jun 19. Airbus Helicopters has accelerated the set-up of new pilot and technician training capabilities in Ukraine. The company will be delivering an H225 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) that will be based in Krementchuk, as well as delivering the first two H125 for pilot training purposes by the end of December 2019.
“We are very proud to announce that we are setting up our pilot training facilities at the University of Krementchuk” said Arsen Avakov, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. “With the early delivery of the first two H125s and the H225 FFS that will be delivered and operational in December 2020, Ukraine will shortly be equipped with its own modern pilot training centre” he added.
“The setting up of a local training and maintenance centre in Ukraine is an important part of our contract. We are proud to be strengthening our partnership with the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior by converting the first two H125s that were originally intended for law enforcement missions to suit pilot training activities and by delivering them six months ahead of schedule” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.Following the Intergovernmental Agreement signed between France and Ukraine for 55
helicopters mid-2018, Airbus Helicopters has already delivered four out of the 21 repurposed H225s on order. The deal also included 10 brand new H145, eight of which will
be equipped with the five-bladed rotor, and 24 H125s for border surveillance, search and rescue (SAR), and emergency medical service (EMS) missions in the country.
17 Jun 19. NIWC Atlantic fields virtual training tech for USMC communications. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic has deployed a 3D virtual training technology designed for a US Marine Corps (USMC) Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) capability. The training technology was developed by NIWC Atlantic’s Marine Corps communication systems and afloat submarine command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) training support teams.
It was specifically developed as part of a new equipment training (NET) package designed for USMC communicators. Known as the multi-purpose reconfigurable training system (MRTS) platform, the technology was traditionally used by navy submariners.
It was first introduced to the navy in 2008 as a virtual, touchscreen system. Designed to replicate the exact equipment submariners use on a boat, the platform will provide an opportunity to sailors to train on submarine radio rooms virtually.
NIWC Atlantic Marine Corps communication systems team lead Jack Buchanan said: “We are the first team to embrace the submarine trainer technology, outside of the submarine community, and apply it to MUOS radios.”
The project team comprising Buchanan and the NIWC Atlantic afloat submarine C4I MRTS training support team wanted to develop a training solution for USMC communicators on the lines of virtual training for submariners in the navy.
NIWC Atlantic MUOS project manager Deb Carbone said: “Warfighters of today are conditioned to use technology as an extension of their formal education.
“The ability to learn mission-critical skills via a gaming software simulation makes it interesting and engaging, and it can be delivered wherever and whenever it is needed via laptops or tablets.”
The software development team hand sketched all operations and data fields of the radio due to certain challenges including computer security concerns.
Sketches were then used to build the MUOS virtual trainer. The entire development process took eight months.
The NET package developed by NIWC Atlantic is now used to provide training to all Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) on MUOS capability, including the Joint Integrated SATCOM Tool, Joint SATCOM Management Planning System and the AN/PRC-117G radio.
Furthermore, the MUOS virtual trainer can be adapted for other Department of Defense requirements.
The US Navy introduced a new MRTS 3D device at its submarine training sites in 2015 as part of its efforts to switch to touchscreen training technology. (Source: naval-technology.com)
14 Jun 19. Japan to dramatically scale up participation in Australian exercise. Japan will dramatically scale up its participation in a large-scale, high-end war-fighting exercise alongside American, Australian and other forces beginning later this month, with its warships and amphibious troops to take part for the first time. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, or JMSDF, will send two warships to participate in the biennial Talisman Sabre series of exercises in Australia, with the helicopter destroyer JS Ise and tank landing ship JS Kunisaki arriving in Brisbane earlier Monday.
Cmdr. Gerald Savvakis, the commanding officer of the Royal Australian Navy base HMAS Moreton, told local media that Japan’s involvement in the exercise gives participants “a chance to operate together to improve interoperability.”
The ships will be joined by ground troops from the newly constituted Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, or JGSDF, along with a number of helicopters from the service’s 1st Helicopter Brigade, according to the JMSDF.
The number of JGSDF troops that will participate at the exercise is unknown, although the JS Kunisaki has a capacity of 330 troops.
This will be Japan’s third and largest-ever participation at the Talisman Sabre exercises. The country previously sent small contingents of 40 and 50 troops to the exercise in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Talisman Sabre is major war-fighting exercise that includes amphibious, airborne and naval combat operations primarily made up of Australian and U.S. military forces.
