Company Also Installs UAS Sims, Upgrades at Tucson And Holloman Bases

L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) announced Tuesday it is collaborating with Sinclair Community College, based in Dayton, Ohio, to educate students and industry participants in the operation and application of unmanned aircraft systems to support future global market requirements.

In support of this initiative, which aims to establish a National UAS Training and Certification Center on Sinclair’s campus, L-3 Link will install its UAS Classroom Training Suite, which includes 10 student stations that have independent vehicle and sensor controls. Sinclair has developed a curriculum and course materials, and will provide classroom instruction.

The suite includes a single instructor operator station and UAS training models that can be tailored and adapted to represent a specific UAS platform type. The suite will provide training focused on flight operations, payload integration, sensors, controls and communications.

Also on Tuesday, L-3 Link announced it has installed a Predator Mission Aircrew Training System (PMATS, pictured above) at Tucson Air National Guard (ANG) Base and completed upgrades on fielded systems at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB).

Leonard Genna, president of L-3 Link, explains, "These most recent efforts continue to underscore our goal to work closely with the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard to ensure that Predator and Reaper combat operators gain highly realistic training that supports each service’s global vigilance, reach and power objectives."

The PMATS unit at the Tucson ANG Base, which supports the 162nd Fighter Wing, is providing MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper pilot and sensor operator continuation training. This training system, which includes individual instructor/operator and multifunction workstations, was delivered in June of this year.

The upgrades on PMATS units at Holloman AFB are now being integrated on all 26 fielded systems. Constant enhancements to PMATS are enabling MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators to undergo fully-immersive, mission-based simulation exercises.

Each training system uses an actual ground control station that is integrated with L-3 Link’s simulation software and visual system databases to create a high-fidelity environment that simulates aircraft performance, weapons, sensors, communications, datalink operations, emergencies, degraded video feeds and environmental conditions. Predator and Reaper crews can gain initial qualification, mission qualification, continuation and mission rehearsal training on the PMATS.

FMI: www.l-3com.com, www.sinclair.edu