A Virtual Lift for UAS Training
Written by Erin Flynn Jay
MT2 2010 Volume: 15 Issue: 4 (July)
There are hundreds of initiatives utilizing UAS.
A big trend for UAS training is the growing reliance
on virtual simulation for operator training.
There are hundreds of initiatives utilizing UAS. Some of the most significant include the use of munitions on aircraft that have historically been for imagery purposes only and manned-unmanned platform (MUM) teaming. A big trend for UAS training is the growing reliance on virtual simulation for operator training.
L-3 Link Simulation & Training is delivering the Predator Mission Aircrew Training System (PMATS) to the U.S. Air Force. The firm has delivered 18 PMATS to date and will deliver 25 systems by February 2011.
PMATS is the primary crew training device for the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper. “It is a high-fidelity simulator that uses an actual ground control station [GCS] that is integrated with L-3 Link’s simulation software and visual system databases to create a fully immersive environment,” said Lenny Genna, L-3 Link Simulation & Training’s vice president for Rotary Wing, Unmanned Aerial and Ground Training Systems. “PMATS simulates aircraft performance, in addition to weapons, sensors and datalink operations. Environmental conditions are also realistically simulated.”
In addition to the GCS, each PMATS unit consists of an instructor operator station, multifunction work station and a local area network (LAN). Users also normally receive a brief/debrief station.
L-3 Link has one key subcontractor for PMATS—General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. They are the prime contractor for the MQ-1 and MQ-9 platforms, said Genna. General Atomics provides the GCS and platform software loads used to build the training device and properly simulate aircraft and subsystem performance.
The training environment closely replicates that used in live operations. “The synthetic environment uses a unique physics-based environment generator to portray complex and realistic urban environments. Training scenarios are developed with actual U.S. Air Force UAS operators. The databases represent current training and operational geographic areas,” said Genna. “The PMATS— which simulates all onboard sensor, weapons and communications systems—has the capability to induce real emergencies, degraded video feeds and environmental conditions that will likely be encountered in real-world operation.”
PMATS is currently networked, via an organic LAN, with other PMATS devices to support multi-ship training.
“There will be continued emphasis on sensor operations and improvement of the training environment. Rapid integration of new payloads and sensors will be critical to simulate future mission environments,” Genna concluded. “Continued improvements will be made to the training environment and sensor/ targeting systems.”
COTS SOFTWARE
Presagis does not work directly on DoD UAS training systems. They develop and deliver commercial off-the-shelf software to customers, including BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and Simlat. These organizations use their tools in the development of department training applications.
For example, Northrop Grumman’s Cyber Warfare Integration Network leverages COTS tools from Presagis to generate advanced, physics-based simulations of high- and low-altitude scenarios, detailed urban environments and sensors that track weather effects, heat sources and radar reflectors. “The integrated scenarios enable Northrop to train operators to analyze the visual output of the unmanned aerial vehicle sensors (such as night vision and infrared sensors), as well as fly the aircraft through a multitude of scenarios,” said Nick Giannias, vice president, Research & Technology at Presagis.
The primary focus of UAS training is on fidelity and realism. For example, Giannias said it is critical that simulated ground stations be indistinguishable from the real thing so that the training experience is as true to life as possible. When possible, the real ground station is actually used in training, except instead of “real” data, simulatorgenerated data is fed into the station for trainees to respond to.
To deliver this level of fidelity, UAS training application developers leverage Presagis tools in the following simulation situations (as an example):
- A key training issue relates to sensor simulation: UAVs are primarily sensor platforms or “eyes in the sky.” If those simulated eyes don’t behave exactly like the real ones, then the operators might learn to do things the wrong way, called “negative training.” One of Presagis’ products, called Vega Prime Sensors, provides the functionality to simulate at very high levels of fidelity to avoid negative training.
- Working in a networked environment is also key: A UAS is only one part of a coordinated effort that involves other UASs, manned aircraft and helicopters, soldiers on the ground and command stations. Another Presagis product, called STAGE, can simulate complex battlefield environments and communications systems so that training applications can be delivered to meet required levels of realism in training.
