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2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Longest Established Simulation & Training Magazine

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September 2015 Volume 20, Issue 5

Part-Task Trainers O Mental Training O Virtual Marksmanship

MEGGITT TRAINING SYSTEMS

PROUD TO JOIN FORCES WITH THE US ARMY AND US MARINE CORPS Innovative. Immersive. Intelligent.

Meggitt Training Systems partners with defense forces around the world to deliver systems innovation, immersive virtual weapons training and intelligent technology. That position as the global simulation leader was underscored when Meggitt was chosen as the simulation system of record for both the US Armyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Engagement Skills Training (EST II) and US Marine Corps Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer (ISMT). Our small arms training systems offer 3-D marksmanship with moving eye-point perspective, an intelligent coaching application and flexible systems architecture to meet current

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and future training needs. These innovations reflect Meggittâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to intelligent, customized training and combat readiness solutions for those who protect us.

military Training technology Features

September 2015 Volume 20, Issue 5

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Special Section

2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies

Global simulation and training, driven by companies at the leading edge in their fields, are constantly innovating technologies and processes that produce better results, lower the direct and indirect costs, and better shape today’s agile forces. Each year, Military Training Technology gathers together the simulation and training community, assess their contributions and produce our industry-recognized Top Simulation & Training Companies list.

We also go further by recognizing companies for their specific achievements in areas such as Best Programs, High Revenue, Innovation and Up and Coming.

Colonel Walt Yates

Part-task trainers teach specific skill sets, allowing training to be broken up into many pieces and taught intensively a piece at a time. They are an essential element of a smart approach to training defense air and ground crews, where so many different tasks must be mastered before missions can be effectively flown. By Henry Canaday

Like so many other aspects of military training, marksmanship instruction is moving increasingly to virtual environments, where the costs and dangers are lower and the benefits comparable with live fire in learning most aspects of this fundamental warfighter skill. Even so, developers of virtual marksmanship training systems must work harder than ever to keep up with changing military needs. By Erin Flynn Jay

Army researchers have found effective techniques to dramatically improve soldiers’ cognitive and physical abilities through a regimen of mental skills training. The success of the study led the Army to permanently incorporate cognitive skills training into basic combat training. By David Vergun

Part Training for Smart Training

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Virtual Marksmanship Training

Army Boosts Mental Training

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Editor’s Perspective Program highlights data packets Team orlando Resource center

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“smart technologies, integrated solutions”

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Program Manager PM TRASYS U.S. Marine Corps

Military Training Technology Volume 20, Issue 5 • September 2015

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EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE As the U.S. Army’s largest combined airborne training event in Europe since the end of the Cold War, the recently staged Exercise Swift Response 15 has received a lot of attention of late, coming as it does during a period of strained relations with Russia over Ukraine and other topics. But the exercise—which included 4,800 servicemembers from NATO members, including Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States—was much more than a demonstration of geopolitical resolve against potential aggression. Rather, it was a big-time example of the Harrison Donnelly Editor future of military training in the field. One noteworthy aspect of the late-summer event was the extent to which the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command ( JMTC), the Army’s only overseas combat training center, used technology to provide a new way to connect training throughout Europe. JMTC has been training in Europe for decades, but only with small mobile training teams or isolated exercises. Now, it is launching massive operations that span national borders to create realistic and dynamic scenarios. It represents a seismic shift for military training, analysts say, as multinational exercises with thousands of participants sometimes hundreds of miles apart are carried out seamlessly and simultaneously. Connecting the dispersed training events of Swift Response 15 was a challenge, but JMTC specialists developed a solution that combines boots-on-the-ground trainers and digital instrumentation to present, influence and analyze the battlefield, all within a single operational scenario. A key component of their capabilities was the Raytheon-developed Mobile Instrumentation System, the core of which was a network of audio-visual capture and transmitting devices that monitored and tracked the progress of the training, both in isolated locations in Eastern Europe and in Germany. U.S. participants in the exercise included the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne, which will assume responsibilities as the Army’s Global Response Force at the end of the year, with the mission of being able to deploy anywhere in the world within 96 hours of notification.

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Soldiers participate in urban operations training during Northern Strike 15 on Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, Mich. Northern Strike assesses joint air-to-ground capability and involves hundreds of military personnel from 20 different states as well as Canada, Latvia, Poland and Australia. [Photo courtesy of Department of Defense]

When your mission is to train efﬁciently Use MetaVR VRSG to render expansive, geospeciﬁc, round-earth, sub-inch imagery at 60 Hz.

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Real-time screen captures are from MetaVR’s visualization system. The 3D virtual terrain is of geospeciﬁc target areas at Fallon Range Training Complex, Nevada, with 2 cm per-pixel imagery collected by the MetaVRC™ platform. This screen capture is unedited except as required for printing. The real-time rendering of the 3D virtual world is generated by MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator™ (VRSG™). 3D model is from MetaVR’s 3D content libraries. © 2015 MetaVR, Inc. All rights reserved. MetaVR, Virtual Reality Scene Generator, VRSG, MetaVRC, the phrase “Geospeciﬁc simulation with game quality graphics,” and the MetaVR logo are trademarks of MetaVR, Inc.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS British Army Orders Small-Arms Trainers Meggitt has been awarded £10.2 million in contracts from the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) to upgrade British Army Dismounted Close-Combat Trainers (DCCT)—small arms trainers. The three contracts upgrade existing trainers with the FATS M100 system architecture, provide DCCTportable configurations and add Future Integrated Soldier Technology (FIST) Phase 4 Fire Control System simulation training onto the DCCT platform as a complement to livefire FIST equipment. Two contracts include an expansion of Meggitt’s FATS M100 system architecture across the balance of the MoD small-arms trainers, and upgrades to their forward air controller and indirect fire trainers. The FATS M100 small arms trainer supports the next generation of military training systems and Meggitt’s own simulated weapons selection, incorporating marksmanship, judgmental videos, traditional computer-generated imagery and third-party virtual simulation products. The integrated training solution leverages the existing DCCT capabilities and the FATS M100 architecture enhanced system features for long-term capability, growth and training sustainability for small-arms trainers. This DCCT growth path enables FIST training, long-term system sustainment and productive capability growth to meet future training requirements. Larry Raines; larry.raines@meggitt.com

Air Force Picks 25 for Training Systems Acquisition The Air Force has awarded open-ended contracts with a total potential value of $20.9 billion over 10 years to 25 companies under the Training Systems Acquisition III multiple-award contract. Contractors will provide for the analysis, design, development, production, installation, integration, test and sustainment for Air Force training systems encompassing complex aircrew, maintenance and system-specific training systems in support of warfighter training at operating locations worldwide. The large business awardees are AAI, Boeing, CAE USA, Camber, Computer Sciences Corp., Cubic Defense Applications, Flight Safety Services, L-3 Communications Corp., LB&B Associates, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, Northrop Grumman Technical Services and Raytheon Technical Services. The small business awardees are Aero Simulation, Aerospace Training Systems Partners, Aviation Training Consulting, Bowhead Systems Management, CTE Joint Venture, CymSTAR, Delaware Resource Group, DL PI, Fidelity Technologies, Logistics Services International, Nakuuruq Solutions, Nova Technologies and Quadrant Training Solutions.

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Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

MScene Generator Supports Synthetic Flight Training MetaVR has delivered 48 Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) licenses to Fidelity Flight Simulation Inc. (F2Si) for the production of eight UH-72A Lakota Synthetic Flight Training Systems (SFTS) for the Army National Guard. Last fall, the Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation awarded F2Si the contract to build the eight UH-72A Lakota SFTS trainers and deliver them to the eastern and western regional Army aviation training sites starting in May 2016. Each mobile UH-72A SFTS comprises a 53-foot self-contained tractor trailer which houses the UH-72A flight training device (FTD). The two-seat cockpit FTD will use six VRSG licenses—four for out-the-window views and two for sensor views. The training simulator will feature a collapsible partial fabric dome display (220 degrees by 60 degrees) provided by Immersive Display Solutions. The UH-72A FTD, which will exceed the FAA Level 6 Flight Training Device equivalent, will support institutional, organizational and sustainment training for active component and reserve component aviation units. The training system will provide the capability for aviation units to train and sustain the performance of selected critical tasks and will also allow UH-72A qualified aviators to maintain proficiency in high-risk tasks. As part of the VRSG sale, MetaVR is building 3-D virtual terrain of 16 U.S. military and commercial airfields for training purposes. The virtual airfields are compiled with imagery ranging from 15-30 centimeter per-pixel resolution, coupled with 3 meter-per pixel National Elevation Dataset or DTED 1 elevation data. Each virtual airfield will have one or more runway models, a geo-specific control tower model, runway lights and signage and geo-located geo-typical models ranging from hangars, offices, storage facilities and other structures in the area of interest. The runway models use a custom digital elevation model to provide greater than 95 percent accuracy for runway elevations to match FAA charts. The virtual airfields are built with MetaVR Terrain Tools for Esri ArcGIS, followed by the use of VRSG Scenario Editor for the placement of persistent cultural features on the terrain. W. Garth Smith; wgsmith@metavr.com

Contract Supports Army TRADOC Operating Environment CGI has won a $124 million, five-year contract with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Intelligence Directorate (TRADOC G2) for program management and technical support of core functions and operating environment. TRADOC G2 defines, describes and delivers the operating environment (OE) for Army training. The OE provides training scenarios, threat replication and data needed to assure Army units are prepared to meet the challenges of complex environments, including traditional military as well as asymmetric and hybrid threats. As the incumbent prime contractor, CGI has helped TRADOC G2 lower costs, accelerate project delivery schedules and significantly improve project quality, all while providing the tools and dashboards needed to improve leadership visibility and control.

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Part Training for Smart Training Part-task trainers are an essential part of training when many different tasks must be mastered before missions. By Henry Canaday, MT2 Correspondent can be networked to a full-mission simulator and other combat aircraft. For example, Part-task trainers (PTTs) teach specific so entire aircrews can train together. CAE developed several PTTs for the C-130J skill sets, allowing training to be broken The company also makes PTTs that can Super Hercules, covering avionics manageup into many pieces and taught intensively interoperate with other training systems, ment, cockpit procedures, loadmasters and a piece at a time. They are an essential eleenabling full-mission as well as independent maintenance. ment of a smart approach to training defense training. This allows more training to be For the KC-135 Stratotanker, CAE air and ground crews, where many different done economically on PTTs, instead of exworked with CymSTAR on a boom operator tasks must be mastered before missions can pensively on aircraft. weapon systems trainer, which enabled the be effectively flown. CAE is now researching integrating PTTs Air Force to increase trainPTTs can be physical repwith computer-based courseware to exploit ing while saving money on licas of the equipment to be data analytics and deliver a closed-loop, adaplive-aircraft training. Other trained on, simulations of this tive learning environment. Baigrie predicted aircraft for which CAE has reequipment and related tasks, that this environment will train pilots and cently developed PTTs include or combinations of both. The other aviation specialists more economically the MH-60R Seahawk, P-8A more realistic, detailed and than they are trained today. Poseidon and UH-72A Lakota. complete on a set of tasks, the Baigrie pointed to aerial better. The best PTTs increasrefueling as a great example ingly integrate with related Mission Rehearsal of the importance of PTTs. PTTs and other training tech“It is incredibly complex and niques, from classrooms to L-3 Link makes the SimuStrike and SiSteve Baigrie sometimes dangerous to real aircraft. muScout PTTs, plus a system of maintenance “PTTs are often ideal for steve.baigrie@caemilusa.com perform and requires great PTTs for the MQ-1C Gray Eagle, explained precision and practice,” he said. familiarization and learning procedures,” Frank Casano, vice president of strategic deMilitaries around the world are increasnoted Steve Baigrie, vice president, engivelopment. ingly using PTTs for aerial refueling and neering and operations at CAE U.S. “They are SimuStrike is a low-cost, reconfiguboom operations, since it is exorbitantly often the most appropriate and cost-effective rable mission-rehearsal simulator used by expensive to teach refueling in real aircraft training solutions for many lessons.” the U.S. Navy and allied forces for F/A-18 because so many aircraft and crews are Military organizations increasingly look Hornets and by international customers required. for this cost-effective training. Learning can for F-16 Fighting Falcons. “Although SiCAE developed several refueling PTTs be self-paced, in classrooms, on PTTs, in fullmuStrike is a low-footprint device, it packs for the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports mission simulators and in actual aircraft. a tremendous amount of capability in a por(MRTT) of the Royal Australian Air Force “CAE is an expert at helping optimize the table configuration,” Casano said. and United Arab Emirates Air Force. These overall training system,” Baigrie said. SimuStrike offers fully integrated aviare sophisticated, high-fidelCAE offers many PTTs with varying deonics, air vehicle, weapons, ity devices for training in a grees of fidelity. These cover tasks such as targeting and electronic safe, cost-effective environbasic flight training and operating acoustic, warfare simulation. It trains ment. The air refueling offisonar, radar and forward-looking infrared in radar engagements, tarcer on the MRTT sits near the sensors. Other CAE PTTs cover avionics sysgeting pod tracking, lasing, flight deck just behind the tems, weapons and maintenance of aviongeo-coordination and airpilot, unlike earlier tankers ics, engines, flight controls, auxiliary power crew operation. SimuStrike with this officer in the tail. units and fuel systems. Finally, there are can be reconfigured in 15 CAE’s PTT combines sevPTTs for cargo and loadmasters, gunners and minutes for pilots or weapon en visual channels with 3-D air refueling. operators, or for other airgoggles and displays to realisCAE PTTs cover just about every categocraft. Its touchscreen instruFrank Casano tically show the boom and apry of military aircraft, including transports, mentation can be embedded proaching aircraft. The PTT frank.casano@l-3com.com in computer-based training tankers, maritime patrol, helicopters, fighters www.MT2-kmi.com

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so trainees can refresh lessons before an exercise. SimuScout, meanwhile, is a portable, medium-fidelity suite for training teams on manned and unmanned aircraft. It is now configured for a team of an RQ-7 Shadow and two OH-58D Kiowa Warriors. SimuScout covers reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and acquisition in a fully immersive, high-intensity and task-loaded environment. It is the only system that can train networked teams and maintain readiness without expensive and dangerous live training. L-3’s training system for maintenance on Gray Eagle has an open system architecture uniting four physical PTTs, interactive multimedia instruction and simulation. The first PTT, for avionics, armament and electronics, is an actual aircraft modified for training in operational checks, fault isolation, removals and installations. The airframe PTT is a full-scale aircraft mockup for training that requires fidelity in weight, center of gravity and dimensions. It trains in disassembly, systems removal, loading, unpacking and assembly for operations.

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The engine PTT is a full-scale mockup Apache’s ammunition feed, and added virof the tail of the MQ-1C, allowing attachtual capability to the PTT for maintenance ment of actual engines for removal, installaof the aircraft’s environmental controls. tion and component replacement, while the The company also worked on many other ground control station PTT trains in conApache PTTs. trolling aircraft components and repairing For the CH-47, LSI made the Chinook the control station. Helicopter Maintenance Trainer (CHMT) The overall system provides high-fidelTen-Level for instruction in maintenance ity, immersive training for initial qualificaand troubleshooting. LSI’s CHMT Thirtytion, transition and continuation training Level gives advanced instructions, and its in maintaining the MQ-1C, Casano said. CHMT Electrical Virtual simulates aircraft Students are taught to locate components, for electrical mechanics. LSI’s Chinook perform maintenance procedures, observe Cockpit Part Task Trainer simulates the internal-system responses and do hands-on line replaceable units of Chinooks to train hardware tasks. maintainers in removal and installation. The system instructs mechanics in LSI offers PTTs for many other Chinook maintaining communication, electrical, maintenance tasks. navigation and mission sysLSI principally supports tems, instruments and flight the Chinook, Blackhawk and controls and equipment for Apache, but has designed electronic warfare, propulPTTs for the P-3 Orion. “We sion and fueling. It blends support almost all maintephysical and virtual training nance tasks for maintainers to keep costs low and eason these aircraft,” Ulander ily stay current with aircraft explained. changes. Servers generIn designing mainteate and wirelessly transmit nance PTTs, LSI starts with graphics to students and crash- or battle-damaged Brett Ulander devices, including tablets, helicopters. LSI’s site is on workstations and touchan active runway, so a C-17 bulander@lsijax.com screen displays. Dual displays Globemaster can drop a damshow students both technical aged helicopter at its front manuals and the Gray Eagle door. “After an engineering in interactive 3-D. assessment, we put it on a L-3 pushes content flat bed, send it to our manuacross its family of systems facturing facility in Pensacso it can be accessed on highola, Fla., refinish and then fidelity trainers, PTTs and rewire it into a specific type tablets, lowering costs. Caof trainer that simulates all sano noted that the blended the systems for that type of training approach used on maintenance training. This Kyle Crooks Gray Eagle will be extended is a unique approach and a to other PTTs. major cost saver.” LSI continues to expand the aircraft models it supports. “Our Virtual Integrated Maintenance Instruction Environment (VIE) trainers are the wave of the future,” Ulander said. “On these, you can Logistic Services International (LSI) has train almost all tasks prior to ever touching built or enhanced a wide variety of PTTs, acactual helicopters or hardware trainers.” cording to Marketing Director Brett Ulander. TRU Simulation + Training’s PTTs train For example, for the flight-control aircraft maintenance technicians, explained maintenance PTT on the AH-64D Apache, Kyle Crooks, vice president and general LSI added a virtual interactive aircraft and manager of TRU’s Maintenance Training virtual-crew station interface. LSI built both division. These trainers can be high-fidelity hardware and software for the Apache’s PTT replications in the hangar or computeron electrical, mechanical and hydraulic based simulations in classrooms. maintenance. PTTs can be developed for any aircraft, The company also redesigned and imCrooks pointed out. For military customproved the original Gun PTT to enable stuers, TRU currently supports training for dents to see full internal workings of the www.MT2-kmi.com