This year’s exercise will see up to 25,000 personnel take part, and Japan’s stepped-up involvement comes on the heels of the first time the country fired its artillery on Australian soil, when two JGSDF FH-70 howitzers conducted a live-fire exercise in early June. The event, which took place as part of Exercise Southern Jackaroo with Australian forces and the U.S. Marines currently in Australia as part of the annual deployment there, was also the first time the JGSDF fired its howitzers to a range of 15 miles; there is a lack of sufficiently large ranges in Japan. A total of 150 Japanese troops took part in Southern Jackaroo, and the howitzer activity is part of a suite of initiatives agreed to during an October 2018 meeting between the defense and foreign ministers of Australia and Japan, according to the Australian Defence Department.
These latest activities serve as an indication of an increasingly close defense relationship between U.S. allies Australia and Japan. They also mark the practical realization of results from the earlier ministerial meeting, which saw both sides agree to explore “opportunities to increase the complexity and sophistication of combined military exercises.”
The closer defense ties are set to carry over into the air domain next year. Defense News understands that Japan and Australia are keen to see Japan’s participate for the first time at the multinational air combat exercise Pitch Black, which will be held in northern Australia in mid-2020. An earlier bilateral air combat exercise planned for September 2018 in northern Japan was canceled due to an earthquake in the region. (Source: Defense News)
14 Jun 19. Archangel light attack aircraft proliferates, supports USAF training. The IOMAX Archangel has been used to train USAF JTACs. The US Air Force (USAF) has become a customer for contract close air support (CAS) training using the IOMAX Archangel light attack aircraft, which appears to be proliferating for CAS roles.
The converted crop-duster aircraft is suited to the CAS training role in part because of its USD882 per-flying-hour cost, low compared with fast jets, according to Seamus Flatley, IOMAX’s vice-president for business development.
In a presentation at a recent IQPC CAS Summit in London, Flatley told delegates that IOMAX, under subcontract to Textron, supplied an Archangel for ‘dry’ CAS currency training for joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) from the USAF’s 118th Air Support Operations Squadron for the first time during a series of exercises at a range in North Carolina, staged between May and September 2018.
The predecessor Border Patrol Aircraft (BPA), an IOMAX version of the Air Tractor AT-802U, has been similarly exploited for dry CAS training by the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF). Aircraft of this type were contributed by the RJAF, alongside some of its F-16A fast jets and AH-1F attack helicopters, to an in-country exercise organised by a Canadian-led multinational mobile training team in 2017 for Jordanian Armed Forces JTACs.
The RJAF has a total of six modified ex-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Defence Force AT-802U Block I BPAs, which were originally delivered by IOMAX equipped for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions only. However, the company has since furnished these with a full (Block II) weapon delivery capability, incorporating the weapon computing system, pylons, and improved avionics that it first introduced aboard the Archangel. The RJAF also received four L3 Longsword AT-802L aircraft originally built to fulfill a Yemeni requirement, but these were in an unarmed configuration and are understood to have not been kept in a flyable condition. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
14 June 19. Thales targets April 2020 delivery for MMCM demonstrators. Thales is working to complete integration, testing, and qualification of Maritime Mine Countermeasures (MMCM) demonstrator systems planned to be delivered to France and the UK in April 2020.
Being jointly funded by the two nations, the MMCM programme covers the design, development, integration, and qualification of two offboard minehunting ‘system of systems’ that are capable of autonomous detection, classification, identification, and neutralisation operations. MMCM provides the basis for France’s next-generation Système de Lutte Anti-Mines – Futur (SLAM-F) programme, and is informing the UK’s future MCM and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) programme.
The Thales-led industry team was selected to lead the programme in March 2015. Following the completion of Phase 1 definition activities, European defence procurement agency OCCAR (on behalf of France’s Direction Générale de L’armement and the UK’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation) in October 2016 awarded Thales a follow-on contact for the build and qualification of two prototype/demonstrator systems: one for delivery to the French Navy, the other for the UK Royal Navy.
Phase 1 defined a primary system architecture including: a towed synthetic aperture sonar (SAS)-equipped unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and three SAS-configured autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for detection classification and localisation; a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for identification and multi-shot mine neutralisation and a portable operations centre (POC) suitable for deployment ashore or on board a suitable host vessel.
