PLEXSYS Supports the Largest Distributed Exercise to date, at the Royal Air Force Air Battlespace Training Centre

Royal Air Force (RAF) Waddington, United Kingdom (July 14, 2017) The Distributed Synthetic Air Land Training (DSALT) contract managed by QinetiQ has been delivering a significant range of Air and Land training since 2009 with PLEXSYS being embedded within, and playing a key part, alongside Boeing US & UK and QinetiQ proprietary systems, in delivering this significant training capability to the RAF.

This year was no exception. Between 22nd May and 2nd June 2017, the multi-national Exercise RED KITE was run from the Air Battlespace Training Centre (ABTC) at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. This exercise is run annually and integrates geographically-remote participants into the Royal Air Force’s air-centric Exercise VIRTUAL FURY, which is designed to train Typhoon pilots in a complex, contested battlespace.

This year’s Exercise RED KITE has grown to include a greatly expanded participant list, with trainees being located across the globe. In the United Kingdom, the trainees and augmenters include E-3D, Typhoon, RC-135W Rivet Joint and Sentinel (all based at the ABTC), RN Type-45 destroyer from the RN Maritime Composite Training System based at HMS Collingwood, and Sea King Air Surveillance and Control System based at RNAS Culdrose in the United Kingdom. Participants globally include MQ-9, F-16 and EA-18 at the USAFE Warrior Preparation Centre in Germany, AC-130, MC-130 and C-17 at various United States Air Force bases throughout the United States, and CF-18 from Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Canada. Although the DSALT system has connected to the maritime components and the US AFBs previously, this is the first time they have all been brought together for a single training exercise run from the ABTC; a unique challenge to the wider DSALT team.

The PLEXSYS UK MTS provided ASCOT as one of the systems EGs, the Sentry Rear Crew Emulator and ASCOT Link 16 Viewer, enhanced by sonomarc providing realistic simulated radio communications; all integrating with the DSALT system, supported by onsite PLEXSYS staff from both the UK and US. This technically demanding exercise built on the previous iterations growing in complexity, fidelity and realism. The PLEXSYS system continued to deliver its proven performance through the entire exercise cycle reinforcing its place within DSALT and with the system. Not once did it fail to deliver the essential missions, when required.