This new simulator tool is just one way we are bringing training up to modern tech standards using technology drawn from the world of gaming to support our troops in training."
Augmented reality, or AR, differs significantly from virtual reality in that, instead of immersing the user in a technologically imagined world, augmented reality users are viewing their real-world physical environment while objects are superimposed against it. Think “Pokémon GO” on overdrive.
This technology can be used by airborne pilots who can view synthetic images of anything from a moving adversary aircraft to a refueling tanker to surface ships.
Intricate cockpit simulators play a critical role in training today’s pilot, but ground-based simulator machinery can mimic only so many of the stresses produced by actual air-to-air combat.
Flying with AR, enables pilots to experience their real operational environments, all while the complex visor tracks not only the aircraft’s maneuvers, but the position and movement of the pilot’s head as well.
The end goal for pilots is to use helmet-based A-TARS as a method that is both time- and cost-efficient, and one that bridges the gap between simulator training and real-world, hands-on experience.
New portable AEGIS virtual trainer is a 40-foot mobile platform is designed to provide Sailors high-end tactical training.
The ODT succeeds in keeping combat watchstanders proficient during extended maintenance availabilities when a ship’s AEGIS suite might be secured for upgrades. It also provides the unique opportunity to train and qualify new watchstanders in preparation for upcoming patrols.
“At CSCS, our primary mission is to train Sailors how to fight and to win. Tactical proficiency requires year-round preparation and the ODT is a portable training tool designed to keep those tactical skills sharp and in turn, improve combat readiness by providing better trained, better qualified Sailors to the fight.”
“While a ship is upgraded, many of its most experienced watchstanders will transfer. We are now looking to exploit those transition years. More upfront opportunities to train as a team like this will deliver a better ship to the Navy and tougher fight to the enemy.”
With six mounted consoles and a pair of large screen displays, the ODT is designed to virtualize the combat suite of today’s cruisers and destroyers. Software applications also allow the ODT to be reconfigured between the various AEGIS baselines and builds of the current surface inventory. As follow-on builds are introduced to the Fleet in continued AEGIS Speed to Capability ASTOC upgrades, those same tactical codes will be installed in the ODT for immediate use.
“This is exactly what the fleet needs. “Our short time in the lab has already proven valuable. Whether you are shaking off rust as a seasoned watchteam or trying to build a new watchteam from the ground up, the ODT is your new venue for proficiency.”
A new Air Force driving simulator is making a big difference for airmen training on specialized vehicles. The chance to use a simulator gets airmen used to handling the vehicle, giving them a leg up on their training.
"It's a great training tool. "It provides the most realistic experience in helping drivers learn how to operate specialized vehicles before operating the real deal."
The state-of-the-art simulator offers training on nearly 30 different vehicles, anything from fire trucks, buses, tractor trailers and military vehicles such as Humvees and MRAPs.
The simulator offers about 150 preset scenarios and can generate nearly any driving condition imaginable, as trainers control variables such as weather, road conditions, visibility and malfunctions.
Three 55-inch screens and surround sound give trainees an interactive experience very similar to real-world driving.
"The biggest thing this will do is get people used to a vehicle before getting in that vehicle.“ Their training will be so much more successful if they have general knowledge of how a vehicle works before actually trying to drive."
Marines in fire-support units can now coordinate artillery, mortar and naval gunfire from a handy, ruggedized tablet. The Target Handoff System version 2.0 THSv2 allows Marines to quickly establish GPS coordinates for accurate call for fire missions.
"It is a modular equipment suite that provides the warfighter with the capability to quickly and accurately identify and locate targets and transmit that information digitally to fire support systems or weapons platforms.
The Marine Corps has begun making tactical tablets a regular part of Marine kit, such as the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Common Handheld MCH, a system that helps small-unit leaders navigate and disseminate orders, graphics and digital data pertaining to a mission.
BMCH is primarily used for situational awareness on the battlefield, while the THSv2 feeds information to the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System and other fire-support and weapons platforms. The call for fire tablet allows Marine Air-Ground Task Force units to view an updated satellite image of a location's topography, according to the release.
It also "decreases the probability of incorrect data transfer of the initial fire request by providing a digital communication link between the observer and fires platform.
Since its fielding, the THSv2 has been popular with Marines who have used it during live-fire events and other training,
"The system is robust enough to be expanded upon. We're looking to provide the warfighter with the best equipment to engage the enemy faster and more efficiently, and THSv2 does that."