Greater appetite for unpiloted aircraft in combat zones fuels demand for simulators.

• Author: Beidel, Eric
• Position: TRAINING & SIMULATION

The growing demand for unmanned spy aircraft in combat zones has increased the burden on training organizations that are being asked to produce more operators, and faster.

But schoolhouses in the United States are finding it increasingly difficult to train unmanned air vehicles pilots because of their restricted access to the national airspace.

As a result, UAV operators are logging more flight hours in "synthetic" skies where mistakes can be corrected and the airspace is endless. In high-fidelity video games, more military personnel are now learning how to fly UAVs and operate the aircraft sensors.

The influence of video games has reached Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and other locations where students learn to operate the military's drones. By the end of 2012, the armed forces will operate more than 250 classrooms for PC-based military training.

The simulation industry is taking note.

"W, A, S, D," said Brad Johnson, who develops UAV training solutions for General Dynamics Information Technology. "Look at who we're targeting and the generation coming up." Recruits know from playing games that those letters represent the computer keys needed to move forward, left, backwards and right, Johnson said.

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Though based in Orlando, Johnson works closely with his company's simulation and training operation at Fort Huachuca, home to the world's largest UAV training center. More than 350 General Dynamics employees teach at "Black Tower," where they train students on the Hunter, Shadow, Gray Eagle and Warrior Alpha systems. The company is developing technology that would allow their students to practice flying missions without leaving the barracks or stepping foot in a classroom.

With the Pentagon looking to shave costs at nearly every turn, the simulation industry is searching for a one-box-fits-all solution to save money, time and space. Some companies believe that the video game industry has pointed the way toward "agnostic" systems, said Howard Phelps, a vice president for UAV training and simulation efforts at General Dynamics.

"Training dollars are very scarce for the government and they are trying to get the biggest bang for the buck," Phelps said. "Soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines - while they need to know how to physically operate their equipment in a real environment, if you can achieve the same training objectives by using a simulation, it saves money." Crashing a live drone could mean a million-dollar loss. An accident on a simulator only costs a bit of time, Phelps explained.

More and more UAV simulators will require nothing more than a joystick and personal computer. These portable systems will allow operators-in-training to practice on their own and switch between platforms and environments. Pilot a Predator over Iraq today, then fly a Raven above Afghanistan tomorrow.

"You can call them desktop simulations, laptop simulations, whatever terminology you want to use," Phelps said. "But it is basically a PC-driven type of...