Training program merges air-to-ground comms.

• Author: Torres, Kristen
• Position: Global Defensse

* Cubic Global Defense--a developer of virtual, game-based military training systems--has integrated air and ground communication technology into one cohesive training program, a company executive said.

Cubic combined existing air combat maneuvering instrumentation with communications systems on the ground, establishing new channels of contact for airmen and infantry, said Tim Loy, program manager for the company's Canada air ranges program. "It's been an exciting process."

Cubic, along with Mirabel Aerospace Centre--which is based in Canada--adapted its current operational flight program with modifications that allow air-to-air signals to simultaneously transmit to forces on the ground.

By having an integrated air-to-ground communication system, soldiers in vehicles and on foot are able to relay positions, real-time kill notifications and weapon delivery with unprecedented accuracy, Loy said.

"Transmitting signals around weapon delivery means that we can see where and when we dropped a bomb and the effects of that action as well," he added. "We can look at the system and verify who is in the area at the point of weapon impact and say, 'These people are now killed or disabled.'"

The system was tested during Exercise Maple Resolve--a collaborative training program that brought together over 6,000 Canadian troops, 1,200 American soldiers and roughly 150 members of the British military. Training took place at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta, Canada, from May 23 to June 6.

"It's essentially a force-on-force exercise...