Sponsored by Meggitt Training Systems
https://meggitttrainingsystems.com/
————————————————————————-
13 Nov 19. Meggitt Training Systems to Introduce FATS® 180MIL Immersive, Three-Screen Simulator at I/ITSEC 2019. Meggitt Training Systems, the leading provider of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training products and services for armed forces and law enforcement, will display at I/ITSEC 2019 its new immersive, three-screen FATS® 180MIL virtual system. A derivative of this product has been selected for the US Army’s Squad Advanced Marksmanship Trainer (SAMT). I/ITSEC, an annual modeling, simulation and training event will be held December 2-6, 2019 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
“The FATS 180MIL has proven itself as part of the Army’s rigorous SAMT interim squad training solution, building on our prior Army EST II and Marine Corps ISMT program of record wins,” said Andrea Czop, vice president of strategy, sales and marketing for Meggitt Training Systems. “FATS simulators and our realistic weapons remain the gold standard for marksmanship and related small-arms military training. Plus, we’re the only company that also offers the full range of live-fire solutions, also chosen by the Army and other forces.”
The FATS 180MIL is one of Meggitt’s newest offerings for the defense market. Immersion is provided via three borderless 16×9 flat screens that can be arranged in any configuration from flat to wrap around, 5.1 surround sound audio system, plus effects in any direction added by the operator for increased realism. The system also has ultra-short-throw projectors that allow the trainee unprecedented distance to the entity being engaged, all while maintaining a smaller footprint than rear-projection systems. The system utilizes the same high-fidelity ballistic engine validated by the Army, Marine Corps and other military customers.
The FATS 180MIL interfaces with a variety of firearms, including Meggitt’s BlueFire® wireless weapons and BlueRailTM devices to convert live-fire weapons for training purposes. A variety of training firearms will be demonstrated at I/ITSEC, including BlueFire® versions of the SIG Sauer P320/M17 semi-automatic pistol and FN Herstal M249 machine gun, plus BlueFire for the P320/M17 and Glock 17 handguns.
In live-fire training, Meggitt continues to win orders as part of the Army Targetry Systems III indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, five-year contract. Range equipment orders received from Tank-automotive & Armaments Command since May 2019 total nearly $16m. This equipment is vital for US Army combat skills training by American and allied warfighters.
To speak with a Meggitt executive during I/ITSEC, visit booth 1421 or schedule an appointment at https://meggitttrainingsystems.com/about-meggitt-training-systems/request-a-meeting-with-meggitt-training-systems/. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
14 Nov 19. US Navy converts Los Angeles-class submarine into moored training ship. The US Navy has successfully converted its Los Angeles-class USS La Jolla (SSN 701) submarine into a next-generation moored training ship (MTS) to train nuclear sailors. The navy’s Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) completed the conversion on 7 November. NNSY is converting two ships to serve as land-based platforms for training at the Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) in Charleston, South Carolina. La Jolla is the first and USS San Francisco (SSN 711) is the second in the conversion project. SSN 711 has been at the naval shipyard since January 2017.
SSN 701 is the first-ever ship to be converted into an MTS at NNSY.
USS La Jolla commanding officer CDR John Smith said: “Converting USS La Jolla into a moored training ship is a great investment in the navy’s future and a commitment to fleet excellence.
“Training on a more modern plant design provides a major upgrade and equips our sailors with a reliable platform for the years ahead, which is key to ensuring maximum effectiveness across the Fleet.”
As part of the conversion, NNSY performed two hull cuts, separated the ship into three pieces, and added three new hull sections,
The conversion work meant an increase in the overall ship length by 76ft.
The ship also underwent work similar to the one performed by NNSY as part of engineered overhauls conducts of other Los Angeles-class submarines.
NNSY commander captain Kai Torkelson said: “It’s truly a remarkable accomplishment to complete the conversion of a fast-attack submarine into a moored training ship, the closest NNSY has come in more than 60 years to constructing an all-new vessel.
“Along with USS San Francisco, La Jolla will provide a modern platform for enabling highly skilled and fully capable 21st-century fleet operators.”
