11 octobre 2023 | International, Aérospatial, Sécurité
American Rheinmetall exhibits drone-killing robotic vehicle at AUSA
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5 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval
Collins’ virtual dogfighting training system flies on US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet
By Garrett Reim
The US Navy has completed the first in-flight test of Collins Aerospace's Tactical Combat Training System II (TCTS II), a system that could become the brains behind future large-scale virtual dogfights.
The service tested the system on a US Navy (USN) F/A-18E Super Hornet at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, Collins Aerospace says.
TCTS II's wing-tip mounted pods, integrated into ground stations and onboard computers, allow naval aviators to dogfight without actually firing a shot. The system allows virtual firing of missiles and guns.
The system features a number of improvements versus older combat training systems, Collins said on 1 February.
Unlike prior legacy systems, “TCTS II connects to the aircraft weapons bus securely, which provides access to classified aircraft data, and then pushes and pulls data,” says the company. “When it pushes data, it stimulates aircraft systems and sensors, so the pilot thinks they are engaging with real threats.”
It can simulate situations where the aviator uses a jet's active electronically scanned array radar or infrared search-and-track sensor. The system can also simulate a number of weapons, from unclassified operational munitions to those classified Top Secret. And, TCTS II can deliver real-time kill notifications.
“What starts the simulation is when the pilot pulls the trigger in the aircraft just like in a real mission,” says Collins. “It also sends a signal to the ground and range training officer's screen, showing them a sim weapon has been launched. Algorithms then run that calculation, the likelihood of a good shot in percentages, and display that to the range training officer.”
The simulation also can be manipulated by personnel on the ground.
“The range training officer can then decide if they want that shot to count – and remove the targeted platform from the exercise – or overrule the simulation to allow that platform to continue fighting for training purposes,” says Collins. “The shot would then be debriefed later with all interested parties and the accuracy of the shots can then be discussed.”
During combat training simulations, TCTS II collects data that can later be reviewed to develop new tactics, techniques and procedures. Collins claims this speeds up development times to a “matter of weeks, instead of months or years”.
TCTS II can simulate a variety of combat training, from two-on-two dogfights to exercises with more than 200 participants, the company says. It can also simulate threats from ground-based weapons.
The first flight of TCTS II on the F/A-18E is part of the developmental test phase. Collins anticipates it will pave the way for a USN production decision later this year.
The system is expected to be qualified on every aircraft in the service's fleet, including Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters.
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2 décembre 2019 | International, C4ISR, Sécurité
New details emerge on a nearly $1B cyber contract
By: Mark Pomerleau The Army provided new details about its nearly $1 billion cyber training contract that will serve as the cornerstone of the Department of Defense's much needed cyber training platform. The Army released Nov. 25 updated information regarding the scope of work for the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE), which is the main component for the nearly $957 billion Cyber Training, Readiness, Integration, Delivery and Enterprise Technology (TRIDENT) contract. PCTE, an online client in which members of U.S. Cyber Command's cyber mission force can log on from anywhere in the world for training and to rehearse missions, is one of the more critical needs for Cyber Command. Currently, no integrated or robust cyber training environment exists. The updated statement of work, posted in advance of the Dec. 2 industry day, provides details regarding the overall TRIDENT contract, which will extend training services beyond Cyber Command to the joint services. It is expected that a single vendor will be selected for TRIDENT, serving as the integrator for various efforts that will be strung together to make up PCTE. At a general level, the updated documents describe a variety of management, maintenance and evolution services the contractor shall provide for PCTE. Included among those services: Platform architecture and product management Agile development and delivery systems engineering processes Development and automation Hardware and software infrastructure management Event or exercise support Cyber Innovation Challenge (CIC) capability integration and event support Development Operations (DevOps) environment management Distributed configuration management among various vendors and stakeholders PCTE infrastructure tool management License management Onsite and remote support Additional documents include details on three separate delivery orders. The first involves support for infrastructure and maintenance, the second involves support for the integration factory of PCTE capabilities, and the third provides details on platform capability production of PCTE. Currently, the Army is in the prototype phase of PCTE. Using what are known as Cyber Innovation Challenges to award smaller companies a piece of the program, they are incrementally building a platform. That platform, which is being used by forces currently, is helping to prove out the concept for PCTE, refine requirements for the final contract, and reduce risk. Regarding the future of the TRIDENT contract, industry sources have explained that a request for proposals was expected in November with a final proposal expected in March 2020. An award for TRIDENT is expected in late 2020. https://www.fifthdomain.com/dod/2019/11/26/new-details-emerge-on-a-nearly-1b-cyber-contract/