Extended to Other Military and Civilian Aircraft
ARINC Engineering
Systems, has been awarded the contract for an innovative Air Force
program that trains air crews to recognize threats from the ground
quickly and to react properly. The Visual Threat Recognition and
Avoidance Trainer (VTRAT) is currently used by the Air Force
Special Operations Command to train fixed-wing and helicopter
crews. The system is easily adapted to train crews of any aircraft,
including private jets and commercial airliners.
Designed like a flight trainer but far less costly, VTRAT
creates views of ground threats as they would be seen through an
aircraft window-missile firing or anti-aircraft artillery. Crew
members are trained to recognize actual threats, and to respond
through action or communications. The system records trainee
performance and provides remedial exercises as needed.
"In the Air Force, all crew members have a primary duty to
identify anti-aircraft threats," stated Dr. Lisa Billman, ARINC
Engineering Services Senior Manager. "But in fact all military and
commercial aircraft operators today share many of the same
concerns. The VTRAT program responds to their needs by providing an
effective visual training course which will provide a measure of
protection if an incident occurs."
VTRAT was developed at the Air Force Research Lab Information
Systems Training Branch, under a direct contract with Command
Technologies Inc. (CTI) of Warrenton, Virginia. The VTRAT program
has now been transitioned to the 311th Human Systems Wing, School
of Aerospace Medicine, which will enhance the system's capabilities
and expand its customer base to other military and civilian
aircraft operators.
ARINC Engineering Services, along with CTI as subcontractor,
will provide enhanced instructional content and customize the
system's applications to a wider range of aircraft. ARINC will also
integrate real-world lessons from current combat into the system to
reflect actual field conditions.
The system uses adaptive training to teach trainees the required
skills in small parts, and can operate fully automatically. It also
has a provision for human instructors to guide lessons in a
free-play mode. The state-of-the-art visual display simulates
terrain overflight with several types of anti-aircraft threats such
anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), various infrared (IR) and radar
guided surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), as well as an example of
small arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), artillery flares,
and multi-launcher rocket systems (MLRS). The system provides
real-time simulated control of aircraft altitude, speed, and flight
path, with dynamic placement and firing of threats under daytime or
nighttime conditions. The simulation exercises are combined with
intelligent tutoring developed by subject matter experts and
cognitive psychologists.
The VTRAT system is currently used to train Air Force crews for
a number of helicopter and fixed-wing platforms, and the Air
Mobility Command has committed to extending VTRAT training to their
flight crews.