The shipyard was assisted by Electric Boat in performing the conversion. (Source: naval-technology.com)
13 Nov 19. US, India bolster their military partnership in Tiger Triumph exercise. The U.S. and India are set to kick off this week a major joint military exercise: Tiger Triumph. Tiger Triumph is the first U.S.-India military exercise to include all three of India’s military services — Army, Navy and Air Force — and it represents the latest milestone in an increasingly important bilateral military partnership.
The exercise will focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and it will include amphibious operations. While U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific is leading planning efforts, the Department of Defense hopes to expand the role for the Army and Air Force in future years. The dock landing ship Germantown with troops from the 3rd Marine Division will participate. The DoD expects this tri-service exercise with India to become an annual event.
Tiger Triumph will increase U.S.-Indian military interoperability and effectiveness. It will also forge important relationships between the two militaries and expand U.S. regional knowledge. Most importantly, the exercise represents a tangible and necessary implementation of a series of U.S. strategic pronouncements regarding the importance of U.S. international partnerships in general and India in particular. In short, to defend shared interests and deter great power adversaries, the U.S. needs strong partners and allies.
For this reason, the 2017 National Security Strategy said the U.S. welcomes “India’s emergence as a leading global power and stronger strategic and defense partner.” It declared unequivocally that the U.S. “will expand our defense and security partnership with India.”
While the subsequent unclassified summary of the 2018 National Defense Strategy did not mention India explicitly, it did make clear that “inter-state competition” represented the DoD’s top priority. In that competition, the NDS emphasized the importance of America’s “robust constellation of allies and partners.”
More recently, echoing the NSS, the DoD’s 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report underscored the importance of India to U.S. national security. A militarily capable and economically prosperous India can serve as an additional center of power in the region to deter aggression by China and help defend a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
Though important bilateral challenges remain, particularly with respect to Russia, there is much to unify the U.S. and India. India’s strategic interests, democratic character, opposition to Islamist terrorism and strong people-to-people ties with the United States make New Delhi and Washington natural partners.
Indeed, New Delhi shares many of Washington’s concerns regarding Beijing. It is India, after all, that has gone to war with China as recently as the 1960s. India shares with China a long and disputed border, as underscored in the 2017 Doklam border incident, which saw Indian and Chinese soldiers come to blows. Based on these shared interests and values, the U.S. declared India in 2016 a major defense partner. Washington and New Delhi have also codified a number of important agreements. This includes the 2016 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement, which provides formal access to each country’s military facilities for fueling and logistical support. It also includes the 2018 Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement, which allows the U.S. to transfer to India secure data and communication equipment.
Consequently, U.S. arms sales to India have reached all-time highs. In 2019, for example, the Indian Air Force received its first tranche of U.S.-made Apache attack helicopters, replacing inferior Soviet-era airframes. This acquisition paves the way for a number of bilateral attack aviation training opportunities. U.S. defense companies are currently competing for the opportunity to provide fighters to the Indian Air Force and Navy. If successful, the U.S. bids would only bring Washington and New Delhi closer together.
It is difficult to envision a sustainable and successful long-term U.S. strategy for deterring Beijing’s aggression that does not include a closer and more effective U.S. security partnership with India. Tiger Triumph represents a significant milestone in that partnership — one on which both countries should continue to build. (Source: Defense News)
13 Nov 19. Tiger Helicopter simulators: a successful Franco-German cooperation with Thales and Rheinmetall Electronics. The upgrade program for Tiger combat helicopter aircrew training facilities, awarded to Thales and Rheinmetall Electronics at the end of 2014 by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), has been successfully completed. With the completion of this program, French and German forces are now able to train their crew members in a state-of-the-art virtual environment that ensures full mission readiness and strengthens flight safety.
The first step saw the delivery of two new simulators for the French 1st Helicopter Regiment in Phalsbourg within a record 10 month timeframe to fill a missing training capability. This was followed by the renovation of all 20 interoperable TATM (Tiger Aircrew Training Means) simulators, based in the Ecole Franco-Allemande in Le Luc*, the German regiment in Fritzlar and the two French regiments in Pau and Phalsbourg.
