MetaVR and its business partners will exhibit products and technology in booth #1348 at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference and Trade Show (I/ITSEC), December 2- 6, 2019, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL, USA.
MetaVR will demonstrate its terrain and visualization products and technologies that support applications ranging from unmanned air system (UAS) operator and Joint Terminal Attack Control (JTAC) training, to high-speed fixed-wing cockpit simulators, to littoral and marine-based operations and individual/first-person ground-level urban operations. Scenarios will be rendered in the latest version of Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) version 6.4, which features dynamic object-on-object shadows, as well as self-shadowing. Our goal is to support shadows on a large scale so that sensor operators at altitude as well as troops on the ground all see the same scene when coordinating close air support.
At I/ITSEC, MetaVR will showcase a new Joint Fires training scenario capability, using our notional F/A-18 Block III Part Task Mission Trainer (PTMT) physical cockpit networked with our new Deployable Joint Fires Trainer (DJFT).
The F/A-18 Block III PTMT is a prototype to-scale physical cockpit simulator designed and built under an internal MetaVR development program. Designed as a low-cost, portable, quick-deploy training solution, the system uses representative aircraft hardware and can be configured for training on 4.5 generation combat aircraft. It can function as a standalone training solution as part of joint, networked training operations. In addition to VRSG and MetaVR’s 3D content, the PTMT will feature Battlespace Simulations’ (BSI’s) Modern Air Combat Environment (MACE) for scenario generation, constructively generated forces, full spectrum real-time physics calculations, and tactical datalinks integration.
The DJFT, which will be networked with the F/A-18 PTMT, is a newly designed system that provides a quick deploy capability for JTACs and FOs to train alongside fixed- and rotary-wing aircrew within a fully immersive, joint training environment. The modular plug-and-play DJFT is comprised of three or more networked stations – aircrew operator station (AOS), JTAC/FO role player station, and the instructor operator station (IOS) - each fully contained within two-person portable ruggedized cases. The DJFT contains all the hardware required to run dynamic, full-spectrum JTAC/joint fires training scenarios, including notebook computers, GPS receiver, and communication systems. In addition to VRSG and MetaVR’s 3D content, the solution features BSI’s MACE for generating air and ground entities, threat planning, and 5-Line, 9-Line, and call-for-fire interfaces including digitally aided close air support (DACAS).
The F/A-18 Block III PTMT and DJFT demo scenario will take place on MetaVR’s geospecific 3D terrain of the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC), for joint air-land training in support of a peer and near-peer armor-against-armor engagement. The scenario will enable JTAC and FO to train with F/A-18 pilots (one in the F/A-18 PTMT, the other at the DJFT aircrew station) in a quickly evolving mission that includes enemy and friendly land forces, and enemy force air targets. The near-peer adversary roles will include AI-generated air defense and electronic warfare components designed to mimic a complex adversary.
The scenario will begin with a peer-to-peer or near-peer armored company level operation. The JTAC will pass target information to the F/A-18 pilot via DACAS for neutralization. While the F/A-18 approaches the target a hostile anti-aircraft threat will unmask, entering the scene. At this point the scenario will shift to a Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) operation, with the JTAC calling in surface fires to neutralize the new threat and allow the F/A-18 to prosecute its original target. Active electronic warfare and air defense will be employed by the adversary forces to attempt to thwart the friendly forces. The pilot in the F/A-18 PTMT will wear the HTC Vive Pro system running VRSG, which will be augmented with Collins Aerospace’s Coalescence mixed-reality training system; the pilot will be able to see their own hands and interact with the cockpit controls in the physical environment while immersed in the synthetic environment for the out-the-window (OTW) view.
The scenario will be facilitated by D3A Defence, a veteran-run privately held company, which with combined experience of over 50 years of military service, brings extensive military knowledge and skillsets to all levels of training and simulation.
Elsewhere in the booth, MetaVR will demonstrate its new 3D geospecific terrain dataset of Hajin, Syria, built in MetaVR’s round-earth Metadesic™ format with the latest version of MetaVR Terrain Tools for Esri ArcGIS. Virtual Hajin was built from geospecific high-resolution imagery and elevation source data: 50 cm high-resolution imagery licensed from Digital Globe blended to underlying 1-2 meter imagery of all of Syria; SRTM elevation data compiled with a 30-meter elevation post spacing. Cultural features include 112 geospecific building models, 13,326 CityEngine building models, 25,478 vegetation models, plus powerlines and 1,376 streetlights. For nighttime viewing, all the building models contain emissive light-map textures and 22 of the geospecific buildings have light lobes (some have multiple light lobes). All of the streetlights contain light lobes as well. Models were placed on the terrain with VRSG Scenario Editor.
MetaVR will also demonstrate VRSG’s 3D ocean simulation in scenarios featuring models from our military model library of 172 naval vessels on geospecific terrain/ocean body of the Strait of Hormuz and the littoral area of the port city of Kismayo, Somalia. Many vessel models have deck details modeled to first-person level.
Other MetaVR demonstrations will include:
- High-resolution model of Mischief Reef in the South China Sea, an occupied reef in the South China Sea, equipped with an HQ-9 missile defense system. This high-resolution terrain includes shoreline and bathymetry, which make the terrain ideal for sea-based and littoral training scenarios. Geospecific culture includes 249 buildings, a runway, 20,377 vegetation elements, 2,632 miscellaneous shipping containers, turrets, airport instruments, and other items.
- High-resolution geospecific 3D terrain of the Somalia port city of Kismayo. A relevant geospecific terrain for coordinated UAS and JTAC close-air-support training, this 3D terrain is populated with hundreds of geolocated, photo-specific culture models built from ground-level photographs taken on the streets of Kismayo. Demo scenarios include amphibious and close-air-support missions.
- High-resolution geospecific 3D terrain of a mountainous region in Kabul province, Afghanistan. The modeled village of Khairabad includes 650 custom-built 3D structures that match footprints on the source imagery. Many structures have multiple damage states, demonstrated in scenarios that feature close-air-support missions with UAS overwatch and strikes, and pattern of life activity. These scenarios contain many of MetaVR's newest military ground vehicles.
- High-resolution geospecific 3D terrain of Continental US plus Alaska and Hawaii (CONUS++) with modeled training sites and airfields. The CONUS++ demos include flythrough sequences on 28 modeled airports and airfields, with high-resolution imagery and geospecific and geotypical cultural content. Demos include day/night aircraft take-off/landing at the modeled Buckley Air Force Base, modeled training sites such as two sites at Camp Pendleton, Leschi Town at JBLM, and SOCTACC Village at Yuma Proving Ground.
All terrain was built in MetaVR's round-earth format with Terrain Tools. The real-time demos were created with VRSG Scenario Editor, using substantial cultural feature, character, and land, sea, and air vehicle assets, and 3D character animations from our libraries of over 7,950 models and 1,550 animations.