U.S. Air Force aircraft, including the C-17 Globemaster, the B-1B Lancer and the F-22 Raptor. TRU is also involved in commercial maintenance training with Textron products and aircraft such as the Bell V-280 Valor. TRU can provide training solutions across the full spectrum of aircrew and technician training, Crooks emphasized. It has training solutions for pilots, maintainers and individual crew positions. For instance, TRU has provided unmanned aircraft trainers for pilots, navigators, payload operators, loadmasters, sensor operators and launch and recovery crews. TRU PTTs are designed with continuous manufacturer involvement, and it uses the most modern development processes, certified as AS9100C and ISO 9001:2008. “We also pride ourselves on developing low-cost PTTs through reuse of actual weapon systems, slightly modified for classrooms,” Crooks said. TRU has obtained several damaged aircraft that will be dismantled to make PTTs for maintenance students. The company also recently developed a software-based

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classroom environment for F-35 Lighting II maintenance training, which enables a single instructor to train a large number of students in frontline technician tasks. Pinnacle has extensive experience with the UH-60 Black Hawk Cockpit Emergency Procedures Trainer (CEPT), according to President Mike Durant. The CEPT was originally built to train on initial entry rotary wing and emergency procedures for student pilots entering the UH-60’s initial and transition courses. Pinnacle has also developed an ARC231 aircraft radio PTT that provides a fully functional radio simulation to support new equipment team and sustainment training for operators, maintainers and communication specialists. In addition, the company has provided modification kits for PTTs for UH-72 Lakotas, OH-58D Kiowa Warriors, UH-60Ms and other fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, including AC/MC-130, CH-47F and MH-47G Chinooks, AW159 Wildcats and S70i Black Hawks. The Blackhawk CEPT primarily instructs trainees on starting, running up,

shutdown and handling emergencies for the UH-60, while all operator and maintainer tasks are covered by the ARC-231 PTT. “Our ARC-231 trainer is based on scalable core software,” Durant explained. “We developed, tested and validated all the complex functionality of the ARC-231 and designed the core to provide simulation as a fully interactive computer-based trainer, a stand-alone PTT or a kit for any full-flight simulator. As new releases are fielded, we roll changes in our core model out concurrently on any device.” Pinnacle has now developed simulation for various crypto-loaders and is beginning to design that function into its PTTs and simulator kits.

Image Generators Truly realistic PTTS often require the effort of several firms that provide supporting software or hardware. For example, Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) makes software that lends visual realism critical for some PTTs.

MT2 20.5 | 7

BISim’s Virtual Battle Space 3 (VBS3) was originally used for helicopter loadmaster and gunnery training by the Australian Defense Force. The company has quickly made advances in VBS3 and its VBS Image Generator (IG) for flight simulation. VBS3 has been used in PTTs emulating unmanned aerial systems. In 2014, it was optimized to provide object aggregation, object fading, longer-view distances and depiction of huge terrains. More recently, BISim has upgraded its model of Australia’s Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter under the Air 87 For the CH-47, LSI made the Chinook Helicopter Maintenance Trainer (CHMT) 10-Level for instruction in maintenance and project in Australia. troubleshooting. LSI’s CHMT 30-Level gives advanced instructions, and its CHMT Electrical Virtual simulates aircraft for electrical mechanics. [Photo courtesy of LSI] These Tiger upgrades include changes to several systems, including flight model, navigation, weapons, targeting and heads-up display. BISim improved functionality with joysticks and other non-keyboard controls and offered a new method for adding waypoints that more closely reflects how Tiger crews fly missions. And there is a new head-mounted display for both pilot and gunner with aircraft and weapon information. The aim is to train Tiger crews to operate in dynamic combat environments with other aircraft and ground units. Each crew member now has a three-screen view and SimuStrike from L-3 Link offers fully integrated avionics, air vehicle, weapons, targeting and electronic warfare simulation. It trains gaming-level flight controls on which to in radar engagements, targeting pod tracking, lasing, geo-coordination and aircrew operation. [Photo courtesy of L-3 Link] practice working together with other Tigers systems, but currently is seeing more interlending physical realism to training sessions, and ground units. est from major simulation systems in the explained Sébastien Lozé, senior product BISim’s VBS IG is a highly capable and idea of adding motion and thus strengthenmarketing director. “Our goal and expertise cost-effective image generator that brings ing student engagement. is to bring motion to simulators.” the highest quality graphics to both PTTs D-Box movement systems are not only Motion was once very complicated and and full-mission simulators, according to the highly affordable, but are light and easy to expensive to deploy, but D-Box has found a company. It is based on VBS3’s game engine, deploy, Lozé said, adding, “You just get it in much more affordable way to provide realisan integrated physics model and a massive a crate and put it on the floor with no bolts. tic movement, he explained. In the military, content library for simulating complex scenes It’s not complex.” especially for large training out of the box. It supports oneA screen projects movement in the virprograms, cost has prevented person desktop applications tual world, and D-Box equipment moves a adding motion capabilities. and multi-channel, full-misseat or other surface to let trainees feel the But the company is now sion simulators. turbulence and vibrations of this highly reworking in Australia to add BISim demonstrated VBS alistic world. The approach works for land, motion to ground-vehicle IG’s capability for flight simumaritime and a wide variety of air PTTs. trainers, and in Canada to add lation at the ITEC conference D-Box has integrated its visual and physimotion to a PTT for soldiers earlier this year by integratcal motion simulators with Flight Simulator shooting out of helicopters. ing it with JSBSim’s high-fiby Microsoft, Helism by Presagis, Prepar3D One reason for adding delity flight dynamics models by Lockheed Martin, Virtual Battle Space 2 movement is that PTTs can for the F-16 and attack heliSébastien Lozé and 3 by Bohemia Interactive Simulations, be very boring. Movement copters. JSBSim provided the sloze@d-box.com Vortex by CM Labs Simulations and Xplane engages students, enabling aerodynamics, flight control by Laminar Research. It is now helping them to “feel what they will do,” Lozé said. system, propulsion and other elements in the Thales bring a new level of realism to gun“You must stimulate the senses and immerse simulator. BISim enabled multiple inputs, ner training on several platforms, including them.” including joysticks, wheels, yokes and pedhelicopters. O D-Box motion equipment can be built als. The six-channel flight simulation demo into new simulators or retrofitted on existat ITEC was displayed on a four-meter dome. For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly ing PTTs, and these can be either familiarD-Box Technologies provided the moat hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online ization or procedural training systems. The tion platform for that effort. D-Box does archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com. company has been focused on small training not make PTTs, but enables them to move, 8 | MT2 20.5

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Virtual

Marksmanship Training

The costs and dangers are lower and the benefits comparable with live fire in learning this fundamental warfighter skill.

By Erin Flynn Jay MT2 Correspondent

The company developed this training system with portability, simplicity of operation and affordability as key design objectives, he explained, adding that Armersive was created to complement existing training programs and significantly improve their efficiency. “Pre-marksmanship training is used to teach the fundamentals of marksmanship and basic weapon mechanics: What actually happens inside the weapon when the trigger is pulled or a safety mechanism is engaged,” said Avgikos. “Using a highly realistic interactive 3-D simulation, students learn disassembly, cycles of functioning and other vital information about the characteristics, capabilities and features of their weapon.” Fundamental training develops basic skills such as aiming, breath-control and trigger-squeeze techniques, which are essential to prepare students for live-fire or advanced virtual training. The Armersive system is designed to be ultra-portable, and the company believes it is the smallest virtual marksmanship trainer in the world. It measures just 6x4x2 inches and fits in the palm of the hand. “The small size keeps the cost down to a fraction of other virtual training systems and allows the system to be easily transported and deployed, requiring only a single person to set up and use,” said Avgikos. A significant number of recruits are unfamiliar with weapons and lack the basic skills even to begin firing practice. “Most virtual marksmanship training systems assume a working knowledge of weapon mechanics and shooting fundaments, and move the student directly into firing and marksmanship practice,” said Avgikos. “There are many cases, both in virtual and live-fire training situations, where a student needs to learn and practice basic skills.” Armersive addresses this need by progressing David Avgikos students through weapon mechanics, shooting davida@digimation.com fundamentals and basic marksmanship practice.

Like so many other aspects of military training, marksmanship instruction is moving increasingly to virtual environments, where the costs and dangers are lower and the benefits comparable with live fire. Even so, developers of virtual marksmanship training systems must work harder than ever to keep up with changing military needs. Industry must assume the risk, analysts say, for development of effective yet low-cost COTS solutions, which must be able to manage a wide range of current and legacy equipment. Moreover, a new paradigm calls for bringing training to the warfighter rather than bringing the warfighter to the training. Virtual marksmanship technology is well-established enough in the military that organizations are replacing their earlier installations with a whole new generation of technology that promises improved results. For example, the Marine Corps approved a $31.7 million contract with Meggitt Training Systems earlier this year to upgrade its existing Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainers (ISMT) system, which has been in place for some two decades. The new system will not only offer strengthened training in weapons use and marksmanship, but also in the lifeand-death instant judgments operators must make in deciding whether to fire in uncertain situations. In addition, companies are marketing solutions geared to specific needs such as initial instruction, automatic weapons and a wide range of individual and crew member roles.

Basic Training Digimation, for example, has a product called Armersive, which can help those who begin training with limited familiarity with firearms. “Our Armersive small arms trainer responds to a critical requirement for military and civilian firearms skills development by providing preliminary marksmanship training and reducing the time to qualify on a weapon,” said David Avgikos, president/CEO of Digimation.

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Avgikos also pointed out that it is not uncommon, due to budgetary, manpower or logistic challenges, to have more students than virtual or live-fire training lanes available. This means that students spend less time training than is ideal. Armersive helps overcome this problem by providing the ability to add extra lanes of basic training that can be set up and operated by a single person. This can free up lanes on more expensive systems and increase total student throughput without materially affecting budgets, space requirements or the manpower required to administer training. Armersive also reduces the requirement for live range time and ammunition during the qualification cycle. Avgikos predicted that virtual marksmanship training equipment will become smaller and more capable. As the components that make up simulation hardware, such as cameras and GPUs, shrink in size and increase in capability, portable systems will gain popularity. Armersive is leading-edge in this trend, he said. Avgikos also anticipates innovations in the training weapons themselves. Training weapons with recoil are particularly bulky and expensive, and Digimation is working with an engineering company to use battery power rather than gas to simulate weapon recoil.

Engagement Skills Cubic Corp.’s immersive small arms training systems include Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) 2000, Virtual Range Trainer, EST PLUS, EST 3000 and Warrior Skills Trainer. These systems provide unit and institutional, indoor, multipurpose, multilane, small-arms, crew-served and individual anti-tank training. “The trainers replicate weapons training events that lead to live fire individual and crew weapon qualification and contribute to improved soldier, squad and commander combat effectiveness,” said Ray Oliver, EST product line director of Cubic. “Immersive training environments provide an integrated safe, controlled, reproducible and costeffective means through which the Ray Oliver fundamentals of weapon handling, shooting and marksmanship can be learned with the aid of instructors and mastered through autonomous practice with real-time feedback.” Benefits of the virtual systems are easily quantified through measurable performance improvements, reductions in live fire ammunition, training throughput and logistic costs of live range training, Oliver said. These products present scenarios and exercises simulating the operation of a variety of small arms weapons in nearly photorealistic and ballistically accurate environments. A significant challenge to industry, he noted, is in achieving technology concurrence. “This is driving the industry to COTS solutions for both hardware and software, resulting in non-proprietary solutions with open standards. Cubic has addressed this by developing a simulation architecture that facilitates the application of these open standards to our products and maximizing the use of COTS items and commercially based game engines.” Other challenges, Oliver said, include removing the artificiality of virtual training and creating a training experience that is as close to realistic live training as possible; removing or reducing cost to 10 | MT2 20.5

Marines Upgrade Indoor Simulated Trainers For the Marine Corps, which earlier this year signed a contract to upgrade its long-standing Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainers (ISMT) system, the goal of training is to enable Marines to experience things in training before they have similar experiences in combat, according to David R. Dunfee, a ground combat element subject-matter expert with David R. Dunfee the Training and Education Capabilities Division, Training and Education Command (TECOM). “We have different systems when we talk about marksmanship,” Dunfee explained. “Every Marine goes through a rifle range, and in the training leading up to the rifle range, we use an ISMT to have them fire table I and II of the known distance (KD) course of fire, to have them understand the fundamental marksmanship skills of breathing control, sight alignment and trigger control. All of those things can be analyzed for the shooter using the ISMT. This allows us to ‘fix’ any issues the shooter has before conducting the live fire portion of their qualification. Conversely, if the shooter then has problems on the range when conducting the live fire, we can remediate those issues in the ISMT without expending ammunition.” Once the initial training is conducted, shooters then go through table I of the marksmanship training of the rifle—the KD course of fire, where you have the 200, 300 and 500 yard line where you are shooting at standard target for these ranges. Then they go to different tables depending on their MOS— table 2 and table 3 for every MOS and lastly, table 4 if they are in infantry. “All of those are progressive to move from standard training for the individual in fundamental marksmanship skills with the rifle at known distances to unknown distances in daylight. After shooting targets in the day at unknown distances, they move to shooting unknown distances at night. They do that at short range day and night as well,” said Dunfee. “There is movement for indoor training scenarios that include ‘shoot or no shoot’ reactionary drills. All of those are built into our indoor simulated marksmanship trainer. Additionally, there are courses of fire for crew-served weapons. Marines can train on their marksmanship skills individually or collectively, depending if they operate as a crew or team.”

ensure systems are sustainable; and addressing ever-changing warfighter missions and training requirements. Cubic leverages its 60 years of experience, innovative products and state-of-the-art technology to provide realistic training solutions. Cubic uses 3-D game engines to replicate terrains and provide assets that behave realistically in a tactical environment. The company reduces cost by maximizing COTS products in the system/ weapon design to lower the total life cycle cost to the military while ensuring the systems/weapons meet form, fit and function requirements, Olive said. www.MT2-kmi.com

The Marines have a combat convoy simulator, a crew trainer incorporating crew-served weapons on vehicle mock-ups and individual weapons for the crew. “There are different marksmanship trainers that are built to be progressive for the individual to crew and team training to get over the issues of understanding how to manipulate the weapon and how to engage different targets within different environments. The goal is to ultimately reach a skill level using these training assets to lead to a livefire exercise where they fire in support of a maneuver element,” said Dunfee. The updated ISMT program is expected to start fielding within the next year. “With the ISMT, we buy the weapon exactly like the one we use in reality, and we send it to the contracting company that owns the system to make it into a non-live firing weapon. The hardware associated with the system within it needed better clarity for the gaming engine; it needed a different table to fire to match our Marksmanship program. And it needed a scenario generation capability that was easier for the individual to manipulate themselves (without contractor support),” said Dunfee. The Marines are building towards a live-virtual-constructive (LVC) element. “The squad immersive training environment builds the foundational assets or training capabilities within the LVC-Training Environment (LVC-TE), because we believe the squad is the base element of everything else. So if you look at that squad and build capabilities to meet its training, to get larger all you will need to do to is aggregate to a platoon, company or battalion or higher,” said Dunfee. “That is where we are moving into the future. We are doing a simulation assessment working group with our partners in standards division, in which they develop our training and readiness manuals with the operating forces. We are building into those standards a coding system where that training task will tell us if it’s a live only event, if it’s a simulation, if it’s a prerequisite to live or if simulations must be utilized prior to conducting a live event.” For example, Dunfee said that individual marksmanship may be coded as a simulation/live event. In that case, the indoor ISMT must be utilized prior to conducting the live qualification. “The intent is to match our training and readiness requirements to our resources. This is an iterative process and as new operational capabilities are fielded, they will continue to be reviewed and revised. This also establishes a methodology for us to continually review our current training capabilities and identify gaps. Those gaps are then prioritized based on the operating forces requirements and funding is requested to address them,” he added.

