Polygons & Lumens

Christie, a leader in professional display and visualization solutions, was again selected by the U.S. Air Force and Quanta Dyn Corp. to power its new Boom Operator Weapons System Trainer (BOWST). Featuring a custom visual system and structure designed and built by Christie, the BOWST’s compound spherical screen is powered by 10 Christie Matrix 3000 DLP projectors. This is the second BOWST to be constructed by Christie for the Air Force and is being deployed at Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. The first BOWST project was also the first installation to use Christie’s Automatic Display System Calibration and Christie Motorized Optical Blending. “These technologies have become integral to arrayed projection by removing technical barriers often associated with multiple projector displays,” Zoran Veselic, vice president, Visual Environments, Christie, pointed out for MT2.

Veselic provided further insight into other technology applications for this installation. “Christie Automatic Display System Calibration automatically adjusts image geometry and detailed edge-blending on cylindrical, flat or spherical screens. It also effortlessly automates other routine maintenance support functions, including color tuning, brightness and gamma balancing. Christie Motorized Optical Blending optimizes the projectors’ edge-blending capabilities for dark/night scenes to ensure content is evenly maintained across the entire display, without any residual light distractions or artifacts.”

Dorina Belu: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

VIT MAK to Integrate DI-Guy Software into Two Products

VT MÄK (MAK) and DI-Guy announced the integration of the DI-Guy Product into MÄK Stealth and VR-Forces. Users of the two MÄK products will be able to add more realistic human characters to their scenarios from DI-Guy’s library of hundreds of lifelike characters and models, according to a statement provided to MT2 by MÄK.

Marc Schlackman: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Modifications Completed for EA-6B Trainer

DEI Services completed the development, fabrications and testing of modifications to the EA-6B Operational Flight/ Navigation Trainer at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. DEI was awarded the contract for a major upgrade to the visualization system, to include a new image generation system and integrate new projectors into the existing image display subsystem, as well as enhance the trainer by making it interoperable in a simulated tactical environment on the Tactical Environment Network.

David Miller: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Alion to Provide Navy ASW Training

Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned technology solutions provider, has won a $37.9 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract to provide PC-based, integrated Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) training systems for the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) Training Systems Division in Orlando, Fla. Alion will support the continued development of Mission Rehearsal Tactical Team Trainer (MRT3) technologies for the SH-60B and SH-60F Navy helicopters. The contract calls for upgrades and life cycle support at ASW training locations worldwide and will allow Alion to continue its integrated computer-based training in the ASW area. The scope of work includes providing an interoperable, distributed, mobile and deployable continuous training capability.

The MRT3 for the SH-60B model is a suite of five COTS laptop systems that form the pilot, airborne tactical officer, sensor operator, instructor operating station and acoustic generator. “This suite is designed to be deployed with the aircrew and setup within 15 minutes allowing for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission rehearsal prior to mission execution. The MRT3 is capable of producing high-fidelity acoustics to the aircrew and allows the team to practice the cognitive skills necessary to perform ASW. A separate MRT3 suite is modeled after the Navy SH-60F and allows the crew to rehearse mission specific objectives,” Peter Jacobs, spokesperson, Alion, told MT2.

New products are envisioned under this contract. “We are working on delivering effective active acoustic simulation technology, which supports realistic shipboard active sonar training. Other initiatives that we foresee in the near term include the P-3 Aircrew Tactical Team Trainer, which leverages MRT3 technology, to support the Navy P-3 community, as well as extended echo ranging simulations,” concluded Jacobs.

The contract runs to August 14, 2013. Subcontractors under Alion include Advanced Acoustic Concepts, A. Harold and Associates, ASTi, Camber, DiSTI, Lockheed Martin, MTS Technologies Inc., Novonics, RDR, Referentia, Science Applications International Corp. and Sonalysts.

Richard Brooks: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Eyes on Talisman Saber 2009

Calytrix Training Systems has been awarded an ongoing support contract by the Joint Combined Training Capability ( JCTC) for the delivery of a broad range of services heading toward the beginning of Talisman Sabre 2009.

During the last three years, Calytrix Training Systems has delivered essential continuity and broad management to the JCTC and key training support activities. The company’s JCTC Simulation Support Group delivers project management, auxiliary and administrative support, systems engineering, network engineering, surge support, exercise planning and assessment capabilities, and subject matter support to JCTC.