With this upgrade program, avionics, sensors, armament and visionic of the simulators have been updated to meet to the latest German (UHT Step 2 Krypto) and French (HAD Block 2) Tiger standards. Furthermore, the renovation of the training environment includes new instruction station capabilities, the improvement of the display system, and the integration of the latest Thales visual and Computer Generated Forces software. As part of this program, new visual databases were delivered to provide the highest immersive environment to the trainees and support the deployment of Tiger crews in foreign theatres of operation.
The completion of the upgrade process was reached with the binational joint exercise at the École Franco-Allemande, involving six simulated helicopters within twelve networked simulators.Today, the cooperation between Thales and Rheinmetall Electronics continues with the ongoing support of the 20 upgraded Tiger simulators.
Bertrand Cornet, project manager, OCCAR says: The updated system provided by Thales and Rheinmetall offers a full immersive condition. It combines a genuine Tiger cockpit, an accurate aircraft behavior and a tactical environment representative of the operational missions. Eventually, the completely renewed system architecture paves the way to future aircraft evolutions.
12 Nov 19. Cubic to Deliver P5 Combat Training System to the US Air Force and International Customer. Cubic Global Defense’s P5CTS air combat training system is equipped with advanced security features, real-time air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons simulations and live monitoring functions. Cubic Corporation (NYSE:CUB) today announced its Cubic Global Defense business division has been awarded a P5 Combat Training System (P5CTS) contract by the United States Air Force (USAF). The order includes additional P5CTS airborne subsystems (pods) for the USAF, plus pods and associated ground subsystems for a foreign military sales (FMS) customer. The P5CTS provides high-fidelity, live mission training capabilities for advanced weapons and tactics training. The P5CTS enhances U.S. and coalition air combat training and allows warfighters to train as they fight.
“Cubic, along with principal subcontractor for the airborne instrumentation pod Leonardo DRS, are very pleased to continue delivering our P5CTS to the USAF and our international customers. With over 2,000 P5CTS pods and associated ground systems in use around the world today, this large order from the USAF demonstrates the continued training value P5CTS provides on a daily basis from unit level training up to large force training exercises such as Red Flag,” said Jonas Furukrona, vice president and general manager of air training solutions, Cubic Global Defense. “Cubic and Leonardo DRS are continually making capability improvements to the system in support of the USAF goal of sustaining the P5CTS program of record beyond 2030. Our system sets the standard for joint and coalition training. We look forward to working closely with the USAF and our international customer to deliver a system that enables operators to attain maximum readiness from every valuable flight hour.”
Training for today’s advanced threats to air combat operations requires adaptable, high-fidelity training tools. The P5CTS is designed to provide tailorable and scalable instrumentation solutions that best support warfighter needs in air-to-air, air-to-ground and surface-to-air combat training missions.
The globally fielded P5CTS enhances real-time and post-mission training by displaying the live-air picture, recording mission data, adjudicating weapons engagements, and relaying Time, Space and Positioning Information (TSPI) between participating aircraft during training sorties. Key components of the system include secure, GPS-enabled, aircraft-mounted airborne instrumentation “pods” plus ground stations, which help aircrew conduct, monitor and control air combat training and post-flight debriefing. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
12 Nov 19. EU unveils new cooperation projects in training, cyber operations, naval warfare. The European Union has unveiled the latest batch of projects under its flagship defense-cooperation scheme, boosting the areas of training, cyber operations and naval warfare. The decision, announced on Tuesday, brings to 47 the number of projects that are currently in place under the Permanent Structured Cooperation, or PESCO, initiative. The first two batches were adopted in the spring and fall of 2018.
Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, whose country is the current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, welcomed the bloc’s progress in security and defense cooperation, saying the PESCO schemes are “steps in the right direction.”
“We should now concentrate on implementation and reaching results,” he said.
The eventual aim of PESCO is to develop and deploy forces together, backed by a multibillion-euro fund for defense research and development
Two of the 13 new projects relate to efforts to counter cyber threats.