As the battlefield technology gap between the U.S. military and its potential adversaries is reduced, he observed, the value of improving and predicting “human dimension and cognitive dominance” performance is critical. “The virtual marksmanship training systems of the future must address this area. We must answer the question of how we maximize training performance for each individual such that we are confident that we have maximized an individual’s capability by providing individualized tailored training methods and have been able to assess or predict performance.” www.MT2-kmi.com

Machine Guns Raydon’s current focus is on mounted machine gun (MMG) training, for which the company has developed a family of unstabilized gunnery trainers. These include virtual trainers for the M240, M2 and MK19 for three echelons of training: the individual gunner, crew and platoon. The Virtual Combat Operations Trainer, which was first released as a platoon/company maneuver trainer, Ernie Audino has been upgraded to also provide eaudino@raydon.com MMG training, explained Ernie Audino, senior vice president of military market development. “A very important point about these Raydon training capabilities is they all incorporate training content in accordance with the Army’s recently published manual for crew gunnery training and qualification, TC 3-20.31, dated March 2015,” said Audino. “In fact, the manual lists our trainers as the primary system to train MMG through a system-generated Gate-to-Live-Fire. These systems have proven highly effective in actual use, where they have consistently doubled first-run qualifications for AC BCTs ramping up for live gunnery.” The challenges faced by commands or industry in that arena are budget and time available to train, said Audino. “These have always imposed logistic challenges to training, but nowadays the challenges are greater than ever. If a training enabler is not logistically tenable, then it is functionally unavailable to unit leaders and soldiers regardless of how effective it might be,” he added. This is why interest is building towards novel, innovative and low-cost ways to access state-of-the-art virtual training. It is not enough to envision an Army-wide training strategy that incorporates virtual training at levels far higher than ever before, Audino noted, if the Army cannot afford to resource that strategy via the usual methods. “Nor should unit leaders and soldiers have to wait the five years it takes to field a program-of-record solution via traditional acquisition means, and we can no longer expect the Army to have the big, upfront money to develop it,” said Audino. “This is precisely why industry must assume the risk for development to provide effective yet low-cost COTS solutions.” Consequently, Raydon invests its own R&D dollars to develop solutions for the Army that, it says, consistently arrive five years or more ahead of traditionally developed systems and at a tiny fraction of the cost. Looking to the future of virtual marksmanship training, experts see training at point of need as is a key goal. “It suggests a new paradigm that brings training to the soldier versus the old paradigm of bringing the soldier to the training. We no longer need to own Industrial Age quantities of ‘stuff’ in order to ensure a training enabler is available when needed,” said Audino. “The total cost of ownership alone makes the old model highly inefficient in the 21st century.” O

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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DATA PACKETS

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Air-to-Air Exercise Tests Advanced LVC Training A recent training exercise called Northern Edge 2015 included the most advanced live-virtual-constructive (LVC) air-to-air training event ever achieved. The joint training exercise involving all U.S. military services was held in June at the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex and included virtual participants at Air Force bases and sites nationwide. The live and virtual participants were linked by the LEXIOS (LVC Experimentation, Integration and Operations Suite) system developed by Northrop Grumman. Through LEXIOS, virtual aircraft operated by actual aircrew members participated in the same airspace alongside their live counterparts via networked simulators. Constructive—simulated forces in a simulated environment—components were also used to augment the battlespace to make the training as realistic as possible. Northrop Grumman developed LEXIOS as part of its role as the prime contractor for the Air Force’s Distributed Mission Operations Network, a system that enables dissimilar aircraft platforms located across the globe to seamlessly interoperate and train together in a realistic virtual environment. “Northern Edge was the largest LVC integration seen to date in any of the services and the first exercise to completely integrate the various elements,” said Captain Matthew Mendenhall, chief of command and control operations, Air Force 353rd Combat Training Squadron. “For the first time from a command and control and ISR standpoint, the virtual, live and constructive assets interacted at an efficient level and proved they can work and talk to each other consistently and securely.” “Many ‘firsts’ were achieved during this critical, large-force warfighter training, which involved multiple sites and complex missions,” said Martin J. Amen, director, satellite and network operations, Northrop Grumman Information Systems. “These included the first integration of virtual mobility air forces and combat air forces aircrews supporting live flight operations and their first operational training event via the distributed mission operations network.” Ten different virtual sites nationwide interacted with live aircraft and integrated air defense systems in Alaska. In one scenario, aircrew members from eight installations virtually operated 14 fighter aircraft,

one conventional bomber, two mobility transport aircraft, one airborne warning and control system and one reconnaissance aircraft. Virtual and live participants were able to interact with each other in various phases of combat employment to maximize the training’s effectiveness in the exercise. LEXIOS enabled the Air Force to take the next step in LVC training. Command and control aircraft like the 55th Wing’s RC-135 Rivet Joint no longer have to be present at the actual live fly exercise to achieve fullscale operational training with their Air Force, joint and coalition partners. “LVC enables those aircrew members to achieve quality training at a fraction of the cost of the live training; even more importantly, the quality of training itself is exceptional,” Amen said. “LVC is one of the few realistic options we have going forward in our resource-constrained future,” said Colonel Stephen Platt, the Northern Edge deployed forces commander. “It gives us options to do things we either don’t have forces for or the capabilities to execute today. LVC is a window into the future of what our forces are going to face. We are growing and maturing rapidly in our LVC capabilities, which increase the value our warriors get through LVC.”

Synthetic Environment Provides Common Foundation Simthetiq has released a vast cross-platform synthetic environment (virtual terrain database) to the military and commercial simulation industry, providing a common foundation that can be further exploited to facilitate joint and distributed simulation operations. With an open design at its core, the project is entirely built using open-source geospatial information to make it readily accessible to the commercial and military simulation and training industry without complex license or usage restrictions. The project is preconfigured to exploit the streaming capability of VBS 3 and other image generators using formats such as Openflight, MetaFlight and Pageable IVE. It includes detailed geo-specific military and commercial 12 | MT2 20.5

airbases and airports, extensive mountain areas and part of the Mediterranean Sea along its coastline. Gareth Jones; gareth.jones@simthetiq.com www.MT2-kmi.com

Global simulation and training, driven by companies at the leading edge in their fields, are constantly innovating technologies and processes that produce better results, lower the direct and indirect costs, and better shape todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agile forces. Each year, Military Training Technology gathers together the simulation and training community, assess their contributions and produce our industry-recognized Top Simulation & Training Companies list. We also go further by recognizing companies for their specific achievements in areas such as Best Programs, High Revenue, Innovation and Up and Coming.

2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies ADACEL

for the Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Army, Special Operations Command and Coast Guard, with all excellent past performance evaluations.

AEGIS TECHNOLOGIES GROUP INC. www.adacel.com Adacel develops advanced simulation and training systems for military and commercial use and has pioneered the application of speech technology to direct voice interactive control of computer-generated entities in training systems. The company’s S&T product family includes a full suite of tools for basic and advanced ATC training, security training systems, flight-line driver simulators, automated ATC environments for flight simulator training and tactical voice applications. Products range from high-definition simulators to smaller, rapidly deployable systems. Adacel has built an international reputation for its products and services through commitment to technological leadership and customer support. Core Competencies: Human Systems Interface, Simulators, Software

ADAYANA GOVERNMENT GROUP

www.adayana.com/government Adayana Government Group (AGG) is an industry leader in human capital training solutions and consulting services. Over the last 19 years, AGG has delivered innovative, customized and award-winning learning solutions to more than 65 federal agencies. We partner with federal organizations to solve their most pressing training challenges with end-to-end custom solutions ranging from learning strategy to learning product design and development to learning technologies. We develop unique learning solutions from instructor-led to interactive environments including games, simulations, virtual worlds and mobile applications that engage learners and improve performance. Core Competencies: Distributed Learning, Serious Games, Training Services

AECHELON TECHNOLOGY INC. Aechelon Technology is a leader in real-time computer graphics applications in training, and is a supplier of COTS-based, geo-specific image generators, OTW and correlated sensor databases and integration services, primarily to the U.S. government and Department of Defense. With a proven program track record of more than 310 high-end trainers, we are honored to serve a diverse and demanding community in tactics training, mission rehearsal and sensor simulation. Throughout our 16-year history, we have maintained an unparalleled track record in program and database deliveries

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AEgis Technologies specializes in modeling and simulation and micro/nanoscale technology development. The company’s modeling and simulation products and services include simulation software and training simulators; geospatial databases; 3-D models; warfighter exercise support; systems engineering and analysis; verification, validation and accreditation; test and evaluation support; and hardware-in-the-loop and man-in-the-loop simulations. It excels in advancing cutting-edge micro- and nano-scale technologies from concept to deployment, with applications ranging from defense to energy to biotechnology.

solutions to strengthen national security and drive business results. For customers in defense, civilian government and commercial industries, Alion’s engineered solutions support smarter decision making and enhanced readiness in rapidly changing environments. Building on more than 75 years of R&D experience and innovation, Alion brings expertise and insight to multiple business areas, including modeling, simulation and training. From serious games to decision support, geospatial data imaging to human-systems integration to medical modeling, Alion turns obstacles into opportunities to help customers achieve their missions. Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Human Systems Interface, Serious Games

AMERICAN SYSTEMS

AGUSTAWESTLAND A FINMECCANICA COMPANY AgustaWestland provides total rotorcraft capability to its customers worldwide, with the broadest portfolio of latest-generation products across all main weight categories for all commercial/military applications.

ALELO INC. The Alelo team is committed to creating learning tools and solutions that change the way people communicate. We help our learners acquire new skills and apply them when it counts. Alelo’s products are used worldwide for rapid and effective behavior change, including language and culture training, by providing tools for all stages of the training life cycle.

ALION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

www.alionscience.com Alion Science and Technology delivers advanced engineering, IT and operational

Matt Puglisi mpuglisi@aptima.com 202-552-6121 www.aptima.com Aptima’s mission is to engineer tools and systems that increase human capabilities. Our scientists study how humans think and learn in today’s technology-rich networked environments, and we use that knowledge to solve problems and provide solutions in defense, homeland security, health care, aviation and cybersecurity. Core Competencies: Research and Development, Software, Training Services

AERO SIMULATION INC. Founded in 1983, Aero Simulation Inc. (ASI) is a small business that is recognized for training system excellence and customer responsiveness. The company specializes in the design, development, manufacture, integration, delivery and post-delivery support of aviation-related flight and maintenance training devices and simulators. ASI provides upgrades to existing simulators and manufactures new full-flight and part-task training devices for military and commercial aviation customers. With a demonstrated commitment to continuous quality improvement, ASI produces sound, innovative training and support solutions that fulfill customer training requirements effectively.

APTIMA INC.

AQRU RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC www.americansystems.com Founded in 1975, American Systems is one of the largest employee-owned companies in the United States, with approximately 1,300 employees nationwide and $318 million in revenue for 2014. The company provides systems engineering and technical and training services to government and privatesector customers. We possess proven experience in trainer/training design and delivery; coaching; individual and organizational assessment and development; strategic planning; and cost-effective, efficient program management. American Systems was named Contractor of the Year at the Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards in October 2014, and was GSA Mentor of the Year in 2013. Core Competencies: Distributed Learning, Simulators, Training Services

APPLIED RESEARCH ASSOCIATES INC./VIRTUAL HEROES DIVISION

www.aqru-llc.com Aqru Research and Technology is an advanced information technology small business. We offer fresh, creative looks at how technology can enhance human performance among defense and intelligence professionals. Working with partners and clients, Aqru creatively applies technologies to solve challenging problems, with specialized expertise in artificial intelligence, humancomputer interaction, decision support and training. Aqru staff members have experience across a range of application domains, possess advanced degrees and are thought leaders in their areas of expertise. Our principals serve on government advisory boards, have published more than 100 articles, serve on editorial staffs of prestigious journals and hold committee positions for leading professional conferences. Core Competencies: Human Systems Interface, Research and Development, Serious Games

THE ASTA GROUP LLC www.virtualheroes.com At the Virtual Heroes Division of Applied Research Associates, we create immersive, 3-D interactive learning solutions and highfidelity synthetic virtual environments. Our goal is to create realistic, detailed training, simulation and educational solutions to improve your safety, security and way of life. Core Competencies: Medical Simulation, Serious Games, Software

Dr. Karen Smith karen.smith@theastagroup.com 850-912-6793 www.theastagroup.com ASTA is a woman-owned small business focused on improving human and organizational performance using transformational strategies, behavioral

www.MT2-kmi.com

2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies science research and innovative technology. Our key core competencies include conducting studies and analyses in training requirements analysis, simulation and technology applications for training and training and education applied research. We have experience conducting studies to support updating training content and identifying cost-effective training technologies to modernize training systems and improve the learning experience of military personnel. We provide simulation and technology-based training development using state-of-the-art tools to develop Web-based training and serious gaming content. Core Competencies: Distributed Learning, Research and Development, Serious Games

systems. Our main goal is to provide geographically accurate visual databases at the best visual quality possible in order to provide trainees a realistic and immersive experience. Our 3-D content creation team has a wide and profound knowledge of most of the industry’s modeling and simulation technologies, tools and formats. Our professional services provide worldwide training and simulation system manufacturers a cost-effective and effortless way to integrate custom-made visual databases in any size, detail and resolution into their systems.

BIHRLE APPLIED RESEARCH INC.

AVT SIMULATION AVT will provide expert, cost-effective engineering services and product solutions to our customers. We will target gaps not well supported by traditional suppliers. We will do so in a manner commensurate with our heritage and values, keeping first things first to provide for our customers, our employees and our families.

B-DESIGN3D LTD. B-Design3D Ltd. is a world expert in 3-D content creation for training and simulation

www.bihrle.com Bihrle Applied Research (BAR) Inc. is an aeronautical research and development company specializing in the development of flight-representative math models for fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, including full-envelope, malfunction and upset/ recovery modeling. Applications include engineering workstations, full-flight simulators, hardware-in-the-loop simulators and

multi-vehicle networked simulations. BAR also produces COTS solutions in support of flight simulation and unmanned aerial systems. Offerings include StallBox flight model upgrade solution for flight simulators, flight simulation development and deployment software, SimGen aerodynamics prediction software, CompARE simulation verification and validation software and NavPath UASagnostic mission planning software. Core Competencies: Consulting, Research and Development, Software

THE BOEING COMPANY Boeing provides a full range of training solutions, infrastructure support services and logistics information management systems, backed by years of experience, in-depth customer knowledge and a global network. Boeing has designed and developed more than 350 trainers for 24 different aircraft, blending the science of learning with traditional training approaches to deliver fully integrated training solutions, including high-fidelity cockpits, visual systems and courseware. By leveraging the resources, innovation and talent from across the company, Boeing delivers trusted, innovative and affordable training and learning solutions to meet its customers’ needs.

BOHEMIA INTERACTIVE SIMULATIONS

Tess Butler tess.butler@bisimulations.com 407-608-7000 www.bisimulations.com Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim) is a global software company at the forefront of simulation training solutions for military and civilian organizations. BISim develops high-fidelity, cost-effective technologies for tactical military training. We apply game-based technology to a range of breakthrough, military-specific training and simulation software products. Core Competencies: Serious Games, Simulators, Software see our ad on page 15

BUFFALO COMPUTER GRAPHICS Since 1982, Buffalo Computer Graphics Inc. (BCG) has been a prominent provider

BISim is undertaking an ambitious project that provides whole-planet rendering within VBS.

Come see demonstrations at I/ITSEC 2015 in Orlando, Florida. sales@bisimulations.com

www.MT2-kmi.com

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2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies to the maritime training and simulation community. BCG designs custom hardware and software solutions for use by maritime training facilities and manufacturers of maritime systems. Our products range from complex hardware/software radar signal generators to software-only virtual radio panels. We support simulation of radar, electronic chart systems, ship sensors, ship steering controls, global maritime distress and safety systems and a wide range of communication devices.

CAE CAE is a global leader in delivering training for the civil aviation, defense and security and health care markets. We design and integrate the industry’s most comprehensive training solutions, anchored by the knowledge and expertise of our 8,000 employees, our world-leading simulation technologies and a track record of service and technology innovation spanning seven decades. Our global presence is the broadest in the industry, with 160 sites and training locations in 35 countries, including our joint venture operations and the world’s largest installed base of flight simulators. Each year, we train more than 120,000 civil and defense crew members, as well as thousands of health care professionals.

spectrum of training system requirements. This includes training devices, SCORM-conformant Web-based training, instructor-led training, advanced electronic classrooms and PC-based virtual simulations for technical skills and soft-skills training. Carley is an ISO 9001:2008-certified, woman-owned small business.

CARNEY INC. Carney’s mission is to accelerate performance within the federal government. Applying our deep understanding of the art and science of learning, we create powerful solutions enabled by technology. Process-oriented, results-driven, engaging visuals, solid instructional design and innovative use of technology have been the hallmarks of Carney learning solutions since 1994. We believe that an effective performance solution can only be realized if deployed when needed. To that end, we created and continuously improved a suite of sophisticated tools and processes to analyze, design and develop a high volume of functionally rich multimedia courseware, performance support tools and business management processes at an accelerated rate featuring exceptional quality and reasonable cost.

CHRISTIE

CALIENTE DEFENSE

Keith Klentz keith.klentz@christiedigital.com 714-236-8610 www.christiedigital.com/simtop100

www.calientellc.com

Christie’s integrated simulation solutions offer exceptional products, industry know-how and vast experience in one complete visual display solution. Our visual display technology is used in highperformance simulation environments all over the world. Our world-class engineers, project managers and integration experts work together to deliver high-performance visual display solutions for simulation and training with accurate, true-tolife simulation environments.

