F-16 Fighting Falcon News

June 23, 1999 (by Lieven Dewitte) - SGI today announced it has been selected by Lockheed Martin to provide sophisticated, high-performance visual computing equipment to power the world's first networked, full-mission F-16 simulators. The simulators will allow pilots to engage in virtual missions with other pilots operating simulators from locations worldwide.
As part of the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command's distributed mission training initiative, the F-16 simulators will enable pilots to experience an automated full-mission briefing, participate in virtual combat sorties and link with other participants such as AWACs aircraft, ground troops and tank crews --all in virtual reality.

The new simulators will offer automated debriefings to give pilots feedback on their performance during their virtual missions. The new simulators are expected to play a critical role in mission rehearsal and safety of flight procedures, which include responding to such events as engine flameout, that are otherwise impractical from a safety standpoint. With the networked simulators, pilots will fly virtual missions in which they can zero in on ground targets, evade threats, engage in combat and perform all types of maneuvers. The first simulators are slated for delivery to Shaw Air Force Base, S. C., and to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.