EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska –
"Our goal is to simulate a big war; with live, virtual and constructive training
we can increase the scope of the exercise, simulating large scale
conflict."
What this means, said Lt. Col. Dennis Lincoln, the 353rd
Combat Training Squadron director of operations, is during RED FLAG-Alaska and
other combat training here, computer aids and virtual participants in simulators
will "exponentialize" the live training environment.
LVC uses software to
integrate virtual cockpits, computer generated forces, live weapons platforms
and real life assets fused together to produce this "war." The LVC will be used
at Eielson for the first time during RF-A 15-2 starting April 30.
"Red
Flag is designed to simulate the first surge during a war, mostly the first 10
combat sorties during that conflict," Lincoln said. "In a real-life situation,
there would be a thousand different things going on in your radar, whether it
was ground-to-air missiles, other aircraft, electronic weapons systems, troops
on the ground or close air support. Integrating LVC is a way for us to further
create a more realistic battlefield for participants, which previously was
confined to real assets."
Using the newly acquired training aid adds new
challenges for the 353rd CTS.
"Running the real life side of things is
sometimes taxing because there are so many moving parts," Lincoln said. "Our
people have really stepped up using our resources at hand to test and implement
this new system."
The challenges bring big rewards to the training
environment as it integrates platforms that can't regularly be tasked for
training because of real world-requirements.
"Low density, high demand
assets such as the RC-135 [Rivet Joint] aren't able to be utilized especially in
a remote location such as Eielson," he said. "We can utilize a single aircrew or
even contracted trainers back in a simulator at a different base into the Joint
Pacific Alaska Range Complex to simulate real life contingency
operations."
Emissions from live JPARC equipment will be detected by the
Rivet Joints, exploited and used by the command elements to task live and
virtual fighters through voice and data links.
Along with the added air
assets, the CTS plans to implement U.S. Army striker brigades into future RED
FLAGs and exercises.
The ground assets will be completing their training
mission on the ground while inadvertently acting in a second role as a training
aid to reconnaissance and fighter aircraft above. The LVC will display the U.S.
ground forces as enemies on on-board systems, creating a target for them to
attack within their aircraft.
"The 'L' is always the most exciting part
of these exercises, but when you have the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines
working together within this constructive and virtual environment, that's where
the money is at," said Brian Smith, 353rd CTS Army and special operations
liaison. "With the range we operate in and the fact that our local Army striker
brigade from Fort Wainwright is the only one in the world equipped with this
technology, the total force integration creates the most unique training
opportunity you can't find anywhere else."
With the JPARC being in remote
portions of Alaska and often inaccessible from the ground, LVC also allows
training aids to be simulated virtually where tangible assets would be too
costly to place and maintain.
"Overall the JPARC and exercises hosted
here offer a training environment like no other in the world," Lincoln said.
"With the already unique landscape, unparalleled support and aircrew, adding in
LVC is going to be a game changer for our trainees and future learning
opportunities."