Vanguard Magazine

"CfTS is one of our most demanding projects and we look forward to supporting Kf Aerospace Defence Programs in continuously improving training effectiveness." — Jean-Claude Siew 34 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 www.vanguardcanada.com s sImuLatIon TRAINING by nestor arellano G aming techniques and virtual reality technology are poised for rapid growth in the military simulation training market. Technologies and gadgets more familiar- ly seen in computer game consoles are in- creasingly making their way to simulation- based systems meant to train armoured vehicle drivers, naval gunnery personnel, pilots, maintenance crews, and more. The global military simulation and virtu- al training market is expected to be worth US$15.8 billion by 2025. That's up 4.20 per cent from $10.4 billion last year, ac- cording to The Global Military Simulation and Virtual Training Market 2015-2025 Report by Strategic Defence Intelligence. "I don't foresee any major barriers to the adoption of simulation training in the military anymore," says Jean-Claude Siew, vice-president of technology and simula- tion for Canadian firm Bluedrop Training & Simulation Inc. "In the last few years, there has been a major shift towards the use of simulators…simulators have taken over what once was class room-based training." But now, Siew says, the greater flexibility and lower cost of virtual reality headgear is creating another major shift. For example, the traditional way of training army medics would have involved constructing huge cabin where soldiers practice patching up wounds in an en- vironment that simulated a battlefield. Such a set-up would have cost millions of pounds, according to Collette Johnson, medical business development manager for Plextek, a United Kingdom-based simula- tion company. The emergence of virtual reality tech- nology has allowed Plextek to cut the cost by allowing the company to use software that projected life-like battlefield scenarios onto visors or helmets, she said an inter- view with technology publication Ware- able.com. A simple VR simulation was "in the low tens of thousands" compared to the price of a traditional training cabin," she explained. In April this year, Bluedrop also secured a $15 million contract to design a simula- tion software for the Royal Canadian Navy. The software will be used to train sailors that will man six, next-generation Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) now being built at the Halifax Shipyard. Bluedrop is developing a 3-D naval sim- ulation system for Canadian sailors. The system includes a headgear which provides an all-round interactive experi- ence, according to Siew. Trainees can use the gear to practice naval activities such as steering or gunnery in preparation for mis- sions. He says the helmets uses augmented re- ality technology to display work scenarios, scenes and schematics that provide users an "immersive environment" very much akin to what they would encounter in real-life. Recently, Bluedrop has partnered with aerospace giant Boeing to develop the next-generation CH-47 Chinook helicop- ter Rear Crew Trainer with the integration of its Canadian-built fuselage with Boe- ing's cockpit training simulator system. The fuselage is part of a forty-two foot- long mock-up of the Chinook helicopter that was manufactured by Bluedrop and installed in its Bluedrop Training and Sim- ulation Centre facility in Halifax, Canada. In addition to this latest milestone, the team has tested, and is on track to achieve a 100 per cent untethered, or wireless, virtual reality training experience that will maxi- mize the flexibility and safety of the trainer. Bluedrop is also scheduled to deliver sev- eral upgrades to the existing flight simu- lators used in training multi-engine and helicopter pilots in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Bluedrop was recently awarded a con- tract by KF Aerospace Defence Programs, operators of the Canadian Forces flight training program in Southport, Mani- toba, to deliver visual systems upgrades to several existing flight simulators for the Contracted Flying Training and Support (CFTS) Program. These upgrades are part of a larger scope of work that sees KF Aerospace Defence Programs and Bluedrop providing the Royal Canadian Air Force's Primary, Ro- tary Wing and Multi-engine Pilot training until 2027. CFTS program has a majority role in training 80 per cent of new pilots in the RCAF every year. "CFTS is one of our most demanding projects and we look forward to support- ing KF Aerospace Defence Programs in continuously improving training effective- ness," says Siew. The visuals upgrade program will pro- vide the pilots with the most up to date vi- sual systems and training systems available. The project is valued at $2.2 million and will be delivered including all associated training and certifications by the Bluedrop Simulation team. and training the future soldier Vr, gaming technology

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