Vertex Solutions has been selected yet again by DIU for advanced pilot training program, now contracted to provide a Virtual TRaining for Air Dominance (VTRAD) mixed reality (MR) simulator to support the U.S. Air Force’s new Fighter/Bomber Fundamentals (FBF) tactical jet training course, training the next generation of fast-jet pilots. This project will transform the common immersive training devices (cITDs) Vertex delivered under the Pilot Training Transformation program into a MR simulator with integrated hardware avionics and a new advanced T-38C aircraft model. Vertex will produce an upgrade kit to modify existing cITDs into the VTRAD configuration providing higher fidelity training at lower cost. Fighter and bomber pilot communities can now interact with critical hardware avionics components integrated into Vertex Solutions’ proven cITD platform currently in use at all undergraduate pilot training locations.
“The introduction of 5th Generation aircraft fundamentally changed the nature of air warfare and the training required for U.S. military pilots,” DIU said. “Specifically, this evolution revealed major limitations in the legacy pilot training ecosystem, which relies heavily on monolithic simulator systems and live-flights and suffers from limited network interoperability and content-delivery capabilities.”
“VTRAD marks the next generation of training technology for fighter jet aircraft and a glimpse into the future for Vertex Solutions,” said Dennis Wikoff, President and COO, Vertex Solutions. “MR provides a genuine pathway for a lightweight advanced fighter flight simulator.“
The initial contract requirement is to deliver a T-38C tactical trainer aircraft simulator for 19AF’s new FBF course under AETC. The modularity of Vertex Solutions’ design, however, allows DIU and Vertex Solutions to develop a capability that can be rapidly extended to multiple other tactical jet trainer aircraft, like the F-16, and soon, the T-7A.
Vertex Solutions is developing the reconfigurable VTRAD simulator under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract vehicle. This concept will deliver a prototype within one year from announcement of the solicitation, and a full solution (five devices initially) within a 19-month period of performance.