Caliente Defense, a division of Caliente LLC, is a certified HubZone manufacturer of military training devices and commercial spot heating and cooling solutions for the telecom and automotive industries. Caliente is in its 14th year of business and boasts a newly refurbished 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Caliente is ISO 9001:2008-certified, and many of our products carry UL approval. Caliente’s mission is to provide cost-effective and innovative solutions to live-fire training gaps to enhance the warfighter’s abilities. Core Competencies: Engineering, Research and Development, Training Ranges

CALYTRIX TECHNOLOGIES INC. Calytrix Technologies is a training and simulation company specializing in developing and delivering integrated training solutions. Uniquely combining live, virtual and constructive simulation environments with subject-matter expertise, Calytrix enhances operational readiness and training outcomes in both defense and civilian domains.

CARLEY CORPORATION Carley’s custom-designed training solutions improve human performance. We specialize in the analysis, design, development and implementation of large-scale, complex blended training solutions where performance results are critical. Carley provides products and services within the full

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Core Competencies: Consulting, Simulators, Visual Displays and Systems

CM LABS SIMULATIONS CM Labs builds simulation and virtualreality solutions to help clients design advanced equipment and train for operations. With our Vortex Software Platform, clients are able to experience their product vision before it becomes a reality and prepare crews for safe and efficient operations before setting foot on the real job site. Our clients include industry leaders throughout the defense, maritime and construction sectors.

COLE ENGINEERING SERVICES INC. Cole Engineering Services Inc. (CESI), an award-winning employee-owned small business founded in 2004, is recognized as a premier small business provider of

state-of-the-art modeling and simulationsbased training solutions to the federal government. We possess exceptional technical expertise in software development, systems engineering and modeling, serious gaming and in live, virtual and constructive architectural and engineering services. CESI’s executive leadership team has more than 120 years combined military and Department of Defense industry contracting experience. Our technical staff has more than 300 years of successful modeling and simulation experience. We have operational processes in place to ensure program management success and quality assurance, promoting low-risk and program milestone achievement.

CONCURRENT Concurrent is a global software and solutions provider that develops content delivery and real-time applications on a core foundation of high-performance Linux and storage technologies. The company serves industries and customers that demand uncompromising performance, reliability and flexibility to gain a competitive edge, drive meaningful growth and power brighter ideas. Concurrent’s real-time solutions deliver hard realtime performance in support of the world’s most sophisticated hardware-in-the-loop and man-in-the-loop simulation, data acquisition and process control applications. With nearly 50 years of experience in the real-time market, Concurrent delivers optimized hardware and software products to ensure the success of commercial and government programs worldwide.

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES INC.

James Korris james.korris@cretecinc.com 323-472-6204 www.cretecinc.com Creative Technologies Inc. (CTI), a unique, woman-owned small business, develops and produces innovative immersive technologies for training, gaming and marketing. CTI’s simulation capabilities include application development and systems integration, along with staffing and location-based institutional support, desktop, transportable and mobile-use cases. In our MARCOM work, CTI makes complex communications systems and their features intuitive and accessible to a wide range of audiences. The company’s capabilities include interactive applications and creative visualization from concept to delivery. CTI’s government and commercial clients benefit from groundbreaking immersive, cognitive simulation products and services, such as augmented virtuality, that integrate live and virtual training. Core Competencies: Research and Development, Serious Games, Simulators

CREW TRAINING INTERATIONAL For more than 20 years, CTI has developed advanced training solutions for the Department of Defense, government and corporate training programs. Using our expertise in identifying needs in high-stress, time-critical environments, we develop custom training solutions using cutting-edge learning to help your teams accelerate their performance. CTI also operates flight training academies, with bases in Millington, Tenn., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. CTI Professional Flight Training (CTI-PFT), a FAA Part 141-approved training center, is a whollyowned subsidiary of CTI. CTI-PFT’s approach to training is unique. We train to the highest level of professional standards while providing students with the care and individual attention necessary to create competent, confident, safe and disciplined pilots.

CUBIC CORPORATION

www.cubic.com/global-defense Cubic is a diversified systems and services company in transportation and defense markets worldwide. We are a leading technology and specialized services company with a worldwide presence in nearly 60 nations. Cubic’s businesses are primarily engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, integration and sustainment of high-technology systems, products and services for government and commercial customers. With fiscal year 2014 sales of $1.398 billion, Cubic employs nearly 8,000 people worldwide. Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Serious Games, Training Services

D-BOX TECHNOLOGIES INC.

Sébastien Lozé simulation@d-box.com 450-442-3003 www.d-box.com D-Box Technologies Inc. designs, manufactures and commercializes cutting-edge motion systems intended for the entertainment and industrial markets. We offer the most optimized, interoperable, engaging and easy-to-deploy motion systems on the market. Core Competencies: Simulators, Training Ranges, Visual Displays and Systems see our ad on page 7

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2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies DESIGN INTERACTIVE INC. Design Interactive is a human factors engineering firm that helps clients overcome their most pressing human performance challenges. Unlike most firms, we use deep behavioral and physiological diagnostics to design adaptive, engaging solutions that optimize performance and profoundly enhance the user experience. Our custom solutions include adaptive training systems, performance metrics, game-based cognitive assessment tools and energy management solutions.

DIAMOND VISIONICS

www.diamondvisionics.com Since its inception in 1996, Diamond Visionics has been at the forefront of the visualization industry, setting a new standard in the United States and across the world. We lead the field not only with our content-rich, user-friendly solutions, but also by providing the lowest cost of ownership in the market. Our cutting-edge image-generation software and visualization tools are in constant demand at the highest levels of training and simulation, mission rehearsal and homeland security. Our clients include the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Canadian Department of National Defence, aerospace industry and Fortune 500 corporate clients such as Boeing, Airbus and commercial airlines around the globe. Core Competencies: Engineering, Simulators, Visual Displays and Systems

DIGIMATION

lead the large-screen display industry by profitably delivering projection products that provide unique solutions for the most discerning customers.

DIGNITAS TECHNOLOGIES LLC Dignitas Technologies LLC, an economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business founded in 2004, provides system and software engineering services for the modeling and simulation community, with a mission to shape the future of simulation with innovative technology. Dignitas leads several small-business innovation research projects and supports a wide range of large and small programs spanning the live, virtual and constructive domains across a diverse customer set. Dignitas has extensive experience and successful past performance in the development of key simulation systems, and provides expertise in management, research, engineering and programming.

DISCOVERY MACHINE Discovery Machine has developed a patented behavior modeling approach to capturing and deploying subject-matter expertise. The company has leveraged proven successes with DARPA, ONR, NAVAIR and more to develop a suite of AI products for simulated training environments such as VBS3, Unity, JSAF, PROTEUS and other simulations. Most recently, Discovery Machine has been working on bringing realistic custom training simulations to the commercial sector, with efforts in energy and health care industries already underway. Beyond Discovery Machine’s domestic efforts, the company has pursued various international efforts. Many of these efforts leverage a network of resellers to grow awareness of our products abroad. With resellers, our international reach is extended.

THE DISTI CORPORATION www.digimation.com Now in its 23rd year, Digimation is a pioneer in the development of 3-D graphics and related technology used in training and simulation. We develop turnkey training and simulation solutions for desktop and mobile computers, and partner with leading defense contractors to improve the effectiveness and realism of existing trainers. Our maintenance trainers are used to teach the installation, operation and maintenance of a variety of mechanical equipment. Our high-fidelity small-arms trainers teach function, repair and marksmanship skills. The company’s Armersive small-arms trainer is the world’s first full-featured marksmanship trainer that fits in the palm of your hand.

Founded in 1994, Disti Corp. is a leading provider of graphical user interface software and customized 3-D virtual maintenance training solutions. Disti delivers advanced high-performance 3-D user interface graphics to the simulation and training, aerospace, automotive and medical industries. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins and others choose our interface solutions for performance, fidelity and reliability in their avionics, instrument clusters, training simulators and instructor operator stations.

Core Competencies: Simulators, Software, Training Services

Core Competencies: Human Systems Interface, Software, Training Ranges

DIGITAL PROJECTION

DRIVE SQUARE INC.

Our mission is to earn the highest level of customer satisfaction by providing world-class customer services guided by quality, courtesy, timeliness and integrity. We want to

The Drive Square Simulation System (DSSS) is a driving simulator that enables a trainee to drive in a virtual space while operating the controls of an actual service vehicle. The driving simulator sets up in less than 20 minutes at any parking space,

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www.disti.com

providing a portable, cost-effective and easy-to-use driver training solution. Using the DSSS, drivers can be trained in the field without a need to bring trainees into the training center. The DSSS simulators are being used at various safety events to demonstrate the dangers of texting and driving as well as DUI/DWI driving. DSSS also facilitates retraining of drivers returning from deployments overseas and entering civilian life. A number of simulators can be easily networked for convoy or motorcade driver training.

ELBIT SYSTEMS Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international high-tech company engaged in a wide range of defense, homeland security and commercial programs throughout the world. The company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, unmanned aircraft systems, advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, signal intelligence systems, data links and communications systems and radios. The company also focuses on upgrading existing platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support services, including training and simulation systems.

ENGILITY CORPORATION

www.engilitycorp.com Engility is a pure-play government services provider that delivers highly skilled personnel wherever and whenever they are needed in a cost-efficient manner. The company proudly serves customers that span the federal services market, including the Department of Defense, intelligence community and space and federal civilian agencies. Engility is a leading provider of specialized technical consulting, program and business support services, engineering and technology life cycle support, information technology, modernization and sustainment, supply chain services and logistics management and training and education for the U.S. government. Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Distributed Learning, Training Services

ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS Engineering and Computer Simulations Inc. (ECS) is an award-winning software development and solutions company. Its core mission is to provide instructionally sound advanced learning-technology solutions to clients within the commercial and government sector. A significant portion of its business is in military contracts. ECS’s technology portfolio includes intelligent tutoring, competency-based technology, immersive

virtual worlds, serious games, performance assessment, crisis preparedness and response, staff training and mobile innovations. ECS offers efficiencies in operations, education, training and collaboration.

ETC SIMULATION Our mission is to be the technological innovative leader in simulation training for all agencies involved in emergency management and disaster response, and to continuously develop and evolve the state of technology for the products we produce to benefit of not only our customers, but also the individuals they protect. Built on more than 40 years of research and development, ETC Simulation strives to produce the most effective simulation training systems for leading organizations worldwide for developing and strengthening emergency response teams.

EYEVIS Offering perfect images for demanding simulations, eyevis specializes in the development and production of high-quality DLP projectors and further professional technologies for visual display systems. These include 3-D-capable DLP rear-projection cubes in a wide range of sizes and resolutions, flexible omniShapes rear-projection units and a range of professional-grade LCD solutions, including 4K monitors. In addition to the display/projector hardware, eyevis provides image processing devices and corresponding software to achieve complete and perfectly running visual display systems.

FLIGHTSAFETY INTERNATIONAL FlightSafety International is the world’s premier professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations. The company provides more than a million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 167 countries and independent territories. FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full-flight simulators at learning centers and training locations in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

GAMESIM INC. GameSim products and services target the needs of the entertainment, modeling and simulation and geospatial industries. GameSim engineers, designers and artists maintain a customer-centric focus throughout the entire project life cycle. Within the video game industry, GameSim can provide full-game development services to publishers or work as a co-developer for other studios. GameSim’s geospatial terrain tool, Conform, is the fastest product on the market for importing and fusing geospatial datasets to produce high-quality visualizations of the environment. Conform is used for military simulation, entertainment, urban planning, virtual worlds and crisis management. Within the M&S industry, GameSim prime contracts with the government, as well as subcontracting to partner companies.

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2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies GENERAL DYNAMICS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

INERT PRODUCTS LLC

www.gdit.com

www.inertproducts.com

As a trusted systems integrator for more than 50 years, General Dynamics Information Technology provides IT, systems engineering, professional services and simulation and training to customers in the defense, federal civilian government, health, homeland security, intelligence, state and local government and commercial sectors. With approximately 24,000 professionals worldwide, the company delivers IT enterprise solutions, manages large-scale, mission-critical IT programs and provides mission support services. General Dynamics Information Technology is one of four business units of the General Dynamics Information Systems and Technology business segment, and has major offices worldwide.

Inert Products will design, produce and distribute high-quality, durable and realistic training aids to meet the training objectives of the men and women who defend and protect us on a daily basis while keeping pace with the evolving tactics employed by our adversaries in an effort to save lives.

Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Distributed Learning, Training Ranges

HAVELSAN A.S.

Mehmet Bilge Yeşil mbyesil@havelsan.com.tr 90-312-219-5787 ext. 2762 www.havelsan.com.tr Our company seeks to submit advanced technology-based, integrated, reliable and rapid solutions to our customers, which will increase their decision-making and mission effectiveness, providing information and communication superiority in defense, security, command and control, information management and training. Core Competencies: Simulators, Software, Training Services see our ad on page 1

IMMERSIVE DISPLAY SOLUTIONS Immersive Display Solutions (IDSI) designs and integrates affordable custom cylindrical- and spherical-projected display solutions for visualization, simulation and training. Utilizing best-of-breed technology from our broad base of technological partnerships, our display solutions offer the ideal environment for the simulation of highly immersive experiences. This includes flight, driving, ground combat, situational awareness or any other civilian, government or military operations that benefit from either a panoramic or completely immersed experience. IDSI offers individual components as well as complete solutions for permanent or deployable, single and multi-channel display solutions grounded in our clients’ unique requirements.

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Core Competencies: Simulators, Training Ranges

INTELLIGENT DECISION SYSTEMS INC

www.idsi.com We position our customers for sustained, measurable success by optimizing human and organizational performance through the application of the latest research and innovation. An expert in the industry of human and organizational performance, Intelligent Decision Systems Inc. (IDSI) is a womanowned small business providing human and organizational performance products and services. IDSI is unique in our understanding and application of the science of learning to our designs, allowing us to provide customers with desirable, predictable outcomes. IDSI’s discipline-based approach to the final product provides our customers with purposeful designs that provide an ideal learning experience for users.

worldwide military and civilian customers. ICE develops, manufactures, fields and maintains high-quality instrumentation, test equipment, training devices and services that link to other live and virtual simulations. Our products collect, process, transmit and record live-fire mission data using network communications, wireless telemetry, geometric pairing and area weapons effects assessments at individual, crew and collective training levels, enabling robust after-action review capabilities and take-home packages. Fielded systems support aviation, unmanned aircraft systems, field and air defense artillery and ground missiles. Core Competencies: Engineering, Simulators, Training Ranges

JANUS RESEARCH GROUP Janus’ innovative, efficient and cost-effective services, products and software solutions significantly improve the efficiency and performance of their clients’ organizations by providing superior training support packages, technological enhancements and improved business processes. We are a forwardthinking company with expertise and core competencies in modeling, simulations and training. As an industry leader in the creation and rapid development of innovative, 3-D virtual reality training and visualization software environments, we design and produce virtual environments and visualizations, including interactive multimedia instruction (IMI Levels I-IV); PC simulations; games for training; collaborative multiplayer products; modeling and simulation; mobile apps and cinematics.

JRL VENTURES INC.

Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Distributed Learning, Serious Games

Matt Chambers mchambers@jrlventuresinc.com 239-283-0800 www.jrlventuresinc.com

INTERACTIVE DATA VISUALIZATION

JRL Ventures is a reputable design, engineering, composites, tooling and fiberglass parts manufacturer. As a leading manufacturer for more than 35 years, JRL Ventures manufactures CNC plugs, composite molds (open- and closed-silicone/LRTM), CNC molds, CNC parts and composite parts—even limited production, scale models and CNC cold mold kits. Our superior 3-D CAD and engineering staff facilitates design, engineering, 3-5 axis milling, 3-D digitizing, testing and evaluations. JRL Ventures develops highquality products for various manufacturers in the simulation and training industry.

Interactive Data Visualization Inc. (IDV) develops the award-winning SpeedTree suite of software products, as well as other applications with a focus on real-time 3-D applications for the visual simulation, game development, engineering visualization, cinematic and animation industries. IDV, a privately held corporation, was founded in 1999.

INTER-COASTAL ELECTRONICS INC.

Core Competencies: Engineering, Simulators www.inter-coastal.net Inter-Coastal Electronics (ICE) is an advanced engineering company that designs and manufactures state-of-the-art live training and test instrumentation systems for

JVCKENWOOD USA CORP (JVC VISUAL SYStEMS DIVISION) JVC, a leading manufacturer of highresolution, super-contrast projectors for

simulation and visualization, offers a flexible line of projectors with available resolutions to 20MP utilizing our exclusive D-ILA and eshift technologies. Lamp and hybrid-laser-illuminated models (stimulated NVG capable) achieve native contrast ratios exceeding 30,000:1 and low cost of ownership.

KITCO FIBER OPTICS KITCO Fiber Optics is a recognized leader in fiber optic training, and we offer a diversified variety of hands-on certified training for all branches of our armed forces and defense contractors. We have served for 13 years as the Navy’s sole approved shipboard fiber optic trainer, and have entered into our third five-year contract to continue providing this training. Following the same model we developed with the Navy, we provide strategic MIL-STD compliant practices for training and field services for the military aviation community, the Marine Corps and the Army, applying the most current ruggedized fiber optic technologies.

