PLEXSYS PUTS SWISS AIR FORCE AT THE FOREFRONT OF DISTRIBUTED INTERACTIVE TRAINING

The Swiss Training Capability F/A-18 – FLORAKO (TCFF) project reached the first of two major milestones on 26 February, 2013. PLEXSYS’ work over the past four years in designing and developing the hardware and software for the TCFF program culminated in achieving Initial Operating Capability (IOC) of the FLORAKO C2 system, located at the Air Defense and Direction Center (ADDC) in Dübendorf CH. Achieving Milestone 1 consisted of the successful conduct of Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) for the PLEXSYS Advanced Simulation Combat Operations Trainer (ASCOT) Instructor Operator Station (IOS), the ASCOT FLORAKO Portal, the Enhanced Mission Record and Review System (EMRRS), and providing Swiss operators and maintenance personnel with the necessary training to operate all systems.

Leading up to Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), Alpha and Beta testing was employed by PLEXSYS. Alpha testing took place at the Swiss lab in Camas and involved the testing of operational hardware and software. Beta testing or field testing took place at the Depot Verification Facility (DVF) and the Air Defense and Direction Center (ADDC) in Dübendorf CH, and the Swiss Hornet  Tactical Simulator (SHOTS) in Payerne CH.

Reaching IOC marked a first for Swiss Air Force Tactical Fighter Controllers (TFCs) and Air Defense & Direction Center (ADDC) Officers. The Swiss Air Force ADDC now have a distributed air, land, and sea entity and exercise generation capability through the ASCOT IOS, a distributed communications capability through the ASCOT FLORAKO Portal, and a time stamped synchronized recording and playback capability for combined audio and Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) data through the PLEXSYS Enhanced Mission Record and Review System (EMRRS).

The second milestone was reached in late May 2013. The TCFF project concluded, achieving Full Operating Capability (FOC). FOC sees the Swiss Hornet Tactical Simulator (SHOTS) assume the role of Simulation Management for the Swiss Air Force (SAF) Federation. The SHOTS ASCOT Portal (Portal) is the common interface and single conduit to the dedicated TCFF network between the FLORAKO system and the SHOTS facility, linking the Swiss C2 system with four (4) F/A-18 virtual cockpits. The FLORAKO and SHOTS Portals provide the integration mechanism and translation of voice, Link-16, and entity data between HLA and DIS data. The Portal Control Station (PCS) facilitates joining and leaving the federation, by allowing users to configure, start and monitor PLEXSYS supplied applications across an Ethernet connection.

Within the PCS software suite, a communication layer has been developed to allow users the ability to communicate between the PCS located at the FLORAKO and the PCS located at the SHOTS facility. This unique capability will ensure that the composition of both the SHOTS and FLORAKO sites are configured properly for the expected virtual training missions. Each site has the ability to configure, start, and monitor the remote site, therefore giving a user at the SHOTS site the ability to control both the local and distant end site setup.

Full Operating Capability (FOC) of the TCFF system marks a turning point for Swiss Air Force training. Through innovation and creativity, PLEXSYS has put the Swiss Air Force at the forefront of distributed interactive training.