Written by / Compiled by KMI Media Group staff
Skidcar and Skidtruck technologies allow learners to adjust the coefficient of friction (grip) to duplicate challenging driving conditions.
Dane Pitarresi, president, Skidcar, told MT2, “The Skidcar can quickly validate perceptual motor skills gained through the cognitive learning process or actual experience. The simulator is extremely good for the cognitive learning process but falls short at exposing the student to realistic vehicle dynamics and how the driver reacts to information mentally and physically. The Skidcar and its active driver involvement, and actual weight displacement-causing effect on grip levels and performance, validate effectively and efficiently the driver’s actions to be correct or incorrect. Because of instructor involvement and safety systems designed into the Skidcar system, control issues that lead to accidents and injury from the driver’s input are halted before physical injury or damage to the training vehicle occur.”
Use of the Skidcar system can enhance all experience levels from beginner to advanced. With Skidcar systems the basics can be taught to new operators. Advanced techniques can be refreshed and validation of correct cognitive, motor and psycho motors skills can be tested.
Skidcar systems are available for a wide range of vehicles used in military applications. Type “A” for passenger vehicles (passenger cars) up to 5,000 pounds, Type “B” for larger vehicles ( SUV/pickup light HMMWV) up to 7,500 pounds, and Type “C” for heavier SUV/HMMWV) up to 10,000 pounds.
Skidtruck systems for trucks have multiple applications, with Type “D” up to 11,000 pounds per axle, and Type “E” with up to 15,000 pounds per axle.
Dane Pitarresi:
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eC2 System Unveiled
The military training audience is increasingly looking to mobile applications to support 24/7 learning. One new product of interest should be Alion Science and Technology’s electronic Collaboration Capabilities (eC2) Web-based, mobile collaborative training system. The system uses devices such as iPod and iPhone to enable download and customizing of information and performs actions for training, education, testing and experimentation.
George Stone, vice president, program management, and modeling and simulations senior scientist, demonstrated eC2 for MT2 during the recent M&S Expo on Capitol Hill. eC2 is positioned to support Alion’s concurrent efforts for the U.S. Army Intelligence School. “I wanted to be able to look for a task that an ordinary soldier could do in the palm of his hand. A lot of the skills they need to have are what are termed cognitive tasks, such as intelligence preparation of the battlefield for operations in a city environment and other venues,” Stone recalled. He added, “When a soldier is out there in the urban environment, he or she doesn’t always have that knowledge in their head. So, if they have this device to carry around [that would be a tremendous asset.]”
eC2 uses the iPod and iPhone as portable multimedia storage and dissemination devices. Videos and other media are used to portray and present live, virtual and constructive simulation 2-D and 3-D imagery, and other training data, during and after a training event. With programming from DSFederal, an 8(a) company that specializes in e-learning (www.dsfederal.com), Alion recently added an application for training cognitive tasks onto the eC2 mobile platform.
George Stone:
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Raydon Announces Plans for New Corporate Home
Raydon Corp. announced the location for its new building will be on Hockney Court within the Port Orange Business Park off of Williamson Boulevard in Port Orange, Florida. The 101,000-square-foot building will be Raydon’s main facility.
This new facility will allow Raydon to expand its work force and improve productivity by consolidating its operations under one roof. “This effort is the realization of a long-time goal that will allow Raydon to bring all our employees and manufacturing effort together again,” stated Don Ariel, chief strategic officer and co-owner of Raydon.
Toni Henry:
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Warrior Training Alliance Team Update
Raytheon Technical Services Co. provided an update on the Warfighter Field Operations Customer Support (FOCUS) program. Raytheon was awarded the contract in June 2007 and began work for the U.S. Army’s PEO STRI in May 2008. The purpose of the 10-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract is to consolidate the Army’s legacy live, virtual and constructive training programs. The estimated value during the life of the contract is $11.2 billion.
One recently completed project enabled the exporting of additional training at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany, to soldiers at home station. “600,000 lines of engineering code later, Raytheon has a modified JMRC Instrumentation System (JMRC-IS) that can be mobilized and taken to soldiers. Portions of this system, called the E-IS, were recently mobilized and shipped to Fort Bragg, N.C., to train the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division,” read a company statement. The company continued, “The system that was transported provided soldiers with the multimedia captures and detailed data needed to conduct analyses and after-action reviews (AAR) that improve soldier and unit readiness before deployment to a realworld conflict. Raytheon has mobilized the system over the past few years and has been expanding its mobile capability.”
Raytheon has also expanded into new areas. These included Fort Huachuca, Ariz., home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, where the team provides training and training support in the human, analytical, imagery, signal and geological intelligence domains. Raytheon also provides training on unmanned aerial systems.
The Raytheon-led Warrior Training Alliance (WTA) team has processed more than 2,991 task orders to date. The Raytheon-led WTA includes major teammates Computer Sciences Corp., General Dynamics Information Technology, MPRI and more than 130 other companies.
Kristin Patterson Jones:
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New Facility for Team Orlando
Central Florida Research Park will soon be home to another facility in the growing modeling and simulation compound. The new building will offer space to several University of Central Florida and U.S. military modeling and simulation organizations, including some high tech labs.
In addition to providing space for the University of Central Florida and the military, the Partnership III building will house UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training laboratories and related modeling and simulation research. The $20 million 118,860-square-foot Partnership III building will also provide space for UCF’s new high-performance computing labs as well as labs for research in physical and biological sciences.
Mary Trier:
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Navy Announces Decision On Undersea Warfare Training Range
Anti-submarine warfare training is a perishable skill. The Navy recently made a significant commitment to support live training events in this mission.
The service announced that it will locate an undersea warfare training range (USWTR) in the Jacksonville, Fla. operating area. Use of the USWTR for training is not anticipated to occur until at least 2014.
Installation consists of the range’s planning, design and construction. When completed, the USWTR will cover an approximately 500-square-nautical-mile area within the waterspace commonly referred to as the Jacksonville OPAREA, where a variety of Navy training already occurs. The USWTR location is well outside the areas designated as critical habitat for the North Atlantic right whale.