As well as taking the overall programme lead, Thales is supplying its multi-aspect SAMDIS SAS for the USV Towed Synthetic Aperture Module (TSAM) and the AUV, the associated PRACTIS sonar data analysis tool, a retractable 2D mine and obstacle avoidance sonar (MOAS) for the USV, and the POC. Thales has adapted its own M-Cube MCM command system to serve as the mission management system (MMS) solution. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
14 Jun 19. Navy’s 3D Submarine Radio Room Training Technology Adapted for USMC Tactical Communicators. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic developed and fielded 3D virtual training technology traditionally used by Navy submariners as part of a New Equipment Training (NET) package designed for U.S. Marine Corps communicators.
NIWC Atlantic’s Marine Corps communication systems and afloat submarine command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) training support teams researched and produced a virtual training system specifically designed for a Marine Corps Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) capability.
“We are the first team to embrace the submarine trainer technology, outside of the submarine community, and apply it to MUOS radios,” said Jack Buchanan, Marine Corps communication systems team lead at NIWC Atlantic.
The Multi-purpose Reconfigurable Training System (MRTS) platform, first introduced to the Navy in 2008 as a virtual, touch-screen system, simulates the exact equipment submariners use aboard a boat. The platform allows Sailors to train on submarine radio rooms virtually without having to set foot in a submarine.
Due to the Navywide success of virtual training for submariners, Buchanan connected with the NIWC Atlantic afloat submarine C4I MRTS training support team to collaborate on a similar virtual system as a practical application training solution for Marine Corps communicators.
“Warfighters of today are conditioned to use technology as an extension of their formal education,” said Deb Carbone, NIWC Atlantic MUOS project manager. “The ability to learn mission critical skills via a gaming software simulation makes it interesting and engaging, and it can be delivered wherever and whenever it is needed via laptops or tablets.”
The software development process took eight months due to many unique challenges. The location of equipment and computer security concerns restricted team members from filming and photographing radios, a step typically necessary in building an accurate virtual representation of the technical equipment.
“Because of these challenges, lead software developers had to hand sketch all operations and data fields of the radio,” said Carbone. “From there, a graphic designer and software developers used the hand sketches to build out the design of MUOS virtual trainer.”
Despite these obstacles, both the communication systems and afloat C4I teams worked tirelessly to develop the trainer currently offered as the practical application portion of the NET package Marines use today.
The communication systems’ ground radio team currently provides training to all Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) on MUOS capability, specifically the Joint Integrated SATCOM Tool, Joint SATCOM Management Planning System and the AN/PRC-117G radio, utilizing the NET package developed in-house by NIWC Atlantic. This training package offered to the Marine Corps includes the MUOS virtual trainer.
“NET is a full training package developed in accordance with Marine Corps order and systems approach to training standards and includes instructor guides, student guides, training briefings, demonstrations and required testing information for MUOS capability,” said Ryan Smail, ground radio team lead.
The NET package utilizes the virtual training to teach Marines how to request satellite access, verify radio programming and load crypto via hands-on virtual application. Marines can learn and practice operating and programming MUOS equipment from their laptops.
“By using the MUOS virtual trainer, we are providing the ability to train Marines who may have limited access to MUOS-capable hardware,” said Buchanan.
To date, more than 600 Marines have received training by the ground radio team utilizing the NET package.
“The team will continue with multiple rounds of the training through February 2020 with each MEF, and then the NET package will turn over to the Marine Corps Communications-Electronics School to conduct sustainment training with new Marines in the future,” said Smail.
The MUOS virtual trainer is also available for adaption for other Department of Defense (DoD) requirements.
“Since creating this model for the AN/PRC-117G, we have looked at expanding this technology for other waveforms that are already in use by the warfighter,” said Smail.
Smail explained that expanding the training system to support other functions is an easier process now, since the models and capabilities are in a government database and available for DoD-wide adoption.
“There is a lot of pride knowing something we developed, concept to fielding here in Charleston, is being utilized within the Marine Corps and making a difference in the knowledge level of the warfighter,” said Carbone.
As a part of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, NIWC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities. (Source: ASD Network)
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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. 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/.
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