Contracted To Investigate Flight Safety Requirements For Exercises

Rockwell Collins, which performs the integration of live aircraft in Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) training systems, has been selected by the Office of Naval Research to investigate flight safety requirements for such exercises.

LVC technology incorporates live, virtual, and constructive elements into a single training environment, bringing realistic live training directly to tactical airborne and ground-based warfighters. By integrating hostile and friendly forces simulations with live assets, such as real jets flown by fighter pilots, the realism of air combat training can be radically enhanced, increasing warfighter readiness at a reduced cost.

The $2.9 million contract calls for Rockwell Collins to work with industry and academic partners to research the effects of inserting virtual and constructive entities into live aircraft systems while maintaining safety during training scenarios. Working with the University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory, Rockwell Collins will use advanced datalink and multi-level encryption technologies to inject computer-generated forces into pilot's displays in the university’s L-29 jets in numerous air combat scenarios. Rockwell Collins will also team with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to conduct Cognitive Task Analysis on pilot responses, for requirements definition and verification.

Rockwell Collins will utilize its newly opened Virtualized Systems Integration (VSI) Lab based on Common Open Reusable Elements (CORE) Simulation Architecture, which provides a unique capability for requirements capture, design, integration and demonstration of innovative concepts. The VSI Lab is linked up with the University of Iowa Operator Performance Lab in a persistent training environment allowing access to the live jets over advanced datalink solutions provided by Rockwell Collins.

“Our VSI Lab can recreate almost any battlespace environment or any technology asset in our LVC theater,” said John Borghese, vice president of the Rockwell Collins Advanced Technology Center. “You can think of it as a stage in which you can develop, validate and demonstrate any military system quickly and effectively. You can even bring in your own actors to integrate and improve human interactions with your technology.”

Borghese added that using a combination of virtual assets and live simulations is a “game changer” for military systems development and training.

“The VSI Lab is accelerating innovation and improving human interactions with these systems and it is accomplishing it at a fraction of the cost and time of using real counterparts,” he said.

FMI: www.rockwellcollins.com