Joint Virtual Exercise of A-10, JTACs, and JFOs

Yesterday, in an e-mail K. Molloy from MetaVR, Inc., asked me to post the following news release:



MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) rendering of an A-10C entity flying over MetaVR's virtual Afghanistan, approaching a high-resolution geospecific village. The A-10C entity in the scene represents the A-10C aircraft number 78-0684 of the 354th Fighter Squadron, marked as 354 FS/CC (as the "Bulldogs" commander's jet), 355th Fighter Wing (Air Combat Command), Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Aircraft identifying information and subject matter expertise provided by Joachim Jacob of the Warthog News blog. Full size

Released by MetaVR

Last week players within the Air National Guard community completed three networked virtual training events. The event linked an A-10C dome simulator from the 184th fighter squadron at Ft. Smith with JTACs from the 169th Air Support Operations Squadrons (ASOS), IL ANG Peoria, Air Support Operations Center personnel from the 168th ASOS, two JFOs from the 2-34th Brigade Combat Team of the Iowa National Guard, and white cell support from the Iowa Air National Guard Distributed Training Operations Center (DTOC) in the form of Army ground players and a UAV feed. During the course of the three events, they conducted multiple attacks from the A-10C using cannon, GBU-38, and rockets using Type I and Type II procedures with good effects.

MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator drove the visuals in the training systems at all sites.

The JFOs and UAV feed were integrated throughout the three periods as was ASOC support and the use of the Tactical Air Control Party Close Air Support System. While the A-10C simulator was working directly with the JFO and JTACs, the DTOC provided constructive JTACs, aircraft, and dynamic events which tasked the ASOC with managing airspace and assets.

Overall it a very successful week; the end result was excellent, relevant, and persistent training.

No travel dollars were expended, and no jet fuel was burned. Participants talked to a real pilot who saw the exact same battlefield, and there were no database conflicts or image errors. The disparate locations forced players to adhere to established CAS tactics, techniques, and procedures.

The same JTACs and JFOs who trained last week will be deployed to a combat location later this year and it is likely they will be talking over the radio and coordinating the application of CAS assets when it counts, in combat with lives at stake.

About MetaVR
MetaVR, founded in 1997, develops commercial PC-based software for the military simulation and training markets, featuring high-speed 3D visualization content and rapid creation of networked virtual worlds using real-world data. MetaVR's real-time visual systems provide the fidelity of geospecific simulation with game-quality graphics. Users can build (with real-world photographic imagery, elevation data, and feature data) high-fidelity virtual worlds with our terrain generation tools, and render in real time, at 60Hz frame rates, the resulting virtual world with our real-time 3D visualization application, Virtual Reality Scene Generator. MetaVR systems are used for applications such as unmanned aerial systems trainers, manned flight simulators, mission planning and rehearsal, urban operations training, JTAC simulation training, and disaster management training. For more information, visit www.metavr.com.