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Aviation History
1984
1984 - 1024.PDF
AVIONICS USAF eyes F-15 visuals AKRON An advanced, limited field-of- view, visual system for F-15 simulators has been developed by Rediffusion and Goodyear in response to a request from the US Air Force. Evaluation was completed earlier this year, and purchase decisions are expected soon. Lack of a visual system has been identi fied as a major deficiency of F-15 simulators. The pair have been working intensely on the project since 1982, when the USAF became interested in low cost visual systems for its A-10, F-15, and F-16 simulators. Goodyear is prime contractor on all USAF F-15 simulators, which are fixed base machines currently equipped with a five degree- of-freedom g-seat, g-suit, and a wide range of aural cues. Adding Rediffusion's soph isticated CT-5A visual system and a 20ft diameter dome greatly increases the training ability, particularly in air combat and air-to-ground attack modes. It is hoped that the latter feature will encourage the USAF to choose the equipment for training its F-15 Dual Role Fighter pilots. This would be a separate competition, however, and is not part of the current decision. A complete, eight-projector CT-5A system, comprising image generators made in the USA by Evans and Sutherland, and calligraphic projectors made by Re- diffusion, was considered too expensive for the USAF's needs. A compromise has therefore been achieved, in which the number of projectors is reduced to four. This results in a field-of-view limited to 160° in azimuth by 60° in elevation instead of the full 200° by 90°. But to increase the effective field of view, the visual area is move able, and is automatically adjusted to match the pilot's line of sight. For occasions when the primary area of interest migrates outside the field of view, during air combat for example, a laser designator produces a dot on the dome indicating target location. The pilot is thus able to con tinue tracking his target until it returns within the field of Image quality has improved dramatically over the last few years. These F-15s, because they are lead aircraft, are modelled in very high detail. Formation lights, markings, moveable undercarriage and speed brake are depicted, along with transparent canopy and selectable afterburner. Visu als are produced by Rediffusion CT-5A image generators. Improvements over the original CT-5 system include 50per cent extra channels, providing considerably more surfaces view, when the aircraft image is renewed. This, says Good year, is a unique feature of the simulator. Despite its limited field of view, Goodyear claims that adding visuals improves the simulator to the extent that 91 per cent of the F-15's abili ties are accurately repro duced, compared with 69 per cent on the standard machine. This figure came out of an evaluation carried out by 48 F-15, F-16, and A-10 pilots from all over the USA, in which 14 separate air superi ority and air-to-ground mis sions were flown. "No other dome-type simulator gives this sort of dynamism," says Goodvear. A gaming area 300 n.m. square has been designed, at the centre of which is a replica of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. The base marks the beginning of a 20 x 100 n.m. corridor of finely detailed terrain which closely matches navigation maps. Terrain- following can be practised among rolling hills, complete with special effects located at the southern end of the cor ridor which include bomb explosions, SAMs, anti aircraft fire and moving vehi cles as well as fixed features such as an airport, and bridges. A railway train and patrol boat provide dynamic targets. Solar effects are also included. Heat-seeking missiles can be tricked into flying towards the sun, and occulation is produced as aircraft pass in front of it. Further data bases will also be available, based on material produced by the USAF for cruise missile and Pershing 2 guidance. In prac tice, this means that pilots will be able to fly the F-15 simulator almost anywhere in the world. The evaluation programme, which was carried out at the Goodyear factory at Akron, Ohio, was assisted by a $200,000 contract from the USAF, which also loaned an F-15 simulator for the pro gramme. Each of the three companies involved has also contributed substantial fund ing of its own. Goodyear's first simulators were produced for the US Navy in 1957, for training crews to fly its airships. It won the contract to supply 11 F-15 simulators to the USAF in 1973, since when it has deliv ered ten machines. An update programme is under way, in which the Harris 6024 com puters are replaced with Gould 32/8780s having twice the speed and capacity. Good year is currently negotiating the supply of the 12th and 13th simulators. • Rediffusion has won con tracts worth $4-5 million to supply a Boeing 757 advanced cockpit procedures trainer and Novoview SP3T visuals to Northwest Airlines. The latter will be integrated with Northwest's Singer-Link 757 simulator. 7604 FLIGHT International, 23 June 1984
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