KRATOS

Kara Terrell training@kratosdefense.com 703-254-2014 www.kratostraining.com Kratos is a specialized national security technology business providing missioncritical products, services and solutions for U.S. national security priorities. Kratos’ core capabilities are sophisticated engineering, manufacturing and system integration offerings for national security platforms and programs. Its areas of expertise include C5ISR, satellite communication systems, electronic warfare, unmanned systems, missile defense, cyber-warfare, cybersecurity, information assurance and critical infrastructure security. Core Competencies: Langauge Training, Simulators, Training Services

L-3 LINK SIMULATION & TRAINING

John Schlott john.schlott@l-3com.com 407-382-1378 www.link.com L-3 Link Simulation & Training is a world leader in providing total training solutions for operators and maintainers across a wide range of military, civil and commercial platforms. Our innovative solutions provide a full spectrum of state-of-the-art training technologies, including high-fidelity immersive simulations, as well as distributed academic and interactive courseware. We deliver training through any combination of classroom instruction,

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2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies computer-based training, part-task trainers and advanced flight simulators, propelling L-3 Link to the forefront of transformational training delivery that focuses on an experiential learner-centric approach. Today, we are providing these solutions within the fixed wing, rotary wing and unmanned aircraft systems markets. Core Competencies: Simulators, Training Services, Visual Displays and Systems see our ad on cover 3

LEIDOS Leidos provides superior innovation and at-scale agility in architecting and delivering best-value end-to-end disruptive training solutions that solve customers’ mission-critical requirements. Through the inspired work of our diverse employees, we deliver innovative, scalable solutions for military and commercial customers. We do this with sustainability in mind, while also caring for our employees and the communities in which we operate.

LOCKHEED MARTIN Lockheed Martin is the premier provider of innovative solutions for mission readiness and sustainment. Our skilled employees provide fast-turn, high-quality technical services for customers in more than 90 locations worldwide. Our focus is helping customers achieve mission success anytime and anywhere by offering a full range of training, engineering, integration and test support. From teaching aircrews to fly the world’s most advanced fighter jet to developing the live-virtual-constructive environment of tomorrow, Lockheed Martin transforms technology into affordable mission-readiness solutions.

LOGISTIC SERVICES INTERNATIONAL INC.

www.lsijax.com LSI provides aircraft maintenance training systems, virtual interactive environment training, full-motion simulator upgrades, desktop simulations, courseware development, technical data support, training support and instructor services. LSI is a principal subcontractor to military original equipment manufacturers, providing training services for 37 years, and has served as the training contractor for major contracts for the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army and numerous foreign militaries for both pilot and maintenance training. LSI is a customer-focused organization with more than 450 employees directly supporting training product development, with all Contractor Performance Assessment Ratings (CPARS) ranked excellent since the inception of the government CPARS system. Core Competencies: Distributed Learning, Simulators, Training Services

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MEGGITT TRAINING SYSTEMS

Larry Raines mgtts-militarysales@meggitt.com 678-288-1090 www.meggitttrainingsystems.com Meggitt Training Systems, makers of FATS and Caswell technologies and a division of Meggitt PLC, is the leading supplier of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training systems and electronic scoring systems. More than 13,000 Meggitt live-fire ranges and 5,100 virtual systems are fielded internationally, providing judgmental, situational awareness and collective and marksmanship training to armed forces, law enforcement and security organizations. Meggitt Training Systems employs more than 400 people at its headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., and at facilities in Orlando, Fla., Canada, U.K., Netherlands, UAE, Australia and Singapore. With facilities around the world, Meggitt Training Systems provides global sales and support to U.S. and allied forces. Core Competencies: Engineering, Simulators, Training Ranges see our ad on cover 2

METAVR INC.

W. Garth Smith sales@metavr.com 617-739-2667 www.metavr.com MetaVR develops commercial PC-based software for simulation and training, featuring high-speed visualization of 3-D content and rapid creation of networked virtual worlds using real-world data. MetaVR provides geospecific realtime visual simulation with the fidelity of game-quality graphics. Users can build high-fidelity virtual worlds with its terrain generation and scenario creation applications and render the results at 60Hz with its real-time 3-D visualization application, Virtual Reality Scene Generator. MetaVR visuals are used for simulation training applications such as UAS, manned flight simulators, mission planning and rehearsal, JTAC training, close air support, urban operations, aerial refueling and emergency recovery management. Core Competencies: Engineering, Research and Development, Software see our ad on page 3

MODEST TREE

www.modesttree.com Modest Tree is an innovator in 3-D interactive training software and customized training solutions. Modest Tree leverages our team’s experience delivering aerospace and defense training solutions and gaming technology applications to bring clients cost-effective, next-generation training technologies. Modest Tree’s leading platform, Modest3D, provides a visual storyboarding approach to rapidly develop next-generation 3-D training applications without coding or animation expertise. The Modest3D cloud is the world’s first cloud-based platform to create 3-D interactive training. Core Competencies: Serious Games, Software, Training Services

NCI INC. NCI is a leading provider of enterprise solutions and services to U.S. defense, intelligence, health care and civilian government agencies. The company has the expertise and proven track record to solve its customers’ most important and complex mission challenges through technology and innovation. NCI’s team of highly skilled professionals focuses on delivering cost-effective solutions and services in the areas of agile software application and systems development/integration; cybersecurity and information assurance; engineering and logistics support; enterprise information management and advanced analytics; cloud computing and IT infrastructure optimization; health IT and medical support; IT service management; and modeling, simulation and training.

OAK GROVE TECHNOLOGIES

www.oakgrovetech.com Oak Grove Technologies integrates capabilities to deliver holistic solutions. We specialize in live, virtual and constructive training design, development and delivery. We leverage technology and simulations to deliver unique activities and scenarios to effect the desired outcome. We develop simulation and modeling tools to support emergency management planning, response and preparedness and memorable e-learning to impact workforce effectiveness. Our tactical training integrates live simulations and language-specific role play to create culturally immersive environments to enhance military and law enforcement readiness. The Oak Grove Training Center allows us to facilitate scenario-based learning built specifically to enhance individual and collective tactics, techniques and procedures. Core Competencies: Distributed Learning, Training Ranges, Training Services

PINNACLE SOLUTIONS INC. Pinnacle Solutions Inc. is a servicedisabled, veteran-owned small business founded in 2008 to provide training device development and engineering services. It has been appraised by the Software Engineering Institute as capability maturity model integration level 3 for software development, integration and testing. We are a trusted provider of training products, simulator upgrade and modifications, flight instructors, simulator operators and maintainers and technical publications. Our appeal to our customers is that we are process-oriented (low-risk), mission-focused (we understand what they are trying to accomplish), innovative (we bring new ideas to the table) and reliable (we do what we say we are going to do).

PLEXSYS INTERFACE PRODUCTS INC. Plexsys provides training solutions for the C4ISR and fighter/bomber communities through M&S systems and integration tools. Concentrations include the development of HLA/DIS-compliant LVC environment generation technologies used throughout Air Force DMO and other high-fidelity simulations. Plexsys also provides superior mission brief/ debrief technologies, as well as synthetic communications training solutions. Plexsys is an original partner in the Air Force Distributed Mission Operations program, and is internationally known for its long-haul networked training venues and expansive modeling and simulation expertise. Plexsys continues to be a leading participant in distributed mission operations and live, virtual, constructive technology development programs worldwide.

POLHEMUS

www.polhemus.com At Polhemus, it is our mission to give customers the power to break new ground through innovative, cost-effective enabling technologies for the real and virtual world. We engineer and manufacture specialized magnetic motion trackers, offering high-precision position and orientation measurements used to track pilot line-of-sight, warrior posture and movement and simulated military equipment requiring point-of-regard tracking inputs in order to maintain the highest simulation fidelity. In business for nearly 45 years, Polhemus offers relevant industry expertise, patented technology and proven success to the military and commercial marketplaces. Core Competencies: Human Systems Interface, Medical Simulation, Visual Displays and Systems

Q4 SERVICES LLC Q4 Services’ world-class design and development capabilities embrace modern technology, which has enabled the company to become the market leader in the delivery of high-performance visual display solutions. The company also provides global support of visual display systems, which includes mirror design and upgrades, mirror re-skins

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2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies and mirror washes, back projection screens, automatic alignment systems, CRT/projector overhauls and the complete installation of cross-cockpit collimated display systems for all variants of full-flight simulators for the military and commercial simulation industry.

RAYDON CORPORATION

Cory McAndrew cmcandrew@raydon.com 386-267-2936 www.raydon.com Raydon Corp. has been at the leading edge of simulation training technology for more than 25 years. Raydon provides a wide range of virtual reality training capabilities that include gunnery and maneuver training systems. Raydon is also first to market with a private fleet of trainers that can be reconfigured to meet any commander’s training objectives and are available for rental through GSA at significant cost savings compared to traditional procurement. Core Competencies: Engineering, Simulators, Training Services see our ad on page 21

RAYTHEON Raytheon, with 2014 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 93 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing, effects, and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cybersecurity and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon’s Global Training Solutions prepares people for the world’s most important missions. We train people in more than 100 countries and 28 languages. We’ve trained almost every U.S. soldier since 2007 and every U.S. air traffic controller since 2008.

REBEL ALLIANCE

context through GPS, compasses, accelerometers, heart-rate monitors, camera and shot sensors, and is always able to train onvehicle with our embedded virtual simulation capability. Core Competencies: Human Systems Interface, Research and Development, Simulators

RESPONDER TRAINING SERVICES

Michael LiDondici michael@rtsglobal.co 404-682-9565 ext. 2 www.rtsglobal.co Responder Training Services (RTS) provides fully immersive scenario-based training to first responders and military personnel around the world. Designed to support training at the home station, RTS has managed the execution of thousands of role player-focused, immersive scenario iterations, resulting in superior mission readiness training for first responders. RTS has also been recognized by state, government and military leadership for its outstanding contributions to the training of soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Core Competencies: Language Training, Medical Simulation, Training Services

RIPTIDE SOFTWARE INC. Riptide is a proud supporter of our armed forces and has a long history of partnering with the government to provide the military state-ofthe-art training and education solutions. Over the past two decades, our advanced training systems have helped increase efficiency, improve results and save time and money for the simulation, training and instrumentation community. Our proven program execution credentials include more than $130 million in executed military contracts with more than 200 successful deployments worldwide. This makes us one of the largest and most successful small businesses in the Orlando, Fla., community. Our team has grown each year by maintaining a strong customer-focused philosophy, knowing that our technology solutions help train critical war fighting skills.

www.rebelalliance.it

ROCKWELL COLLINS

Rebel Alliance is a high-tech company providing next-generation C4I architectures, infrastructures and wearable devices, fully integrated with live virtual reality simulation solutions suited for on-the-spot mission rehearsal or on-the-vehicle training. We designed our C2/simulation architecture starting from a clear vision of the tactical-level needs, building the higher levels only when the lower were consolidated, and always consistently with our wide vision of future simulation employment. Free from the legacy burden, we designed our Rebel Alliance Synthetic Environment to take full advantage of running on wearables so that it is always fully aware of

Rockwell Collins is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications. Our expertise in flight deck avionics, cabin electronics, mission communications, simulation and training and information management services is delivered by a global workforce and a service and support network that crosses more than 150 countries.

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RUAG SCHWEIZ AG RUAG DEFENCE RUAG Defence is the strategic technology partner for armed forces, the defence

and security industry and security and emergency organizations. It also supplies cybersecurity solutions to operators of critical ICT infrastructures. Its core business is in products and services for secure and reliable communication and management, training in real-life scenarios and tracked and wheeled vehicles and their systems. In addition, it offers protection solutions to counter-ballistic and electromagnetic threats and attacks from cyberspace.

SCALABLE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES

SAAB DEFENSE AND SECURITY

SCALABLE NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES

www.saabgroup.com

www.scalable-networks.com

Saab Defense and Security (SDAS) Training and Simulation develops, manufactures, fields and supports products and services to the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard and Department of Energy in the live, virtual and constructive domain. Saab’s product line contains the industry’s highest-performing training equipment while maintaining cost-effectiveness, reliability and durability. It is Saab’s mission to be the leading and most responsive provider of innovative and adaptive defense training capabilities to customers worldwide. SDAS Training and Simulation has supported the U.S. armed forces and homeland security with targets, laser simulators and instrumentation training products for more than 30 years.

Scalable provides network design, modeling and analysis tools, cyber-training systems and engineering support services to commercial enterprises, government and defense agencies, research organizations and educational institutions around the world. Scalable solutions integrate simulated virtual network models with physical hardware and applications, allowing users to reduce the time, cost and risks of developing, testing and deploying large, sophisticated wired and wireless networks and new communications equipment and training personnel on cyber-defense.

Core Competencies: Engineering, Research and Development, Training Ranges

SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTERNATIONAL CORP.

James (Josh) Jackson james.j.jackson@saic.com 757-459-6450 www.saic.com SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is redefining ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge, talented people, effective processes and innovation to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC’s approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission-focused to serve customers in the federal government, state/local and global commercial markets. SAIC has annual revenues of about $4.4 billion. Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Serious Games, Training Services see our ad on cover 4

Our software automatically blends multiple projectors together into “scalable definition” displays. Scalable displays are ideal for applications where fine pixel density and high resolution enhances the visual experience. Examples include collaboration and control rooms, immersive environments for military simulation, edutainment and attractions, digital signage and visualization.

Core Competencies: Simulators, Software, Training Ranges

SERCO INC. Serco Inc. provides professional, technology and management services focused primarily on the federal government, including every branch of the military, key civilian agencies and the intelligence community. Services include consulting, engineering, IT, human capital management, learning and knowledge management, military personnel and defense readiness services, business process outsourcing, logistics and engineering and transportation support. We have approximately 10,000 employees in 100-plus locations throughout 45 states, five Canadian provinces and 14 countries. We are ranked in the Top 35 of the largest federal prime contractors by Washington Technology and are ISO 9001:2008-certified with CMMI Level 3 capabilities.

SIMETRI Simetri Inc. develops creative technologies to transform the state of the practice of medical and/or health care training. Simetri works hand-in-hand with customers to define requirements for new technologies to fill critical training gaps with cost-effective solutions that are optimized through technological advancements. Simetri continually collaborates with stakeholders to identify and solve training challenges while rigorously evaluating training effectiveness. Simetri integrates research, development and engineering across disciplines ranging from state of-the-art special effects to basic material science coupled with sound systems engineering discipline.

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We don’t send you to the fight, WE BRING THE fight TO YOU

WE BRING THE FIGHT TO YOU... BEFORE THE ENEMY DOES With a ready fleet of rental trainers, Raydon will bring the training to you. Guaranteed ready training, guaranteed throughput, portable and ready when you are. Bringing the warfighter the latest TC-3-20-31 gunnery curriculum, our fleet is “Good to Go” - no matter where you are.

bring it on – We’re good to go!

www.RAYDON.com

2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies SIMIGON SimiGon is a provider of training and simulation solutions for military applications. Our technology platform, SIMbox, supports live, virtual, constructive and command and control training systems utilized in the military training industry’s largest programs. SimiGon’s enterprise training environment features high-fidelity 3-D simulation, and may be fully integrated with learning management, content management and resource management capabilities. SIMbox supports air, land and sea simulation environments capable for individual, collective and joint forces training. SIMbox includes an easy-to-use content development suite, enabling rapid development of SCORM 2004 simulations with an intelligent tutor, after-action review/playback and distributed mission operations.

SIMMERSION SIMmersion’s mission is to help people develop skills required for difficult conversations such as leadership, cross-cultural negotiations or drug counseling. Repeated practice using SIMmersion simulations, along with the ongoing feedback provided, develops higher-level skills faster. The simulated people are portrayed by actors and have simulated memories and emotions that make them seem real. Research by Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison has shown that these simulations build skills that change behavior and improve people’s lives. Government sponsors include the Office of the Secretary of Defense, FBI, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Joint Forces Command, the intelligence community and various institutes at the National Institutes of Health.

SIMTHETIQ As a developer of 3-D solutions for simulation, research and serious gaming, Simthetiq develops custom 3-D visual content and applications to produce some of the most immersive training solutions in the industry. Founded in 2005, Simthetiq is recognized in the modeling, simulation and training industry for our dedication to providing high-quality, cost-effective and agile services.

customers the superior value of one-stopshop solutions to difficult challenges that combine innovative R&D, proven advanced training technologies (adaptive IMI and intelligent tutoring), human systems integration, high-definition media and serious game development. Sonalysts’ MST solutions offer increased readiness through enhanced training effectiveness at a reduced cost, all within a rigorous CMMI-based Level 3 systems engineering process.

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS INC.

Kit Lavell kit@e-stops.com 858-244-0559 www.strategic-operations.com Strategic Operations Inc. (STOPS), on the lot of Stu Segall Productions, a full-service TV/movie studio, provides hyper-realistic training services and products for military, law enforcement and other organizations responsible for homeland security. STOPS employs state-ofthe-art Hollywood battlefield special effects, combat wound effects, medical simulation systems like the cut suit, role players, foreign language speakers, subject-matter experts and immersive training scenarios to create training environments that are unique in the industry. Over the last 12 years, Strategic Operations has provided hyper-realistic training support to more than 750,000 military, law enforcement and other first responders. STOPS manufactures a wide range of innovative products. Core Competencies: Medical Simulation, Research and Development, Training Services see our ad on page 23

SUNDOG SOFTWARE LLC

SKIDCAR SYSTEM INC. Skidcar System Inc. is celebrating 25 years of providing quality driver training technologies and equipment, state-of-the-art curricula, innovative training and exceptional service. Skidcar System introduces Skidbike, a “disruptive training technology” revolutionizing the rider learning process and the safest technology ever offered in the history of motorized two-wheel training, benefitting both the new and experienced rider.