An envisioned EU Cyber Academia and Innovation Hub (EU CAIH), for example, could enhance the creation of an innovative web of knowledge for cyber defense and cybersecurity education and training.
The aim of another scheme, the Cyber and Information Domain Coordination Center (CIDCC), is to create a “standing multinational military element” where the participating member states “continuously contribute with national staff but decide sovereignly on case-by-case basis,” reads an EU announcement.
The Integrated European Joint Training and simulation Centre (EUROSIM) will integrate tactical training and simulation sites in Europe into a “real-time, networked, connected system.”
Another of the new PESCO projects, the European Union Network of Diving Centres (EUNDC), will coordinate and enhance the operation of EU diving centres in order to better support defense missions, while the European Patrol Corvette (EPC) will design and develop a prototype for a new class of military ship.
The Maritime Unmanned Anti-Submarine System (MUSAS), meanwhile, aims to develop and deliver an advanced command, control and communications service architecture for anti-submarine warfare.
Elsewhere, the Special Operations Forces Medical Training Centre (SMTC) will focus on medical support for special operations and expand the Polish Military Medical Training Centre in Łódź.
One other new scheme is the CBRN Defence Training Range (CBRNDTR), which intends to accommodate what the EU calls a “full spectrum of practical training, including live chemical agents training.”
The Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA), also included in the latest batch, will allow European and NATO air forces to safely operate within EU territories while the Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based TheatER surveillance (TWISTER) scheme seeks to strengthen the ability of Europeans to better detect, track and counter air threats.
A scheme called “Materials and Components for Technological EU Competitiveness” (MAC-EU) will develop the European defense technology and industrial base while the EU Collaborative Warfare Capabilities (ECoWAR) initiative hopes to increase the ability of the EU armed forces to face “collectively and efficiently the upcoming threats that are more and more diffuse, rapid, and hard to detect and to neutralize.”
Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO, said the new projects “are good news for the EU at a time when President Macron is calling for the EU to step up its defense efforts and stand on its own feet. They show that PESCO is gaining traction in EU capitals and nations are buying in to the long overdue need to pool and share capability programs.” (Source: Defense News)
12 Nov 19. Engineering & Computer Simulations Upgrades Logistics Training Applications for U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Operations School. New simulation projects to be released in 2020. Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) is working with the U.S. Air Force to modernize and advance the use of innovation and emerging educational technologies for its training programs at the Expeditionary Operations School (EOS) at JB Dix/McGuire/Lakehurst. These modernizations will allow Airmen to safely prepare for in-garrison and deployment operations. Current projects include applications, courseware, and simulation that directly support the Air Force’s combat support mission in the full range of expeditionary operations, including deployment planning, logistics readiness, air transportation, maintenance, and command and control. In addition, ECS is under contract to develop new simulation and application projects which will continue to evolve the logistics and aviation industry. Shane Taber, ECS Vice President/Development Director oversees the EOS project with Joe Neubauer serving as the Project Manager and Subject Matter Expert.
Through its EOS contract, ECS is developing animated models of relevant equipment and environments that mirror real-world operations in the academic environment. The overall goal for this training is to provide a controlled environment that simulates the logistics settings and aviation equipment to effectively prepare trainees for real-world situations while ensuring the training objectives are met.
Taber states: “We are proud to provide critical support for the EOS in their effort to modernize and advance the use of innovation and emerging educational technologies in the development of their training programs. This allows ECS to develop relevant equipment and environments that mirror dangerous situations in an academic environment. Our priority is help prepare our Airmen to remain safe and unharmed in these hazardous conditions.”
While the EOS projects are in various stages of their lifecycle, the ECS team continues to maintain, upgrade, and improve capabilities through constant communication with the EOS to ensure that the latest technology and equipment are integrated into the simulators. Current projects include Aerial Port Expeditor, Installation Deployment Officer, Air Mobility Command & Control, Pallet Build-Up, Air Terminal Operations Center, Passenger Service, Unit Deployment Manager, and a Customer Service course, as well as Center-of-Balance and Cargo Restraint applications. New projects, including the Aviation Resource Management and Joint Inspection simulators, are in the early stages of development and are projected to be released in 2020.