Shawn Parr: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ECS Awarded Contract to Bolster Army Medical Training

Engineering & Computer Simulations (ECS) received a contract award from the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Simulation and Training Technology Center (RDECOMSTTC) to adapt its U.S. Nexus (a National Guard-sponsored program that provides a secure persistent virtual world capability for training and collaboration) to meet the U.S. Army’s constantly evolving medical training requirements. A primary component of this work entails accessing the virtual world features through Internet-enabled mobile devices, which are becoming more prevalent in the Army’s work force.

Through the development and implementation of Medical Nexus, ECS will demonstrate how various technologies can be blended and distributed to meet the Army Medical Department’s training and education requirements. Medical Nexus will deliver instructional content that combines elements of persistent 3-D virtual worlds, immersive learning environments, virtual classrooms, simulation-based training, and collaborative, online knowledge repositories. The program will also include development and incorporation of Web 2.0 tools, technologies, processes and methodologies that take best practices from the commercial world and integrate them into a comprehensive knowledge network.

ECS will also investigate different methods of delivering instructional content through a mobile device and will demonstrate the potential of mobile devices to deliver rich, scenario-based simulations that support adaptive learning. “The mobile medic application is being developed for internet-enabled mobile devices to include the new iPhone 3G and Windows Mobile SmartPhones,” Waymon Armstrong, president and CEO, told MT2. He concluded, “The mobile medic application is a 12-month effort. A working prototype is scheduled to be released in spring 2009.”

Joe O'Connell: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Raytheon Tapped for Navy Learning Contract

Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC (RTSC), a subsidiary of Raytheon Co., has been selected by the U.S. Navy to provide education and training solutions for the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center. RTSC will support the center with instructional systems development, program management and analytical support to deliver products, tools and services to the Navy’s Total Force enterprise for the development of a competency-based work force capable of meeting current and future warfighting efforts.

An approximate 55-member RTSC team supports its Navy customer under the previous contract. “The original contract was more narrowly defined with respect to just curriculum development and some technology integration. This contract is broadened to be training technology support for the Navy’s integrated learning environment,” Phil Alvarez, business development director, RTSC, told MT2.

While the RTSC support team had not been tasked under this new award with a specific technology project earlier this fall, it has a rich history of delivering technologyenabled courses. Some of the many service ratings previously supported include fire controlman and hospital corpsman. “All the courses we are completing are SCORM 2004 conformant, Section 508 compliant,” emphasized Chuck Lambeck, program manager. Under the new contract award, the RTSC team will also provide analytical support.

Chuck Lambeck: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Training Support Contract for TUAS

AAI Corp. announced that its family of training aids, devices, simulators and simulations (TADSS) has been selected to support training for Army National Guard units operating the RQ-7B Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft systems (TUAS). Awarded by the U.S. Army’s PEO STRI office, Orlando, the initial order includes 25 high-fidelity Shadow crew trainers (SCT) and interactive multimedia instruction.

“This contract was awarded to AAI on July 21, 2008. We will deliver the first unit to the customer within 90 days of the contract award date. Units two through five will be delivered on a monthly basis. We will deliver unit six with enhanced capabilities within nine months of the contract award date, and subsequently upgrade devices—one through five. The customer has contracted for a total of 25 systems to date; units seven through 25 will be delivered monthly. There is an option to deliver an additional 16 systems,” Sharon Corona, spokesperson, AAI, told MT2.

Each Shadow crew trainer features two simulated One System ground control stations (GCS), a role player and a ground crew launch and recovery station controlled by an integrated instructor/operator station. AAI created two interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) modules for its U.S. Army National Guard customer. The first is part of the Shadow crew trainer. “This IMI module provides students crew skills training on how to successfully conduct pre-launch operations checks. The IMI is used by a launch operator to progress through the preoperations checks and call-and-response communications with the air vehicle operator and mission payload operator in order to successfully prepare the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for launch,” remarked Corona.

The second encompasses 60 hours of comprehensive, self-paced instruction to enable students to maintain UAS proficiency. In a closely related development, MetaVR announced recent sales of 70 real-time 3-D visualization licenses to AAI Corp. to support rendering synthetic camera payload video in the training component of their GCS. In 2008 AAI has purchased 129 MetaVR real-time 3-D visualization licenses. AAI uses the MetaVR 3-D visualization software licenses to provide the embedded 3-D synthetic payload visualization system for training UAS operators for the GCSs that are manufactured for the U.S. Army. Since 2002, AAI has purchased 328 MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) licenses to support the Hunter, Shadow TUAS, Warrior extended-range multi-purpose (ERMP) unmanned aerial systems, and most recently their new RQ-7B trainer.

Glen Monrad: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Garth Smith: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it