SONALYSTS INC. Sonalysts meets the challenges of the future with today’s innovation. We have the unique capability to blend our multidisciplinary capabilities in science, engineering, creativity and design to produce state-ofthe-art modeling, simulation and training (MST) solutions. For more than four decades, Sonalysts has consistently provided

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represent any sea state, weather conditions or time of day quickly and easily within your visual software. Core Competencies: Software

TACTICAL ELEMENT INC. Tactical Element Inc. is a Florida-based, woman-owned small business, specializing in superior training support services primarily in emergency medical services, tactical combat casualty care, wilderness emergency care, search and rescue and technical rescue operations training programs of instruction throughout the 48 contiguous United States and Puerto Rico. Homestation training is delivered via five mobile trainers, each fully equipped to conduct training for up to 48 personnel, maintaining an equipment-to-student ratio of 1:6 and instructor-to-student ratio of 1:6 at all times, facilitating quality training with zero downtime. Tactical Element trained 2,226 personnel in 2014 and expects to surpass those numbers in 2015.

TACTICAL MICRO INC.

Sundog Software provides virtual oceans, skies, 3-D volumetric clouds and weather effects to training and simulation developers. Built for the unique requirements of the simulation and training industry, our SilverLining Sky, 3-D Cloud and Weather SDK and Triton Ocean SDK bring physical realism and immersion to synthetic natural environments at speeds that leave plenty of time for everything else your visual channels need. Our proven software is used by hundreds of the leading simulation companies and government agencies worldwide, in addition to thousands of game developers and flightsimulation enthusiasts. Leave your environmental effect requirements to us; we can

Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Human Systems Interface, Training Ranges

THE TATITLEK CORPORATION Established in 1973, Tatitlek Corp. offers a wide variety of mission-critical government services. Through its many reputable subsidiaries, Tatitlek (an Alaska native corporation, 8(a) and disadvantaged business enterprise) is a diverse U.S. government and Department of Defense support contractor providing realistic and sustainable solutions to complex, logistically challenging and strategically important client demands.

TEC-MASTERS inc.

www.tacticalmicro.com Tactical Micro, a Secure Technology company, brings innovation to digital instrumentation, advanced audio/video recording and wireless communications products, creating better training and surveillance capabilities for our warfighters and first responders. From design and software engineering to a fully ISO 9001 production facility, our solutions, products and services are focused on the success of our customers. Tactical Micro’s training and surveillance systems allow live audio, video and data capture, transmission and replay in almost any environment and in concert with our users’ needs. By non-obtrusively capturing sights, sounds and data during operations and training, reports and AARs are created that address all the mission data and information necessary for success. Core Competencies: Engineering, Trainng Ranges, Training Services

www.sundog-soft.com

behavioral characteristics. It was conceived and designed to answer the military’s advanced marksmanship requirements by providing state-of-the-art moving targets that challenge a shooter’s reactions, reflexes and threat-detection capabilities in all types of terrain and weather.

TARGAMITE

www.targamite.com Targamite is a robotics company producing advanced tactical training platforms for the military, law enforcement and tactical training communities. Targamite’s signature product is the Targabot, the world’s first portable, computer-controlled target system offering both predictable and unpredictable

www.tecmasters.com Tec-Masters Inc. (TMI) is a minorityowned disadvantaged small business that is ISO 9001:2008-certified and CMMI Level 3. TMI is a financially strong, debt-free small business with a contract base averaging $21 million in annual revenues over the last three years, with total revenue exceeding $475 million from 2005 to 2014. TMI’s core business areas are modeling and simulation, engineering services; system engineering and technical assistance support; software development; test and evaluation; program and acquisition management support; training; creative multimedia; logistics support and information technology. Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Engineering, Research and Development

TECH VALLEY TECHNOLOGIES Tech Valley Technologies (TVT) is a WBE-certified disadvantaged small business that focuses on engineering and manufacturing of live-fire and simunition targets and training devices for the U.S. military, law enforcement and shooting sports—across the nation and around the globe. Over the past seven years, TVT has become a leader in thermal targets for infantry combat and/or vehicle combat identification. TVT’s Thermals (E-Silhouettes, Blankets/Panels—120VAC, 12VDC) offer the most realistic thermal signature for real-world training scenarios on ranges today, providing flexibility, durability and performance to meet requirements.

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Winner of Military Training Technology’s 2015

Best Program Award Rocky Vista University and

Strategic Operations, Inc. Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) developed an innovative Intensive Surgical Skills Course which introduces students to high-stress medical scenarios. This course was recognized as a “best practice” by the American College of Surgeons. Strategic Operations, Inc. (STOPS) changed the training world, first with the introduction of movie-making techniques to create hyperrealistic, interactive, immersive environments for military and law enforcement—and now with medical simulation and education. Together, RVUCOM and STOPS designed an intensive training curriculum that, along with simulation centers, utilizes the Cut Suit—a wearable bodysuit that simulates the physical effects of trauma and pathology on a live human, allowing students to perform surgery in the most realistic way. For more information, contact: Anthony LaPorta, MD, Rocky Vista University dmcgee@rvu.edu • www.rvu.edu Kit Lavell, Strategic Operations, Inc. kit@e-stops.com • www.strategic-operations.com

STRATEGIC HYPER - REALISTIC

PERATIONS MEDICAL TRAINING

2015 Top Simulation & Training Companies In addition, TVT has developed hit detection/precision scoring targets for accurate after-action reviews, best suited for MOUT, shoot house and/or CACTF.

TRIANGRAPHICS

TERNION CORPORATION

www.triangraphics.de

For more than 25 years, Ternion Corporation has provided highly flexible simulation solutions to government and commercial organizations worldwide. Flames, its flagship product, is a family of commercial offthe-shelf software products that provides a framework for composable constructive simulations and interfaces between live, virtual and constructive simulations. Ternion uses flames flexibility to create new products addressing a wider variety of simulation needs, including the portable and costeffective C4I system training solution, FAST. Ternion also creates custom simulations designed to meet the specific requirements of its customers.

TrianGraphics was founded in 2004. The owner-led enterprise is focusing on all aspects of virtual terrain generation and real-time simulation. TrianGraphics’ flagship product, Trian3DBuilder, came into the market in 2007, and combines a powerful feature set with a modern and simple user interface for the generation of detailed terrains of unlimited size. Besides the development of COTS products, TrianGraphics also offers professional services for modeling terrains for a multitude of platforms, as well as software development in the field of computer graphics and real-time simulation.

TERRASIM TerraSim, a Bohemia Interactive Simulations company, provides software solutions and services for advanced visual simulation and database construction. TerraSim’s TerraTools automatically builds correlated high-fidelity geospatial databases for export to the widest range of visual, constructive and serious game runtimes in the industry. TerraSim’s source data preparation products cut costs in modeling and simulation workflows. TerraSim Xtract (source data reuse), RoadMAP (road network extraction), DEMTools (elevation model processing and refinement) and MaterialMAP (surfacematerial generation) each support different key components required for efficient terrain production for virtual, constructive and serious game runtimes for advanced modeling and simulation.

THALES TRAINING & SIMULATION We deliver mission readiness. Our mission is to foster the success of our civil and military customers’ critical missions through excellence in simulation-based products and services.

TIER ONE HOLDING GROUP INC. Tier 1 Holding Group Inc. specializes in rapid deployment of atmospherics, props, battlefield effects and training centers. The company has created two patented systems for training: the Immersive Realistic Live-Fire Training Shoot and the Geospatial Arial Array System. Tier 1 Holding Group is located outside Fort Bragg, N.C., and specializes in products for Tier 1 mission units.

TREALITY (BRAND OF ESTERLINE SIMULATION DISPLAY SYSTEMS) TREALITY, formerly Barco Simulation & Training, is the new brand for Esterline Simulation Visual Systems. Treality’s business focus is to provide both high-quality and affordable visual display solutions to the simulation and training markets.

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Core Competencies: Serious Gaming, Software, Training Services

TRU SIMULATION + TRAINING

Denise Lynn dlynn@trusimulation.com 843-574-5333 www.trusimulation.com In 2014, Textron combined two legacy flight training device manufacturers—Mechtronix and OPINICUS—with a portion of its Textron Systems AAI business to form TRU Simulation + Training. All three founding companies have a formidable history of serving the aviation market’s need for advanced technology, from cost-effective pilot and aircraft maintenance training solutions, portable desktop devices and distance learning courseware, to fixed-base training devices and full-motion flight simulators, to maintenance courseware and training devices, to providing maintenance training instruction. The same year, TRU acquired ProFlight, an FAA-approved part 142 pilot training center. Today, TRU Simulation + Training delivers end-to-end flight training solutions to civil and defense customers. Core Competencies: Simulators, Software, Training Services see our ad on page 27

UFA INC. UFA is a leading provider of air traffic control simulation systems and voice recognition technology for civil aviation, military organizations and universities worldwide. Customers include the FAA (ERAM and STARS programs); FAA-CTI schools including University of North Dakota, University of Alaska at Anchorage, Texas State Technical College at Waco and Vaughn College; U.S. military (including extensive systems for the Army and Army National Guard, Navy and Air Force), NAV CANADA, DFS/Germany, LVNL/Netherlands, EUROCONTROL

and CAAC/China. Differentiated by its market-leading voice recognition and response system, highly realistic training scenarios and breadth of its ATC simulation products, UFA software enables controllers to train more flexibly, effectively and cost-efficiently.

new simulation technology, setting the standard for innovative, effective high-quality simulation.

VT MÄK

VCOM3-D INC. Vcom3-D Inc. is the leader in providing immersive games and blended reality systems to train critical human interaction skills. We develop authentic training using research-based behavioral and physiological models, engage learners in immersive gameplay, assess performance in realistic simulations, integrate with medical manikins and provide a social media framework that enables continuous improvement of learning outcomes. Our delivery platforms include mobile devices for learning and performance support; cloud-based applications for self-paced and collaborative learning; sensor-enabled environments with speech, gaze tracking and gesture recognition for maximum immersion; and an open medical training architecture for integrated virtual, constructive and live training.

VERAXX ENGINEERING CORP. Veraxx Engineering Corp. is an engineering services company supplying cutting-edge solutions to the training and simulation industry. Our services span the mechanical, electrical, software, aerospace and systems engineering disciplines. Complementing our engineering capabilities are our project management, logistics and customer support services. Veraxx has the breadth and depth to build full-flight training device simulators from scratch, but is agile enough to handle small modifications.

VISUAL PURPLE Visual Purple’s mission is to provide our clients and partners with world-class, stateof-the-art instructional tools that increase trainee understanding of processes and procedures, reduce training time and improve overall mission readiness and performance. We take great pride in the creation of each project; we build strong, sincere business relationships, striving to understand your training needs. Our commitment to your vision ensures effective solutions and provides you with a lifetime training partner well-versed in your organization’s goals.

VSTEP B.V. VSTEP is an ISO9001:2008-certified company and a leading international developer of simulators and virtual training software. VSTEP creates 3-D virtual training applications and simulators that allow people to build their skills in a practical and cost-effective way. The company is headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and has offices in Singapore and the United States, as well as a worldwide partner network in 20 countries. Since its founding in 2002, VSTEP has successfully delivered simulator solutions for leading industry clients and governmental organizations worldwide. As one of the industry leaders, VSTEP continues its innovation of the virtual training world with professional, accurate and groundbreaking

www.mak.com MÄK develops software for live, virtual and constructive simulation. Leveraging a strong foundation of commercial-off-the-shelf software products, MÄK works with customers to build, link together and populate compelling 2-D/3-D simulated environments. Our primary users are in the aerospace and defense industries, yet our products and services help customers anywhere modeling and simulation is needed to train, plan, analyze, experiment, prototype and demonstrate. MÄK is dedicated to serving our customers by building flexible products, offering superior technical support and delivering command and staff training solutions. MÄK continues to innovate with new technologies, including Web and mobile, to further state-ofthe-art simulation. Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Software, Visual Displays and Systems

WARRIOR TRAIL CONSULTING LLC

www.warriortrail.com Warrior Trail Consulting LLC designs and manufactures the industry’s best nonballistic training body armor for military professionals. Warrior Trail’s unique training products are manufactured and patented in the United States. Our non-ballistic training small arms protective inserts (SAPI) plates and Enhanced SAPI and soft Body Armor Load Carriage System training insert panels match the size, weight, shape, form and rigidity of the operational body armor they are designed to replace. These products, as well as our plate carriers and vests, allow military and law enforcement professionals to conduct rigorous training while preserving their expensive body armor for operational purposes. This enables defense personnel to “train like they fight” at a fraction of the cost. Core Competencies: Constructive Simulation, Software, Training Services

ZEDASOFT INC. ZedaSoft develops innovative man-inthe-loop and constructive simulation solutions for the avionics laboratory, business development and simulation and visualization industries. ZedaSoft’s main goal is to strike the proper balance between realistic simulation and cost-effective deployed solutions utilizing modern simulation architecture.

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DATA PACKETS

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Network Trainer Integrates Cyber-Warfare Environment Scalable Network Technologies, a provider of wireless network design and optimization products, has announced the availability of version 1.1 of Network Defense Trainer (NDT), its cybertraining system. Scalable developed NDT to integrate cyberspace operations and traditional kinetic warfare into full, instrumented, synthetic cyberwarfare training environment. The NDT 1.1 release

offers improved functionality that allows cyberwarriors, network administrators and command and staff to train as they would fight, improving their awareness, reaction time and ability to take corrective action to work through degraded cyberenvironments and successfully complete missions. The NDT 1.1 release contains new features and performance improvements, including enhanced

integration with constructive simulations; builtin voice communications among the trainees; improved situational awareness including reports of network scanning, port scanning and signals intelligence; and quicker deployment and reconfiguration, including a new, simplified installer. Leslie Provenzano; lprovenzano@scalable-networks.com

Combat Training System Adds Location Information Cubic Global Defense has announced the next evolution of its P5 Combat Training System (P5CTS). The P5CTS system enhancement includes Earth Center Earth-Fixed (ECEF) coordinates to accurately map its position anywhere on Earth. The upgrade also increases the coverage of large training areas, the ability to transition across several exercise regions without losing fidelity, and improved weapon simulations and data capture for after-action debriefs. “This essential upgrade enables longrange missions to run across multiple adjacent ranges without having to load different coordinate planes. The use of ECEF coordinates will not only facilitate range management for large force exercises, it will also greatly improve accuracy, especially over long distances,” said Bill Toti, president of Cubic Global Defense. The P5CTS is designed to provide real-time and post-mission training for air-to-air, air-to-ground and surface-to-air combat missions by displaying the live-air picture, recording mission data and relaying time, space and positioning information

between participating aircraft during training sorties. Key components of the system include GPS-enabled, aircraftmounted airborne instrumentation “pods” plus ground stations, which will help aircrew conduct, monitor and control air combat training and post-flight debriefing. P5CTS provides the flexibility to conduct training exercises anytime, anywhere.

Visual Systems Engineered for Specific Applications AV Stumpfl has expanded its presence in creating an extensive visual systems product and service offering to its extensive international client base. All products are custom-engineered for their intended application and manufactured in Austria. All screens are custom-made to measure in any size or shape and a variety of screen materials is available. The benefits of using an AV Stumpfl screen include robust and fail-safe design for installations running 24/7 in low-ambient-light-level installations. Easy setup and storage is also a benefit. Visual systems can be engineered for specific applications, and can be combined with automatic camera-based calibration of soft-edge blend and warping.