Neubauer adds: “These EOS projects are primarily centered around operations within the DOD logistics community; however, the projects demonstrate the capability to provide an immersive training tool that could be used in practically any industry that has an appetite for training and simulation. What makes these projects unique is the use of the latest technology to develop the applications and the tools and equipment within the simulators. Constant upgrades allow the EOS to communicate the latest technological advancements being used within DOD logistics for inclusion into the projects. Current simulation projects will be available for demonstration on-site at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) in Orlando on December 2-5.
11 Nov 19. USAF concludes joint training with Nato allies. The US Air Force (USAF) has completed joint training activities with Nato allies and partners across Europe. The nearly month-long training session involved B-52H Stratofortress aircraft from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, in Louisiana, US. The bombers operated out of RAF Fairford in the UK. Last week, three USAF B-52H Stratofortress aircraft trained with the Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16 fighters in the Barents Sea region above the Arctic Circle. The exercise came after a B-52 bomber trained with the Norwegian F-16s on 30 October in the air space west of Troms in the northern part of the country.
Norwegian Joint Headquarter (NJHQ) deputy commander major general Lars Christian Aamodt said: “Being able to train with our most important ally in the most demanding operational environment that we have in our country, and maybe even in Nato, is very important to us.
“Both weather and communications can be very challenging in the high north, and seeing that we are able to handle both together with our allies is reassuring.”
Training activities help the US increase interoperability with allies and partners across Europe.
US Ambassador to Norway Kenneth Braithwaite said: “The transatlantic relationship is of vital importance to the US. The US stands firm in our commitment and readiness to support our Nato allies and partners, and joint training opportunities like these demonstrate that commitment.
“We deeply appreciate the expertise and dedication the Norwegian Armed Forces bring to our shared Nato mission and collective defence.” (Source: airforce-technology.com)
12 Nov 19. US and Japan begin annual bilateral maritime field exercise. The US Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) have started an annual bilateral maritime field exercise off the Japanese coast. Annual Exercise 2019 (ANNUALEX 19) allows the US Navy and JMSDF to jointly practice coordination procedures and interoperability. ANNUALEX 19 also helps improve the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
JMSDF Self Defense Fleet commander-in-chief vice-admiral Hiroyuki Kasui said: “The bonds between JMSDF and US Navy become stronger than they have ever been. Our sturdy relationship will contribute to promoting the free and open Indo-Pacific.
“I have strong faith that this bilateral exercise will enhance the interoperability between JMSDF and US Navy, the facilitation of the cooperative response against the contingency situation, and finally, the reliability and the deterrence effects of Japan-US security arrangements.”
All participating units will train in air, surface, and subsurface battlespaces. The forces will practice critical capabilities that are necessary for the defence of Japan.
The scenario during the exercise will also see the forces practice the response to a potential crisis in the Indo-Pacific region.
US 7th Fleet commander vice-admiral Bill Merz said: “Everything we do in 7th Fleet promotes and reinforces the singular goal of promoting security and stability throughout the region.
“Collaboration with partners like the Kaijo Jieitai protects the peace and prosperity that benefit all countries in the region.”
US assets participating in ANNUALEX 19 include ships assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15.
The exercise will see DESRON 15 work alongside the JMSDF, as well as the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Canadian Navy. (Source: naval-technology.com)
11 Nov 19. NATO’s training mission in Iraq gaining momentum. NATO’s train-the-trainer mission in Iraq is making progress on several fronts, including ordnance disposal, equipment codification, and cyber-awareness training, according to the mission’s out-going commander, Major General Dany Fortin.
“We are setting the conditions for a long-term partnership between NATO and Iraq,” Maj Gen Fortin told reporters in Brussels on 7 November after he briefed NATO officials about the mission’s activities during its first year.
Approximately 500 civilian and military personnel are attached to the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), with the bulk assigned to the greater Baghdad area and to the Iraqi military’s Camp Taji base and Besmaya range complex, where he said most of NMI’s training activities take place.
