The Direction of Virtual Vehicle Simulations for Military Training
Abstract
A live, realistic environment has always been the preferred medium for military training. However, numerous considerations such as safety and constrained resources, along with technical advances, continue to make virtual and constructive simulations attractive as supplements to live training -- so long as these alternatives can offer resource-saving benefits. In fact, virtual simulations are currently capable of supporting many individual and an increasing number of collective tasks required for training our armed forces. However, there are significant limitations that reduce the effectiveness of virtual training simulations, and stand as roadblocks to a seamless objective LVC capability. Most virtual simulations focus on training an individual Warfighter on one specific battlefield operating system. They do not enable small unit leaders and commanders to effectively manage the integration of that system into a combined arms fight. While standards of interoperability exist, networking these separate virtual devices together to enable combined arms team training requires a platoon of civilian technicians and weeks of modification. Geographically distributed events present major hurtles. The specificity of virtual terrain databases which are based on the individual requirements of their system, preclude a fair-fight with other databases of the same geographic terrain. Some of these limitations are technical in nature and will be addressed through advances and focused research in the field of virtual simulation. Others are based on current technical architectures, stove-piped requirements, and the lack of common synthetic environment products. This paper examines current capabilities and suggests requirements necessary for future virtual simulations to enable the LVC vision.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA473314
Entities
People
- David W. Riggins