NATO Follow-Up Study on MTDS

In January 2018, the NATO Modelling & Simulation Group started a follow-on activity on Mission Training through Distributed Simulation (MTDS). The aim of this activity is to provide NATO and its nations with a capability to conduct realistic multi-national training for air operations. The vision for MTDS was discussed in the NATO Industrial Advisory Group Sub-Group-162 (NIAG SG-162) and was described as "A shared training environment that includes a blending of live, virtual and constructive simulation within a common synthetic environment that will allow war fighters to train individually or collectively at all levels of war."

The former study has validated the technical feasibility to connect heterogeneous operational training simulators in order to provide real training value for multi-national air mission exercises. The follow-on activity seeks to provide mission training and operational assessment of air and C2 systems in all core airpower roles, such as Maritime Air, Land Air and Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JISR) components, including Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The NIAG SG-162 has already recommended pursuing greater integration and interaction with live components.