Talk about learning how to take control of a situation... L-3 Communications has announced that its Link Simulation and Training (Link) division is debuting a helicopter gunner simulator that can be networked to other simulation systems to provide collective training of in-flight crew skills. They are showing it, for the first time, at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC).

At I/ITSEC, Link's Gunner Crew Chief Station is directly integrated with a UH-60 flight simulator and other simulation entities, including an unmanned aircraft system and a web-based first person shooter training system. Within this collective training environment, the mission for this combined force is to safely extract a SEAL forward observer team from a potentially hostile urban setting.

"Link's gunnery crew system can be used in a standalone or networked mode," said Frank Delisle, vice president of Engineering and Technology at Link Simulation and Training. "This high fidelity gunnery system enables crews to master individual and crew coordination task training in multi-ship operations. In addition, the Gunner Crew Chief Station supports development of critical tactics techniques and procedures required for combat. The Link Gunner Crew Chief Station simulation solution is directly applicable to the U.S Army's Vertical Helicopter Aircrew Training System program."

Link's Gunner Crew Chief Station (GCCS), designed to enable warfighters to improve their helicopter gunnery crew capabilities, replicates the aircraft interior for each gunnery crew position. These gunnery crew positions feature replicas of aircraft seats, communication panels, aircraft weapons mounts and weapons for life-like function. Each gunnery crewmember wears a helmet mounted display system that uses sophisticated image masking techniques providing each soldier with the correct visual, or virtual, representation for their position in the aircraft.

The GCCS, which will be housed within standard shipping containers that allow for deployment anywhere in the world, can easily be reconfigured to replicate either the UH-60 or the CH-47 aircraft.

FMI: www.L-3Com.com