U.S. Army - Air Maneuver Battle Laboratory

OH-58D Kiowa Warrior

The U.S.Army Air Maneuver Battle Laboratory (AMBL) in Fort Rucker, AL made an urgent request to ZedaSoft to develop a version of the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior that could demonstrate a new nose-mounted sensor system (NMS) integrated into the standard Mission Equipment Package (MEP).

The tactical mission simulation includes:

• Next-generation nose-mounted sight with DTV, LLTV, and FLIR sensors with multi-target tracking capabilities
• Rocket, 50 caliber machine gun and HELLFIRE missile fly-out simulations
• Pilot and Copilot/Gunner displays
• UHF, VHF and FM communications using network radio simulation
• Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) capabilities and Improved Data Modem (IDM) datalink via DIS

This platform simulation was developed in three months by five software engineers, and was integrated into a full cockpit with controls and visual system in the fourth month. Two OH-58D simulators were delivered in January 2010 to the U.S. Army Air Maneuver Battle Laboratory in Fort Rucker, AL.  They were used successfully for the Analysis of Alternatives study directed by the Pentagon for Manned/Unmanned aircraft alternatives in February and March 2010, producing viable research results that were published on May 6 of 2010.

A view of the CPG's MFD with the Nose-Mounted Sensor (NMS) page displayed.

AH-64D Apache Upgrade

The U.S. Army Air Maneuver Battle Lab also requested that we update their AH-64A simulators to a Block II Lot 10 AH-64D. ZedaSoft developed this AH-64D with the CBA^® for Simulation framework which includes the following capabilities:

• Hosting software for the executive and timing services for the virtual cockpit model
• Support Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) protocol version
• Generating constructive threat and friendly entities
• Instructor/Experimenter Operation Station (I/EOS), which includes:
  • Common Operational Picture (COP)
  • Color maps of battle space
  • Entity insertions (MANPAD, SAM, threat aircraft)
  • Virtual cockpit repeater views
• Bihrle Applied Research flight model
• AH-64D Mission Equipment Package (MEP) and avionics weapon page formats to support tactical simulation of the M230 30mm chain gun, Hydra 70 2.75" rockets and Hellfire missiles.

A view of the apache pilot virtual station. The left MPD is a view of the weapons page with with video underlay. The right MPD is the Tactical Situation Display (TSD) with the map underlay utilizing ZedaSoft's Map Server.