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Systems Trainer

Q& A

Emphasizing Modular Open Architecture and Standards Colonel Walt Yates Program Manager PM TRASYS U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Walt Yates serves as program manager for training systems (PM TRASYS) for the U.S. Marine Corps. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1990 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering technology and was commissioned a second lieutenant. Upon graduation from the Basic School, he was assigned to the field artillery military occupational specialty and served ashore and deployed afloat in billets including platoon commander, fire direction officer and battery commander and an assignment on recruiting duty. In 2002, Yates began study at the Naval Postgraduate School in the field of modeling, virtual environments and simulations and graduated with a Master of Science in 2004. He was assigned to MAGTF Training Command at Twenty-nine Palms, Calif., where he served as the officer in charge of the Battle Simulation Center. In 2007, Yates was assigned to the staff of the program manager for training systems, and the following year served as the liaison officer from Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) to the Command Element of Multinational Force-West, Iraq, before returning to his duties at PM Training Systems. Yates was assigned to the Systems Engineering, Interoperability, Architectures and Technology directorate at MCSC, where he served as deputy for modeling and simulation and project manager for the Framework for Assessment of Cost and Technology. In 2013, Yates was selected as a secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow at Norfolk Southern Corp. Following completion of his fellowship, he reported to his present assignment as the Marine Corps’ program manager for training systems. Yates is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act-certified at Level III in information technology and Level III for program management. His previous assignments in modeling and simulation include officer in charge of the MAGTF Training Command Battle Simulation Center, M&S officer for the Program Manager for Training Systems, assistant program manager for range training aids, devices and simulators and deputy M&S lead for MCSC. Q: What are your current priorities as program manager of PM TRASYS? A: Training and Education Command (TECOM) has chartered the Simulation Assessment Working Groups (SAWGs) to assess the capabilities of our portfolio of training systems as they align to Training and Readiness (T&R) Manual Tasks. The SAWGs are answering four basic questions: • What T&R tasks can our training systems adequately train to standard? • What should be the objective capability of each training simulation or simulator? 26 | MT2 20.5

• How much funding and how long will it take to bridge the delta between current capabilities and the objective? • How much capacity (numbers of systems and locations of systems) do we need to accommodate the needs of the operating forces? The assessments of the SAWGs will provide a roadmap for improvements in capability and capacity. A concurrent effort is the Live, Virtual and Constructive-Training Environment (LVC-TE) Working Integrated Product Team, which is describing the objective capabilities for distributed training and identifying the gaps between the current state and the objective. These two efforts will guide the Marine Corps’ investment in training systems. The vision described in the LVC-TE initial capabilities document is for Marines to train using effective, affordable and available training systems in a combination that spans live ranges, immersive virtual simulators and the command post environment with actual commandand-control systems stimulated by the data feeds from constructive simulations as well as troops in the field and virtual systems operated by Marines. The LVC-TE will span the combat elements (command, ground, air and logistics) and the echelons from the small unit to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander. Q: Given the current budget climate, how can you manage to maintain or even increase readiness without larger budgets? www.MT2-kmi.com

A: Readiness of Marines to perform the range of potential missions is really the output of all the activities conducted under the heading of training, and in that sense, readiness is the requirement on which we are focused. With budgetary constraints applied to how we achieve readiness, our challenge is to determine the most effective combination and sequence of training events and environments to achieve readiness. This challenge is being addressed through the assessment working groups presently underway. Under TECOM leadership, our training systems’ capabilities and suitability to task are being assessed in terms of the training and readiness standards. The SAWGs are answering four basic questions that inform the decisions of how we invest in training systems. In very simple terms, they are asking: 1) What T&R tasks can our current portfolio adequately address? 2) What are the tasks for which we don’t have an affordable and effective training solution? 3) How much does it cost to add that capability? 4) How much or how many training systems do we need to support the training needs of both the active and reserve component? Q: What are some of the efforts underway to enhance interoperability in order to connect the geographically separate training facilities and systems into the larger live, virtual and constructive scenarios? A: As the Marine Corps sustains and modernizes the portfolio of virtual and constructive training systems, we are emphasizing the importance of modular open architecture and standards in our systems. Wherever possible, I’d like for our contracts to identify specific standards for

TRU_MilitaryAd_MTT_Half_FIN.indd 1

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interoperability that are maintained by the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization and widely used across the industry. The ability to upgrade and improve the functionality of training systems depends in large part on fostering a healthy competitive environment. For that reason, open and fully documented architectures assist us in getting more interested industry partners from both small and large businesses to compete for development and post-deployment software support. My goal is to avoid the need for sole-source contracts by having the necessary data rights on our software to allow companies, including small businesses, to bid on the work. Additionally, I believe that the primary equity of the government is in the data used in our training simulations. The software is important, but if we can achieve portability of scenario data across various software platforms, it allows us to transition to newer, more capable technology when there is an innovation in the marketplace. The capability of both virtual and constructive simulation environments continues to improve at a rapid pace, and from my perspective those improvements are coming from private industry in many cases. As long as the government has the necessary access to ensure that we understand the source code from a perspective of functionality and security, I would like to be able to run training scenarios in a variety of commercially developed environments. To that end, I am interested in partnering with industry to develop an open definition language for virtual simulations that is similar to the Military Scenario Definition Language (MSDL) standard for constructive simulations. To make a standard such as MSDL work for virtual

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simulations adds a large amount of data definitions to be considered that describe not only the 3-D geometry of virtual worlds, but also visual properties such as reflectivity and emissivity as well as mechanical properties. Such a standard will take a lot of time and work to develop to ensure that it is comprehensive and extensible, but the benefits will be more competition, more affordable cost of ownership and more capable and more realistic simulations. The MCSC director for systems engineering, interoperability, architecture and technology sponsored research at Naval Postgraduate School, which yielded a proof of concept in which the scenario files for a COTS simulation were parsed and transformed into an open format defined in Extensible Markup Language. Eventually, I believe it would be desirable to specify in solicitations that any proposed solution for our simulation needs should be able to import from and export to an open scenario definition format. Q: What were the key lessons of the LVC Large Scale Exercise (LSE) held last year, and how could such exercises contribute in the future? A: LSE-2014 was an important event because it provided the first opportunity to validate the Marine Corps’ ability to conduct distributed training across the domains of live, virtual and constructive on the scale that we would like to do it on a recurring basis. Going into LSE-14, there was plenty of precedent for large exercises that used live forces with elements represented in constructive simulations. Until LSE-2014, however, the Marine Corps had not incorporated virtual simulations such as the Combat Convoy Simulator, Supporting Arms

Virtual Trainer, aviation simulators and Virtual Battle Space 2 into a common overarching scenario. At the top level, one of the main objectives was to rigorously exercise the battle staff at the Marine Expeditionary Battalion (MEB) level, but without the cost of putting a full Marine Expeditionary Force in the field in the live environment. The expense of moving large amounts of equipment and large numbers of Marines to a contiguous geographic area to train is high, and the space required is prohibitive. The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twenty-nine Palms is a very large training area, but it is still not large enough to contain a realistically deployed MEB with space to maneuver. Adding to the elements of the force that are in the field in real physical space with virtual and constructive forces that are fully represented in real time on all of the communication nets provides a much more realistic picture to the commander and the staff. The communications traffic for a conventional command post exercise was augmented by the background noise of all the units at lower echelons conducting their mission and pushing large volumes of message traffic that would be representative of an actual theater of operations. The battle staff faced the challenge of managing all of the information and making decisions in real time that were more complex because of the size of the total force in the scenario. On a technical level, LSE-14 validated key concepts for how we plan to connect simulations over a distributed network. The physical network used was a combination of the Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) and interconnections with other special purpose networks

N AT I O N A L T R A I N I N G A N D S I M U L AT I O N A S S O C I AT I O N WWW.IITSEC.ORG u NOVEMBER 30–DECEMBER 4, 2015 u ORLANDO, FL

INTERSERVICE/INDUSTRY TRAINING, SIMULATION & EDUCATION CONFERENCE FORGING THE FUTURE THROUGH INNOVATION

Why I/ITSEC? u

14,000 Attendees

500 Exhibitors

150 Sessions

60 Countries, over 1,850 International Delegates

W O R L D ’ S L A R G E S T M O D E L I N G, S I M U L AT I O N A N D T R A I N I N G E V E N T 28 | MT2 20.5

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such as the Joint Training and Experimentation Network. Going into LSE-14, there were concerns that adding the network traffic from virtual simulators would saturate the available bandwidth. To learn how a large-scale LVC exercise would stress the network, the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity instrumented and monitored all network traffic and analyzed it. One of the very positive lessons learned was that even at the highest tempo portions of the exercise, the bandwidth allocated from the MCEN and its quality of service attributes were more than adequate to support the training exercise with room to spare. This was a very positive finding because it means that rather than building a separate dedicated physical network to support LVC training, the Marine Corps already has the capacity to support these exercises. The challenges are mostly in developing the processes for determining the connectivity requirements and getting the necessary resources allocated to the training exercise. Security of the network is a primary concern, and was one of the more challenging aspects for the planning and execution of LSE-14. The feedback from the operating forces who participated was very positive in describing the quality of the training at the individual level and staff levels. Across the echelons from the small units to the battle staff and across the ground, aviation, logistics and command elements, the consensus seemed to be that connecting training in virtual environments at the small-unit level into the scenario provided an added level of realism both in the combat operations center and at the small units. Instead of having traffic on communications nets provided from response cells manned by personnel who were serving more as training aids than direct participants in training, the volume of information passed and the realism of the information was provided by Marines in other locations who were part of higher, adjacent, supporting and subordinate units.

decision making, because it requires a well-controlled environment from which data are collected and an accepted metric for the quality of a tactical decision. In tactics there are better ways to solve a problem and worse ways to solve a problem, but it’s often difficult to determine the relative merits of one solution as compared to another. However, it’s worth noting that this is true of live training and not something that simply applies to training in virtual or constructive simulation environments. We do have to assess the quality of skills acquired through training, but sometimes that assessment is more on the subjective side when we are evaluating tactical performance. Technical skills are easier to measure and have provided us a much easier forum for validating the effectiveness of simulation-based training. For a skill such as operating a ground vehicle, aircraft, weapon system or other platform, there is often an objectively “right way” or optimal method of performing a task. With that in mind, the program office for training systems and TECOM recently conducted a study of the Operator-Driver Simulator (ODS) used to train Marines to drive a variety of wheeled tactical vehicles. The ODS has tremendous potential returns on investment because the Marine Corps issues about 17,000 tactical vehicle driver’s licenses every year. Each one of those licensees has an experience requirement from the Marine Corps Tactical Vehicle Licensing Manual to drive a certain number of miles to accrue experience before being licensed. The experience requirement consumes not only a significant amount of time and manpower, but also imposes a significant cost in fuels, wear on the vehicles and preventive and corrective

Q: You have observed that Marines have a strong tradition of live training. How can you obtain the right balance between live, virtual and constructive, and is the balance for the Marines different from the other services? A: Achieving the right balance in training is one of the biggest challenges in how we invest to build training systems. We rely heavily on instructional system design specialists and human factors expertise to measure how training is most effectively provided. Too often, the discussion of how we employ simulations in training centers on cost avoidance. That’s really not the right focus. The correct focus is on the readiness of the forces to perform the range of missions that they may be assigned, and the challenge is to determine the most efficient way to achieve that level of readiness. Well-designed simulations are intended to prepare the individual and the unit to perform at a higher level when they do go to the field so that more beneficial and more difficult training objectives can be accomplished in the live environment. The Marine Corps’ strategy for employing simulations is to use them individually and in combination to support and enhance the quality of live training. Q: Since some may still have doubts, what evidence can you cite that simulated training is truly effective? A: Validation of the effectiveness of a training system is a challenging process because it requires us to make a causal link between the activities we call training and a measurement of skill that is attributed to that training. That’s very difficult to do for skills such as tactical www.MT2-kmi.com

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maintenance for the mileage covered just to gain experience for the student driver. The methodology for our study of the ODS began with using the input of subject-matter experts in the motor transport community to quantify a definition of “what right looks like” for specific driving tasks in various vehicles. This consensus opinion of the definition of optimal performance is referred to as the “gold profile.” Q: How would you compare USMC use of simulation training for aviation with that for ground operations, and what changes would you like to see in the latter in particular? A: The aviation community pioneered the use of virtual simulations for training. For more than two decades, the Marine aviation community has incorporated flight simulators as a primary tool for training pilots, naval flight officers and air crews. It’s part of the culture in the Marine Air Wing, and it has been for a long time. This is true in part because the cost of live training for the aviation component is very expensive relative to the ground component. Budget pressures on training were a forcing function for the adoption of aviation training simulations. On the ground side, we have been slower to adopt simulations and to rely upon them because we had access to ranges, fuel, ammunition, batteries, RF spectrum and maintenance funding for equipment that allowed most training objectives to be accomplished in the live environment. The Combined Arms Exercise program was the capstone of train-as-you-fight live training. Over the last decade or more, the costs of live training have increased, but even more importantly, the range of our weapons and command, control and computer systems have dramatically increased, to the point that even the roughly 1,000 square miles of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center are not large enough to provide the space necessary to exercise a MEB in the live domain. To train to the capabilities of sensor platforms and weapons that have ranges in the hundreds of miles and to cover distances in the air and on the ground that are now possible, we must use a combination of live training and simulation. To move to this type of blended live and simulation-based training is a culture change, and not one that comes easily. The argument for making this change must be improved readiness and not just cost avoidance. The operating forces must be completely convinced that the tools we provide for training are better irrespective of cost. For the ground community to catch up to the aviation community, members must have complete confidence that they have the best training that technology can provide regardless of whether it is live or simulated. Q: What results have you seen from the Tactical Video Capture System (TVCS), and how do you see the use of video in training evolving in the future? A: TVCS provides real-time and recorded video of training on ranges to the exercise controllers as training is being conducted, and is used to provide enhanced after-action review of training to the commander and the training unit. TVCS, particularly as it is employed in the Infantry Immersion Trainers, is tremendously useful in helping instructors and the Marines being trained to understand not only what happened, but also why it happened. TVCS allows events to be recorded from multiple perspectives and rapidly stitched into an integrated after-action review that is very useful in identifying specific strengths and weaknesses and areas on which to focus or provide remediation. 30 | MT2 20.5

Training is expensive, and having a video record of what happened during an event is very useful. TVCS fills a similar need for the ability to analyze training as reviewing recorded games provides for professional athletic teams. TVCS is presently part of our range training infrastructure. The cost of installing TVCS has decreased as high-quality video cameras have become available and the networking infrastructure to connect them has improved. Looking into the future, I foresee TVCS becoming a combination of fixed cameras on a range and small lightweight video cameras worn by the Marines in training that will record video from each individual trainee’s perspective. Cameras worn on the body or on a tactical vehicle during training will take TVCS from fixed sites into the field and provide a record of training for analysis that we have not previously had access to except in training facilities for military operations on urban terrain. Q: What is the mission of the Live, Virtual and Constructive Training Environment (LVC-TE) program, and what is its current status? A: The LVC-TE initial capabilities document was signed by the Marine Requirements Oversight Council in 2010, but did not gain much momentum until LSE-14 provided the venue to validate that it was worth the investment to build it. The purpose of the LVC-TE is to integrate training systems in the three domains of live, virtual and constructive to function together so that the benefits of training with those systems is more than the sum of the parts. The Marine Corps organizes to fight as MAGTFs, and our training systems need to connect and interoperate to represent all the elements of the MAGTF. While at some point LVC-TE may become a program of record based on specific elements of hardware and software, the LVC-TE Working IPT chartered by TECOM is determining what the objective training capability will look like and making recommendations on how to achieve that vision. It appears from the early analysis of the LVC-TE WIPT that most of the capability gaps are in how we interconnect our existing portfolio of training systems to function effectively, efficiently and securely on a distributed network. Q: What did you learn about the potential for simulation technology, and the role of industry in innovation, during your service as Marine Corps deputy for modeling and simulation, as well as a corporate fellow within the Office of the Secretary of Defense? A: Prior to being assigned as the deputy for modeling and simulation on the staff of the director of systems engineering, interoperability, architectures, and technology, my M&S experience was entirely in the domain of training systems. I was aware of M&S applications in systems engineering, but I did not fully appreciate the potential efficiencies that could be realized by applying M&S tools to the design of systems. The most important and perhaps under-used tools we have for ensuring that a complex system meets the thresholds for performance and remains within the budget are well-designed and well-applied models and simulations. The very reasons that many major acquisition programs end in failure for not meeting performance thresholds—or more often for vastly exceeding cost ceilings—are the risks that can be managed with modeling and simulation. After studying how M&S tools are typically used in the conceptual design and engineering of systems, I became convinced that the reason these tools are underused is because they are stovepiped and used sequentially instead of being connected in a federation and used concurrently. Engineering models are designed to address a few specific areas of performance and are sometimes linked to other engineering models, www.MT2-kmi.com

but often employed in a stand-alone fashion. There may be a different model used for each system key performance parameter or key system attribute. Rigorously validated engineering models can provide strong insights into whether a proposed design will meet or exceed the performance requirements and by what margins. RM&A models are likewise applied to systems in a stand-alone or sequential fashion when a specific set of design parameters has been proposed to meet the KPPs and KSAs set forth in the requirements document. Thirdly, after a design has been proposed that meets the threshold of performance according to the engineering models and the necessary reliability, maintainability and availability model attributes according to those models, we apply engineering cost estimation to determine how much a system will cost to procure and sustain. If you study many failed acquisition programs, it is interesting and disturbing to note that cost growth in the sustainment phase of a system life cycle is a very common reason for programs being cancelled or re-baselined. My sense is that a significant component of the cost growth that is modeled in the sustainment phase of a system life cycle results from design choices being made and built into prototypes that would not have otherwise been built if the sustainment cost models had been applied concurrently with the engineering models. For example, an engineer working on the survivability KPP for a tactical vehicle can make a design change in armor thickness or type of material that raises the expected performance above the threshold or objective. However, that engineering change for survivability may have myriad secondary impacts on other KPPs such as speed and mobility, trafficability and fuel efficiency. It may also have impacts on reliability and maintainability of the system, and it will assuredly have impacts on the procurement (materials and fabrication) and life cycle sustainment cost of the system. To fully understand all of the consequences of changing a design parameter for a system, we need to run the engineering, RM&A and cost models concurrently in near-real time. To achieve concurrency among disparate models that have different software architectures and pedigrees (COTS and government off-the-shelf), the models must either be integrated into a giant master model or connected in a federation that allows them to communicate through their input arguments and their outputs. Giant monolithic software projects, and particularly giant monolithic models, are always unwieldy and expensive and almost never function as intended. On the other hand, we have a large body of expertise and tools to help us federate models to communicate with each other using standard data dictionaries and protocols. Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is such a tool. While I was at MCSC, I worked for Director of Modeling and Simulation Mike O’Neal as the project manager for the Framework for Assessing Cost and Technology (FACT), a government-designed open framework based on SysML to connect many individual models into a federation that runs concurrently and describes all of the performance parameters of a system. The FACT software was developed by Georgia Tech Research Institute for MCSC and is maturing and being used to manage risk on a variety of acquisition programs. Applying the FACT framework to federate system models should provide the program manager and the milestone decision authority with a high level of statistical confidence before ‘bending metal’ to build a prototype that the design will meet performance, reliability and cost constraints. During my time on the Secretary of Defense’s Corporate Fellows program, I was assigned to Norfolk Southern Railroad and had an opportunity to visit several other companies that were sponsoring a fellow. Private industry is using modeling and simulation in pursuit of the www.MT2-kmi.com

same goals for their enterprise that we are seeking to address in DoD. The railroad industry is a great example of a business that is highly invested in its human capital. The two largest ongoing costs to operate a railroad are fuel for the locomotives and the recruitment, training, retention and continuous education of the workforce. Improving the return on investment from the workforce through improved efficiency in training offers the potential for significant savings and a competitive edge in the industry. Private industry is using simulations for training to provide synthetic experience that yields real skill in the performance of an employee’s assigned duties. That’s essentially the same reason that we employ training simulations in the military. Experience is expensive and sometimes involves a lot of risk or personal danger. A well-designed simulator can provide years of synthetic experience in a relatively short amount of time. While it is not a one-for-one equivalence with actual experience on the job, it is still very useful and yields measurable improvements in skill, knowledge and judgment in making critical decisions. The reason that Ed Link developed the first flight simulator was to address the need to train novice pilots in a safe environment. In the same way, the railroad industry uses simulation-based training to improve skill and reduce the risk of mishaps that sometimes have huge consequences, especially when the freight is a hazardous material or where tracks are shared with passenger trains. I also observed many examples of how industry has gone to great expense to develop analytical models and simulations that help them optimize processes and invest in new technology. O