Noting that NMI has grown steadily over the year, with its training teams embedded in Iraq’s Ministry of Defence, training schools, and defence university, Maj Gen Fortin pointed to two concrete benchmarks the mission has achieved. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
12 Nov 19. Rheinmetall successfully concludes modernization of simulators for Tiger combat helicopter. In partnership with Thales, Rheinmetall successfully completed modernization of the flight simulators for the Tiger combat helicopter just a few weeks ago. The contract was awarded to ARGE TATM (consisting of Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH and Thales AVS France SAS) in December 2014 through the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d’Armement (OCCAR), an organization that fosters cross-border defence procurement cooperation in Europe. With the completion of this programme, French and German armed forces are now able to train their crews in a state-of-the-art virtual environment that ensures full-mission readiness and strengthens flight safety.
For Rheinmetall Electronics and its partners, the contract to modernize the simulators in Le Luc, Fritzlar and Pau meant modifying them to match current configurations of the original aircraft: the Tiger Hélicoptère d’Appui et Destruction (HAD) Block 2 (France) and Kampfhubschrauber Tiger UHT Step 2 Krypto (Germany). In addition, two new simulators were installed in Phalsbourg, France in a record 10-month timeframe, bridging a training capability gap for the French 1st Helicopter Regiment. Now that the modernization programme is complete, a total of twenty flight simulators are in operation at various locations: eight full-mission simulators (FMS) and twelve cockpit procedure simulators (CPT).
The contract encompassed modernization of the software for the basic management system, the updated ETCM navigation system and the mission equipment systems, together with new cockpit hardware. Other measures included integration of the German Operational Support System (OSS), into the simulator for mission preparation and tactical training, coupled with modernization of the existing simulator technology by means of a new visual system, new visual data bases, new projectors for the display systems, and the replacement of obsolete computer technology.
The upgrade process culminated in a binational joint exercise at the École Franco-Allemande (EFA, binational school for aircrew training) in Le Luc, involving six simulated helicopters in twelve networked simulators.
Tiger simulators number among the world’s top-performing full-mission simulators for attack helicopters. The multipurpose Tiger combat helicopter is a highly sophisticated weapon system whose replication in a simulator makes immense demands on both hardware and software. At the school in Le Luc, the focus is on flight and weapons training, while in Fritzlar, Pau and Phalsbourg, the primary emphasis is on tactics.
Cooperation between Rheinmetall Electronics GmbH and Thales AVS France SAS continues with ongoing support of the twenty upgraded Tiger simulators.
“The updated system supplied by Thales and Rheinmetall offers full immersive conditions. It combines a genuine Tiger cockpit, accurate aircraft behaviour and a tactical environment reflecting current operational missions. The completely transformed system architecture points the way to future trends in aircraft development”, declares Bertrand Cornet, Project Manager for Germany and France at OCCAR.
11 Nov 19. Ravenswood to support US Army National Guard’s training programme. Ravenswood Solutions will support the US Army National Guard’s (ARNG) training programme under a new contract. The contract was awarded by Army Contracting Command Orlando and will support ARNG’s eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) programme.
Under the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, Ravenswood will provide planning, operations and sustainment services for the programme until 31 October 2024.
The five-year contract has a potential value of $555m.
Ravenswood Solutions president and CEO Dan Donoghue said: “Ravenswood Solutions gives our all to provide best-in-class products and services to our troops.
“We are honoured to be chosen to continue to support this critically important training to our nation’s guardsmen.”
The XCTC programme is designed to provide realistic and fully instrumented live training for brigade combat teams, functional and multi-functional brigades.
It allows three brigades to train simultaneously at multiple locations. The programme uses an instrumentation system that can track and record location and training exercises.
