Today, MetaVR announced that it has sold 24 Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) licenses for the installation of Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training simulators at the Special Operations Terminal Attack Controller Course (SOTACC) facility at the US Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), Yuma, AZ.
MetaVR's business partner Battlespace Simulations (BSI) was recently awarded a contract by Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, FL, to install two classrooms with desktop JTAC simulators featuring BSI and MetaVR software at the SOTACC facility. The new simulators replace the Call For Fire Trainer (CFFT) simulators delivered several years ago by Fidelity Technologies. For this upgrade, which is currently being installed and configured in December 2015, a purely commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solution was selected over current government issued CFFT systems.
The contract calls for two classrooms, each of which consists of eight JTAC student stations, an instructor station, an instructor role-player station, and a NVIS Ranger 47 simulated laser range finder. MetaVR VRSG, geospecific terrain, and extensive 3D content libraries, along with BSI's Modern Air Combat Environment (MACE) software are the key components of the Windows desktop systems. Each station also includes a tablet running a ROVER feed of VRSG’s simulated sensor view and a communications suite with BSI’s Viper DIS Radio software to simulate PRC-117, PRC-148, PRC-152 radios. All new hardware, including two terrain servers loaded with MetaVR's CONUS++, Asia, and Africa terrain data sets round out the upgrade. The two classrooms share a DIS network, which will enable students to collaborate on exercise missions.
The new classroom simulation system is fully accredited by the Joint Fire Support Executive Steering Committee (JFS ESC) for types 1, 2, 3 controls for both day and night, and for laser target designation with a simulated military laser device.
As in other MetaVR and BSI's accredited desktop JTAC simulators, VRSG provides out-the-window (OTW) views for the instructor, student, and role player stations, as well as sensor views and the view within the Ranger 47 simulated military equipment. MACE provides entity scenario generation and execution, including call for fire, 9-Line, and 5-Line interfaces as well as the virtual pilot/role player station. BSI's Viper DIS radio provides an operationally realistic communications environment and BSI's DIScord DIS recorder enables after-action review (AAR) and debrief.
The purpose of SOTACC is to teach Special Forces troops from the US Army, USAF, and USMC the conduct of close air support missions and to fully certify them as qualified JTACs. The four week JTAC qualification course includes three weeks of academic training and one week of live-fire close air support training.
In Q1 2016, MetaVR will deliver to the SOTACC facility high-resolution geospecific 3D terrain of the Prospect Square area at YPG, which is a general-purpose desert environmental test facility, located 26 miles north of Yuma. Prospect Square is an impact area used for high explosive munitions. MetaVR is building the virtual terrain with 2cm per-pixel resolution imagery of Prospect Square, which was captured in November by MetaVR's remote-controlled portable aircraft, the MetaVRC. The aircraft was built and flown by Swift Radioplanes in military controlled air space. With both the 2cm imagery and 2-10m elevation data, MetaVR will compile full-resolution (2cm) terrain tiles of Prospect Square with MetaVR Terrain Tools for Esri ArcGIS. The total area of coverage of this terrain data set will be 17 square kilometres. At 2cm resolution, such details as small craters left from exploded ordnance are visible on the terrain. Underlying the high-resolution 3D terrain of Prospect Square is MetaVR's CONUS ++ terrain, which was built with 1 meter per-pixel terrain imagery and
DTED-1 elevation data.
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| Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) in VRSG-Afghanistan. (Graphic: MetaVR) |
The contract calls for two classrooms, each of which consists of eight JTAC student stations, an instructor station, an instructor role-player station, and a NVIS Ranger 47 simulated laser range finder. MetaVR VRSG, geospecific terrain, and extensive 3D content libraries, along with BSI's Modern Air Combat Environment (MACE) software are the key components of the Windows desktop systems. Each station also includes a tablet running a ROVER feed of VRSG’s simulated sensor view and a communications suite with BSI’s Viper DIS Radio software to simulate PRC-117, PRC-148, PRC-152 radios. All new hardware, including two terrain servers loaded with MetaVR's CONUS++, Asia, and Africa terrain data sets round out the upgrade. The two classrooms share a DIS network, which will enable students to collaborate on exercise missions.
The new classroom simulation system is fully accredited by the Joint Fire Support Executive Steering Committee (JFS ESC) for types 1, 2, 3 controls for both day and night, and for laser target designation with a simulated military laser device.
As in other MetaVR and BSI's accredited desktop JTAC simulators, VRSG provides out-the-window (OTW) views for the instructor, student, and role player stations, as well as sensor views and the view within the Ranger 47 simulated military equipment. MACE provides entity scenario generation and execution, including call for fire, 9-Line, and 5-Line interfaces as well as the virtual pilot/role player station. BSI's Viper DIS radio provides an operationally realistic communications environment and BSI's DIScord DIS recorder enables after-action review (AAR) and debrief.
The purpose of SOTACC is to teach Special Forces troops from the US Army, USAF, and USMC the conduct of close air support missions and to fully certify them as qualified JTACs. The four week JTAC qualification course includes three weeks of academic training and one week of live-fire close air support training.
In Q1 2016, MetaVR will deliver to the SOTACC facility high-resolution geospecific 3D terrain of the Prospect Square area at YPG, which is a general-purpose desert environmental test facility, located 26 miles north of Yuma. Prospect Square is an impact area used for high explosive munitions. MetaVR is building the virtual terrain with 2cm per-pixel resolution imagery of Prospect Square, which was captured in November by MetaVR's remote-controlled portable aircraft, the MetaVRC. The aircraft was built and flown by Swift Radioplanes in military controlled air space. With both the 2cm imagery and 2-10m elevation data, MetaVR will compile full-resolution (2cm) terrain tiles of Prospect Square with MetaVR Terrain Tools for Esri ArcGIS. The total area of coverage of this terrain data set will be 17 square kilometres. At 2cm resolution, such details as small craters left from exploded ordnance are visible on the terrain. Underlying the high-resolution 3D terrain of Prospect Square is MetaVR's CONUS ++ terrain, which was built with 1 meter per-pixel terrain imagery and
DTED-1 elevation data.