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MT2 20.5 | 31

Army Boosts Mental Training A study leads the Army to permanently incorporate cognitive skills training into basic combat training. By David Vergun Army researchers have found effective techniques to dramatically improve soldiers’ cognitive and physical abilities through a regimen of mental skills training. Success of the study led the Army to permanently incorporate cognitive skills training into basic combat training. Following the research done at Fort Jackson, S.C., that training has since spread Army-wide, delivered by trainers from Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (CSF2). Much of the study’s design was derived from previous research conducted at the Center for Enhanced Performance at the U.S. Military Academy. That center now serves as the core element of CSF2 under the Army Resiliency Directorate, according to Amy B. Adler, a clinical research psychologist at the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Adler and others conducted the study and published their findings in the article “Mental Skills Training with Basic Combat Training Soldiers: A Group-Randomized Trial,” published May 25, 2015, in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The Army funded the research, hoping to improve recruits’ basic combat training performance using mental skills training 32 | MT2 20.5

techniques, Adler said, adding that most of her colleagues in the study had a background in sport psychology as well as research. “No one has ever done this kind of study using sport psychology techniques before. A lot of these types of studies have been correlational in nature,” she said, meaning a cause-effect relationship wasn’t established, and a lot of the measures of effectiveness outside the research environment were anecdotal in nature. Also, past studies tended to be small, using elite athletes, she said. That reduced the reliability of the study and also made it harder to generalize the findings to recruits, who are most likely not elite athletes. Adler pointed out that 2,432 recruits were randomized by group across 48 platoons. Each group, in this case a platoon, would either be the mental skills training group or the active comparison group. Size and randomization would increase the validity of the experiment and confidence in any significant findings. Rather than using just a control group, using an active comparison group gave the experiment more validity because it mimicked the mental skills training group in every way except for the content delivered. Adler noted that the active group received a lecture on military history, which was considered useful to the recruits. www.MT2-kmi.com

Both groups received a total of eight hours of training spread out across 10 weeks. The mental skills training was conducted in bite-sized chunks of about 20 minutes each, distributed throughout various field training events such as the obstacle course, rappelling, rifle range, chemical, biological, explosive, radiological and nuclear (CBERN) and Army physical fitness test, rather than in just one block of classroom instruction, she said. Each training chunk was relevant to the event, she added. For example, prior to CBERN or rappelling, relevant material related to managing anxiety would be given. The active group during this time would get a history lesson on rappelling, beginning in World War I. The raters looked at things like time to completion as well as post-training attitudinal attribute ratings like “the training helped me,” “the training helped bring the platoon closer together,” and “the training will help me in the future,” Adler explained.

Cognitive Skills Coreen Harada, a sport psychology consultant and member of the research team, said six mental skills were used in the study: mental skills foundations, goal setting, energy management, attention control, integrating imagery and building confidence. Those techniques were aimed at developing the right attitude; cognitive control over physiological functions such as muscles, breathing rate, anxiety levels and so on; focusing attention on the task at hand; organizing efforts into goals; and utilizing visualization or imagery for task execution. For example, in rifle marksmanship, goal setting, energy management and attention control, three of the six skills, were used, she said. In energy management, recruits focused on controlling heart rate and breathing. Since the rifle range was a novel task for many, it would tend to elevate stress levels. Recruits were trained to control their thoughts and their breathing through practice sessions prior to going to the range. Harada said recruits were told that nervousness before an event like marksmanship and rappelling is normal and could even be used to their advantage. For instance, rapid heart rate means the heart is pumping vital nutrients to the brain and the body, so it’s a good thing, she said. By focusing on breathing control and visualizing and mentally rehearsing techniques before the event, performance would improve. The first of the six skills, mental skills foundations, would always be the first taught, Harada said, because it is critical to all of the other skills. The foundation training consists of having the right mindset for success, focusing on one’s ability to grow, optimism, effective thinking and seeing failure as a normal occurrence on the road to success. Confidence-building tasks consisted of positive self-talk, she said, rather than engaging in a lot of selfcriticism that brings you down. The entire experiment was overseen by an institutional review board, which monitors the design for ethical and safety issues and acquires participants’ consent, Adler said. Both groups, active and mental, had some of their training performance videotaped. Raters unaware of the details of the study were then asked to watch the videos and rate the performance of all the soldiers going through their events. This added a great deal of validity to the study, she observed. Gender and previous experience were moderators of outcomes, Adler noted. Not everyone benefited equally for each task, www.MT2-kmi.com

but there was also no deterioration of performance across the mental study group irrespective of gender, and, taken as a whole, everyone benefited. Adler added that besides the study benefiting performance, the study also had a positive side effect of building mental skills; recruits may have worked as platoons to encourage each other in rehearsing the various mental skills techniques prior to the events. This group effect most likely reinforced performance as well.

Army-wide Implementation The study’s success led to implementation of a condensed version of mental skills training to every recruit. Two-and-a-half hours of mental skills training is provided per platoon by drill sergeants, each of whom have been trained in mental skills training improving soldier performance techniques, according to Harada. Harada said soldiers, families and Army civilians Army-wide are also now getting mental skills training though CSF2, delivered in a variety of ways such as in a classroom setting, during field exercises and at the schoolhouses. Master resilience trainers also provide some of the training in their own venues, she added. Mental skills training is continually reviewed and revised by CSF2 as new research and findings emerge, Harada said, adding that new findings reviewed are not just from sport and exercise psychology. For instance, the literature from adult learning is examined. Also, similar applications of mental skills training are studied from the business community as well as first responders. In turn, Harada said she believes that the Army study has influenced a number of civilian practices. For example, the lead trainer in the study, Bernie Holliday, now works for the Pittsburgh Pirates, providing them with mental skills training he helped to develop. Besides Adler, Holliday and Harada, other authors of the study were Paul D. Bliese, who had been the director of the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and is now a professor at the University of South Carolina; Jason Williams, a statistician from Research Triangle Institute; Louis Csoka; Michael A. Pickering and Jon Hammermeister, now both faculty at Eastern Washington University; and Carl Ohlson, former director of the Center for Enhanced Performance at the U.S. Military Academy. Adler noted that Csoka, a retired Army colonel, set up the program from the beginning and helped design the experiment when he was a contractor with Apex Performance so it would meet “gold standard” criteria for publication in one of the most prominent psychology journals. The Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research partnered with CSF2 in setting up the study, Adler mentioned. The Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience’s Research Transition Office took the completed study and transitioned it to implementation for basic combat training, she said. O David Vergun writes for the Army News Service.

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

MT2 20.5 | 33

ADL Explores the Art of the Possible By Theresa Bradley

To what extent are the outcomes of battles determined on the battlefield? That question, if asked during World War I, would have had a definitive answer: mostly. Today, however, the answer is less clear due to the influence of advanced training strategies that provide information, access and opportunity for skill development at an unprecedented level to warfighters. Our military is better prepared before deployment today because of these training technologies. Warfighters obtain that knowledge, in part, due to the work of a government organization called the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative, which operates research labs in Alexandria, Va., and Orlando’s Research Park. The labs’ 32 personnel, who are mostly engineers, are charged with researching and developing technology and learning science methods that provide optimal conditions for warfighters and others. “Our goal is to help people develop a broader, more sophisticated set of competencies and enable them to refresh these skills in the most efficient manner possible,” said Sae Schatz, Ph.D., director of the ADL Initiative. “We’re moving closer to the knowledge-based economy, and we’re now more dependent on highly sophisticated competencies such as cognition, interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence,” Schatz said. “Warfighters have to be proficient in a wider range of skills, from disaster relief to stabilizing and then rebuilding a country. These requirements are in addition to the usual kinetic operations. Demands are greater and the pace of change more rapid. To keep up, there has to be an emphasis on continuous learning and growth.” One major ADL initiative is a lifelong training aid, called the Personal Assistant Learner (PAL), which uses an artificial-intelligence assistant that evaluates a person’s needs and then supplies training, performance aids or information at appropriate times. The key to PAL is that it is highly customized to the individual. It bases its recommendations on an individual’s current knowledge levels, previous training, goals, current context and other attributes. It is a personal, lifelong learning partner intended to prepare you for any situation in which you’re engaged. It integrates multiple information sources to anticipate what you’ll need before you need it, such as your phone, calendar, computer files or email. Although PAL is still a concept, Schatz envisions the end result being a single component that links together all of these services and information sources. Currently, ADL is working to determine how to source all the data points that the PAL would need in one place, probably a smartphone or other personal device.

more globally connected world. ADL’s primary functions, she said, are: • Supporting and advancing learning science and technologies • Showcasing the “art of the possible” • Connecting those who have a stake in learning technologies, as well as cross-pollinating learning applications across military branches, the private sector and international partnership agencies. “We’re promoting a common vision within the industry and the community,” Schatz said. “The things we are working on, we can’t do alone. No one company or organization has the money or resources to deliver comprehensive, easy and efficient, any time, any place learning in all modalities, and then keep that current. “The age of single-source solutions has ended. What’s needed is an organic, integrated system made up of software services, open data and shared protocols. Small and large businesses, the federal government and universities are all important players in an integrated system. Collaboration, communication and vision are essential for us to succeed,” Schatz added. The ADL Initiative is a research and development organization funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, charged with improving learning strategies for all branches of the military, the federal government and the U.S. population overall. It makes its research available to the private sector through open-source development. Anyone can access the organization’s source code and use it in whatever application is needed. Contractors use it to execute on military contracts, while private industries may develop training tools for their employees. “One of the benefits of being a government initiative is that ADL can make its work available to anyone,” said Schatz, who assumed her leadership role at ADL in June. She brings extensive experience in the digital arts and simulation-based training, with a background in academia and business. Under Schatz’s leadership, the team will have a renewed focus on outreach to ensure engagement of stakeholders that can further advanced-learning strategies. ADL is planning a significant presence at the 2015 I/ITSEC conference and will host a daylong seminar on its virtual world (VW) Sandbox, an online game engine that can be accessed and used by anyone. With the VW Sandbox, users can create a customized simulation for unique training challenges. Information about other exciting ADL projects is available at www.adlnet.gov. O

Collaborative Mission Schatz sees her team’s role as key in ensuring that the U.S. military and workforce remain competitive in a rapidly changing, 34 | MT2 20.5

For more information, contact MT2 Editor Hank Donnelly at hankd@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mt2-kmi.com.

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MT2 RESOURCE CENTER Advertisers Index Adacel..................................................1 www.adacel.com Adacel................................................31 www.adacel.com Bohemia Interactive Simulations.....15 www.bisimulations.com D-Box...................................................7 www.d-box.com Havelsan..............................................1 www.havelsan.com.tr Inert Products LLC............................29 www.inertproducts.com I/ITSEC 2015.....................................28 www.iitsec.org L-3 Link Simulation & Training...... C3 www.link.com

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MT2 20.5 | 35

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW

Military Training Technology

Kit Lavell Executive Vice President Strategic Operations Inc. Q: Can you describe Strategic Operations’ history and evolution? A: Strategic Operations Inc. (STOPS), on the lot of Stu Segall Productions, at one time among the largest independent TV/movie studios in the United States, provides “HyperRealistic” training services and products for military, law enforcement and other organizations responsible for homeland security. (Hyper-Realistic, a trademark of STOPS, is defined as “such a high degree of fidelity in the replication of real-world conditions in a simulation environment that participants so willingly suspend disbelief that they become totally immersed and eventually stressinoculated in a way that can be quantifiably and qualitatively verified.”) For the last 13 years, STOPS has employed state-of-the-art Hollywood battlefield special effects, combat wound effects, medical simulation systems like the Cut Suit, role players, foreign-language speakers and immersive, interactive scenarios to create training and educational environments that are unique in the industry. Q: What are some of your key products in the Department of Defense training and simulation market? A: STOPS manufactures a wide range of innovative products for medical simulation: a mobile, scalable building system that can replicate the look of any area of the world, ship simulators, specialized, custom-made mission-rehearsal sites, replica weapons, 3-D live-fire targets, ballistic unmanned ground vehicle targets and props of all kinds. Q: What are some of the new training/ simulation technologies Strategic Operations is developing in 2015? A: Our Human Worn Surgical Simulator (Cut Suit) comes in two versions: the Tactical Combat Casualty Care/Emergency Medical Services and the Surgical Cut Suit. We are developing advanced surgical-procedure packages for surgical education needs. As the need for pre-deployment tactical training support for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan 36 | MT2 20.5

support to more than 750,000 military and law enforcement in the United States and Canada. From 2004 to 2009, STOPS was the only non-military facility (an alternative training venue) for Marine Corps predeployment training.

has diminished, STOPS is developing specialized support simulations for stability operations, humanitarian missions and non-governmental operations. Q: How are you positioned for the future within the U.S. military? A: The lessons learned from STOPS’ immersive-style training environment have shaped the way training is conducted today. The need for mastering the human domain in military training became clear on the road to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. STOPS will continue to develop cultural training models with an emphasis on decisive action training exercises (U.S. Army) and future character of conflict (U.K. Ministry of Defence) supporting the British Army Training Unit Suffield. STOPS will continue to create complex training environments simulating internally displaced populations, hybrid threats, malign actors and stability operations to meet future challenges. These hyper-realistic training environments combine live and classroom support for OSINT, cyber, human- and counterintelligence training. STOPS will continue to be a premier vendor for design and construction of mission rehearsal facilities and complex target sites supporting direct action training. STOPS’ live-fire shoot house enhancements, using ballistic-safe movie-style props and furniture, convert sterile shoot houses into tactically challenging facilities for advanced critical skill development. Q: What is Strategic Operations’ connection with the defense community? A: Over the last 13 years, Strategic Operations has provided hyper-realistic training

Q: What is an example of your success in the military, and what are some of your goals (specific to the training/simulation industry) over the next year? A: Using all of our movie industry capabilities helped us create novel, immersive, interactive, hyper-realistic, evidence-based training systems and scenarios that have changed the training world. Numerous peerreviewed scientific papers demonstrate the value of this type of training and its “stress inoculation” effect. STOPS is involved in research and development with the Naval Health Research Center under its Simulated Ambulant Laboratory Technology contract, as well as with the Army Research Lab, Office of Naval Research and other organizations. Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Naval Medical Center San Diego, STOPS will soon receive the only non-flyable MV-22 Osprey to help conduct R&D into en-route surgical resuscitation. Q: How do customers benefit from Strategic Operations’ varied resources and expertise? A: Whether at its unique training facilities or with its mobile MOUT and mobile training support teams, STOPS delivers hyper-realistic, immersive, interactive training scenarios to support any training objectives. Training support may include after-action review capabilities and a range of objective assessment tools and metrics, including biometrics, to validate results. Individual and team performance can be assessed with quantitative and qualitative scientific methods. In an era of dwindling military budgets, proven scientific methods to determine the return on investment of training dollars help ensure those dollars are wisely spent. O

kit@e-stops.com www.MT2-kmi.com

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