Earlier this year, Ravenswood received a contract to manufacture two brigade-sized FlexTrain instrumentation systems for ARNG. The contract also includes the supply of ORION software licence to ARNG for five years. Ravenswood’s FlexTrain is a global positioning system-based instrumentation solution designed to track vehicles, units and soldiers during training exercises. The ORION software platform enables training officials to undertake post-exercise reviews. ARNG will use the software during the annual XCTC exercises across the US. The exercises will involve more than 21,000 troops next year. (Source: army-technology.com)
11 Nov 19. USAF concludes joint training with Nato allies. The US Air Force (USAF) has completed joint training activities with Nato allies and partners across Europe. The nearly month-long training session involved B-52H Stratofortress aircraft from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, in Louisiana, US. The bombers operated out of RAF Fairford in the UK. Last week, three USAF B-52H Stratofortress aircraft trained with the Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16 fighters in the Barents Sea region above the Arctic Circle. The exercise came after a B-52 bomber trained with the Norwegian F-16s on 30 October in the air space west of Troms in the northern part of the country.
Norwegian Joint Headquarter (NJHQ) deputy commander major general Lars Christian Aamodt said: “Being able to train with our most important ally in the most demanding operational environment that we have in our country, and maybe even in Nato, is very important to us.
“Both weather and communications can be very challenging in the high north, and seeing that we are able to handle both together with our allies is reassuring.”
Training activities help the US increase interoperability with allies and partners across Europe.
US Ambassador to Norway Kenneth Braithwaite said: “The transatlantic relationship is of vital importance to the US. The US stands firm in our commitment and readiness to support our Nato allies and partners, and joint training opportunities like these demonstrate that commitment.
“We deeply appreciate the expertise and dedication the Norwegian Armed Forces bring to our shared Nato mission and collective defence.” (Source: airforce-technology.com)
06 Nov 19. Charles River Analytics and DiSTI Develop Intelligent Virtual Training System for the USAF. Charles River Analytics Inc., developer of intelligent systems solutions, is working alongside The DiSTI Corporation, the world’s leading provider of virtual maintenance training solutions, to develop our Evaluation-Driven Active Guide for Learning Procedural Events (EAGLE). EAGLE is our just-in-time intelligent virtual trainer that helps US Air Force satellite communications students learn and remember complex procedures on the Hawkeye III Lite. The Hawkeye III is a standalone, ground-based satellite communications system that provides network support for command and control backup and long-term mission relay.
Mainstream Air Force training methods, such as classroom and live exercises, require costly expert instruction and expensive equipment, so students rarely experience the full range of possible satellite system failures. Once deployed, trained personnel lack tools for refresher training, increasing the chance for error. These errors can jeopardize missions, compromise equipment, or worse yet, put personnel in harm’s way.
The 338th Training Squadron is responsible for Hawkeye III Lite Radar satellite communications students; their goal is to produce students who are well-prepared to deploy the Hawkeye equipment in a variety of mission spaces and conditions.
“Satellite communications students have little access to actual equipment,” said Dr. Krysta Chauncey, Scientist at Charles River Analytics and Project Lead on the EAGLE effort. “Our intelligent virtual trainer, EAGLE, solves this problem; it helps students get hands-on experience with the same equipment they’ll be using in the field.”
“In EAGLE, we’ve tailored the latest intelligent tutoring system and virtual training techniques to training for satellite comms,” continued Dr. Chauncey. “EAGLE automates training of key skills, such as troubleshooting, both in the classroom and remote operational settings.”
To support EAGLE, Charles River Analytics, once again, partnered with DiSTI to leverage the VE Studio® maintenance training development platform to create the virtual environment for the Hawkeye III Lite Radar. VE Studio provides a high-fidelity, game-based graphical training engine, based on Unity®, supporting the full range of maintenance applications. Learn more about VE Studio, DiSTI’s commercially available tool that develops best-in-class 3D virtual trainers. Charles River Analytics will leverage DiSTI’s virtual maintenance trainer expertise and integrate their virtual environment into the EAGLE system.
EAGLE will adapt MAGPIE, our TRL-9 adaptive virtual maintenance trainer, into a just-in-time training tool for satellite communications students and deployed personnel. MAGPIE—also built on DiSTI’s VE Studio—provides a powerful software baseline for EAGLE.
EAGLE guides efficient, low-cost training and can be customized to operational needs. Most importantly, EAGLE is available whenever and wherever a student needs it, with just-in-time-training that allows immersive rehearsal of unfamiliar and complex procedures. (Source: ASD Network)
————————————————————————-
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/.
————————————————————————-