F-16 Fighting Falcon News

November 29, 2001 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Lockheed Martin Training is demonstrating its four-ship F-16 Training System at the Interservice/Industry Training Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando this week. F-16 pilots will fly multiple types of missions through a visual database that displays imagery at up to one-half meter resolution.
"Integration of a high-fidelity F-16 cockpit with three role player stations will give conference attendees a hands-on opportunity to test basic elements of the distributed mission training (DMT) paradigm now taking shape at US Air Force bases," said Rich Roop, director-simulation and training business development at Lockheed Martin in Akron. "Pilots will fly various four-ship missions or force-on-force missions to show the versatility of our system design and how we apply the DMT philosophy to training."

Three role-player stations with individual VisionStation visual systems join the new high-fidelity F-16 simulation device to make up a four-ship demonstration unit. The role-player stations have basic flight controls-stick and throttle-and communications connectivity with the support aircraft as a mission is configured.

After a mission is completed, pilots use the debrief station to review the mission from any point in time, from beginning to end. "The timeline feature lets pilots and instructors choose the exact points in a recorded mission that they want to evaluate. It allows specific lessons to be reinforced while the mission is still fresh in participants' minds," Roop said. "This quick replay from any point in the mission provides a responsive feature that enhances the overall effectiveness of the training system. This is one feature, among the many, that separates our training solution from others in the industry."
The US Air Force expects to receive delivery of a one-ship Mission Training System at Mountain Home Air Base, Idaho and of a four-ship Mission Training System at Shaw Air Base, S.C., in early 2002.