Giannias sees a few trends in the market that point to a growing need for COTS technology in this area of training.
One is the need to simulate the integration of UASs in a command and control environment. “It’s not enough to just train the operators, you need to train the commanders on how to use UASs most effectively. It is also necessary to train the team to work together—operators, commanders and soldiers on the ground,” said Giannias. “This calls for more complex simulations scenarios and training application development. To deliver high-fidelity training applications to meet these complex needs, teams will need to focus their time and energy solely on application development to meet program timelines.”
Investing energy in developing simulation features and functions from scratch will become too costly. Adoption of COTS modeling and simulation tools will help them speed development without sacrificing simulation functionalities or realism of the training experience.
Another area of interest is that as the demand for UASs continues to increase, so will the need for cost-effective and safe training environments. COTS tools provide a cost-effective approach to developing UAV training programs that ensure organizations can stay at the forefront of innovative and successful training programs.
Next generation UASs will create some interesting challenges and opportunities—they are fast jets, their performances are by far superior to what exists today, and training will have to adapt to these new machines (nEUROn in Europe as well as Phantom Ray in the U.S.), Giannias concluded.
OTHER TRENDS
General Dynamics Information Technology provides UAS training for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps at the Army’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training Battalion at Fort Huachuca. The firm employs over 350 highly trained and experienced UAS professionals who teach over 1,000 students annually, 24 hours a day, on three current DoD platforms: RQ-7 Shadow, MQ-5 Hunter and MQ-1C Gray Eagle.
General Dynamics IT subcontractors are Don Patterson Associates and SGIS, who both provide instructors, primarily for flight operations and maintenance instruction; and ISIS, which provides personnel associated with teaching imagery analysis and others involved in maintenance instruction.
“The training that we provide is the initial training for the Army and Marines that are entering the military or changing jobs within the military. The Army customer provides the equipment we utilize in our training, but General Dynamics IT instructors and support personnel are active in creating training scenarios that are integrated with the approval of the customer,” said Ross Miller, business development manager, Unmanned Systems Training, General Dynamics IT. “When we have worked with manned aircraft, it is coordinated through local National Guard and Reserve elements who also receive training value in the effort. These types of integrated operations are conducted on a limited basis, and are captured in multimedia for use in classroom presentations and illustrations of these tactics and techniques, extending the life of the training, as well as exposing additional trainees to this valuable training.”
There are commonalities within/across the DoD UAS training programs, and include basic imagery analysis and payload manipulation. Each service requires specific training programs, as they utilize and deploy UAS differently to support their various missions, Miller said. The Army UAS program manager’s office is currently working towards fielding a universal ground control station that will be able to fly almost any UAS system in the DoD inventory.
“We are also seeing automatic takeoff and land systems utilizing GPS that would decrease the personnel footprint during real-world operations. Many of the military customers are also searching for a means to provide portable simulator training and support that allows students to study the flight operations portion of their training independently, rather than be completely reliant on instructor-supervised, large-scale simulations,” said Miller. “This type of instructional device would increase simulator time for students that may require more time on the simulator than the standard academic allocation.”
Miller added that there are hundreds of initiatives utilizing UAS, and General Dynamics IT believes the most significant of these include the use of munitions on aircraft that have historically been for imagery purposes only (or aircraft in development); MUM teaming, specifically in efforts to transfer the payload control to the consumer on the ground (military or civil) so that they can complete operational requirements autonomously rather than describe the requirement to the operator through collection managers; and similar operations involving aircraft-to-aircraft cueing may also make their way from the battlefield to the training venue. Lastly, General Dynamics IT believes that the one-system remote viewing terminal will begin to play a stronger role within training audiences, as it allows a customer to receive imagery, targeting support or observe lethal/non-lethal effects from the current aircraft/payload inventory.
