Company Also Installs UAS Sims, Upgrades at Tucson And Holloman
Bases
L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link) announced Tuesday
it is collaborating with Sinclair Community College, based in
Dayton, Ohio, to educate students and industry participants in the
operation and application of unmanned aircraft systems to support
future global market requirements.
In support of this initiative, which aims to establish a
National UAS Training and Certification Center on Sinclair’s
campus, L-3 Link will install its UAS Classroom Training Suite,
which includes 10 student stations that have independent vehicle
and sensor controls. Sinclair has developed a curriculum and course
materials, and will provide classroom instruction.
The suite includes a single instructor operator station and UAS
training models that can be tailored and adapted to represent a
specific UAS platform type. The suite will provide training focused
on flight operations, payload integration, sensors, controls and
communications.
Also on Tuesday, L-3 Link announced it has installed a Predator
Mission Aircrew Training System (PMATS, pictured above) at Tucson
Air National Guard (ANG) Base and completed upgrades on fielded
systems at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB).
Leonard Genna, president of L-3 Link, explains, "These most
recent efforts continue to underscore our goal to work closely with
the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard to ensure that Predator
and Reaper combat operators gain highly realistic training that
supports each service’s global vigilance, reach and power
objectives."
The PMATS unit at the Tucson ANG Base, which supports the 162nd
Fighter Wing, is providing MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper pilot and
sensor operator continuation training. This training system, which
includes individual instructor/operator and multifunction
workstations, was delivered in June of this year.
The upgrades on PMATS units at Holloman AFB are now being
integrated on all 26 fielded systems. Constant enhancements to
PMATS are enabling MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor
operators to undergo fully-immersive, mission-based simulation
exercises.
Each training system uses an actual ground control station that
is integrated with L-3 Link’s simulation software and visual
system databases to create a high-fidelity environment that
simulates aircraft performance, weapons, sensors, communications,
datalink operations, emergencies, degraded video feeds and
environmental conditions. Predator and Reaper crews can gain
initial qualification, mission qualification, continuation and
mission rehearsal training on the PMATS.