Aero Simulation, Inc. awarded USAF contract to provide ‘Live, Virtual, Constructive’ solutions to Air Education and Training Command

 

In Virtual Reality News

October 6, 2021 – Aero Simulation Inc. (ASI), a provider of flight and maintenance training systems for aircrews, has recently announced its latest contract award to provide commercial and research and development (R&D) expertise to the US Air Force’s (USAF) Air Education and Training Command (AETC) for the development of Live, Virtual, Constructive (LVC) solutions to support training initiatives for airmen across the command.

According to the company, the contract constitutes two Basic Ordering Agreements (BOA), one for commercial solutions and one for R&D efforts, within the LVC domain. The work to be performed will provide support directly to AETC innovators to further develop new and transformational LVC technology to expand AETC’s efforts to revolutionize the training of airmen across the Air Force.

ASI noted that it is the prime contractor for AETC on the T-1 and T-38 Training Systems, which consist of various fidelity aircrew training devices across multiple sites providing Pilot and Combat Systems Operator training as part of Undergraduate Pilot and Navigator Training. ASI’s R&D unit has been working on lightweight, containerized virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) systems, and stated that it will bring this expertise to furthering AETC’s LVC training capabilities.

Commenting on the recent BOA award, Mike Conti, Chief Executive Officer at ASI, said: “ASI is proud to work with AETC to deliver innovative LVC capabilities to our warfighters in training. We have been a leader in LVC capability for several years now as the prime contractor for the Navy Aviation Distributed Training Center which provides multi-level security LVC capability across the Navy’s training systems and on our B-1 contract where we enable Distributed Mission Operations for B-1 aircrew. We look forward to continuing to support this great customer by providing critical LVC capability.”

According to the USAF, its pilot training is operating on largely the same architectures and philosophies that were developed decades ago. One such example includes USAF’s training system for its B-1 bombers, which consists of a legacy design that is expensive to sustain as the aircraft progresses through regular upgrades.

In response to such challenges, earlier this year ASI was awarded a USD $1 million SBIR Phase II contract by USAF, wherein the company demonstrated its ability to provide VR solutions to the defence sector with the development of a lightweight, containerized Virtual Reality Aircrew Training Device (VRATD) that extends to the B-1 aircraft. The company’s VRATD combined commercial-off-the-shelf gaming hardware and software with high fidelity Weapon System software to create a more innovative and cost-effective immersive training device for B-1 pilots.

The company’s previous contract award for the B-1 VRATD (in video shown above and pictured below) included some of the following features:

• High resolution VR Headset;
• Advanced hand tracking with haptic feedback;
• B-1 specific Cursor Controller;
• Gaming engine out-the-window visuals and cockpit;
• Actual aircraft Operational Flight Programs (OFPs);
• Weapon System Trainer (WST) high-fidelity host;
• High-fidelity B-1 specific aerodynamic and engine modelling;
• Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) gateway for Distributed Mission Operations (DMO);
• Easy operation and control through single control interface;
• Open source Instructor Operating Station (IOS) available within the VR headset; and
• Cybersecure for receiving Air Tasking Orders.

For more information on ASI and its virtual training solutions for aircrew, please visit the company’s website.

Image / video credit: ASI / YouTube