SOFTWARE FOR UAV SYSTEMS
DiSTI offers software products and services to create interfaces and instrumentation for UAV systems development and training. DiSTI’s suite of products enables companies, such as L-3 Unmanned Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation and General Atomics, to create highfidelity displays and control interfaces for their UAV’s ground stations. In turn, L-3 Link Simulation & Training and AEgis are among various companies incorporating DiSTI products into training solutions for the unmanned vehicle industry.
“Companies who have developed ground station systems with DiSTI HMI [human machine interface] tools have the ability to seamlessly transition displays and control interfaces created for the tactical UAV into the training solution for the same vehicle,” said Scott Ariotti, director of Sales & Marketing at DiSTI. “This availability vastly streamlines the development and training process for these unmanned vehicles.”
Emerging developments within the embedded industry have allowed for expanded use of DiSTI products and services for UAV applications. For example, Ariotti said DiSTI now supports OpenGL ES 1.1 and 2.0 for its HMI toolkit, GL Studio. This capability enables access to the Apple iDevices (iPod, iPhone, iPad). Now, by using GL Studio’s Safety Critical Embedded C++ code generator, users can deploy GL Studio applications on the iPhone, iPod or iPad. For the unmanned vehicle industry, this translates into portable capability for ground station repeaters and remote control.
EMBEDDED TRAINING
Through collaboration with AeroVironment Incorporated, AEgis developed and delivered a mission planning and operator training capability for the Raven, Puma and Wasp UASs. VAMPIRE (Visualization and Mission Planning Integrated Rehearsal Environment) is an embedded training capability that is 100 percent hosted on the fielded UAS equipment (e.g., no additional hardware requirements) and allows operators to train and rehearse operator and mission-level tasks for each system.
Closely integrated with the FalconView flight planning software currently used by Army UAS operators, VAMPIRE simulates operator tasks such as route and mission planning, as well as in-flight tasks such as target tracking and reaction to emergency procedures. “AEgis’ scenario generation capability will also allow users to build tactical scenarios on geospecific terrain databases built from satellite source imagery,” said Del Beilstein, director of Business Development for Army Programs at AEgis. “Using a large library of realistic 3-D models (humans, vehicles, weapons and aircraft), custom special effects (smoke, explosions, fire, etc.), accurate celestial modeling, and userselected light and weather conditions (including IR simulation), VAMPIRE provides critical training capabilities that are always available to the warfighter regardless of existing weather, airspace or tactical limitations.”
AEgis does not have any subcontractors associated with VAMPIRE or UAS training solutions. All software is developed by AEgis employees working in collaboration with the Raven OEM, AeroVironment.
The transition to digital data link (DDL) will allow video feeds from UAS to be accessed by any warfighter that wants them—from virtually any location on the battlefield.
”Manned/unmanned teaming and sensor-shooter linkage is only the beginning with this kind of capability, and tactics will continue to evolve that allow soldiers to take advantage of it. But with those capabilities come increasingly complex training requirements to teach UAS operators to work in collective, collaborative environments with Army pilots, ground units and even joint entities,” said Beilstein. “It’s critical for training systems to provide tactical scenarios to enhance operator decision-making in addition to standard operator-level tasks. Just like a pilot learning to fly a helicopter, the operator has to learn to think ahead of the aircraft.”
Probably the biggest trend for UAS training is the growing reliance on virtual simulation for operator training. “Because of the restrictions associated with operating UAVs in the national airspace, training organizations are increasingly turning to virtual simulation to establish initial operator qualification and to maintain currency for qualified operators,” said Beilstein. “Just as the Army’s helicopter flight training school has recognized that simulation is a safer and more cost-effective supplement to live flight training, UAS organizations are now also embracing virtual training.”
AEgis’s goal with VAMPIRE is to replicate live training as closely as possible, so the company is developing several new training enhancements that will match the new DDL capabilities that the Army is fielding for its Raven UAS. This new functionality will allow Raven operators to train “relay” operations where one UAV serves as a communications relay for others, extending the effective range of the sensor significantly. ♦