Founded in 1967, Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH (ESG) develops, integrates, and operates electronic and IT systems for military, public authorities, and companies worldwide.  ESG Group has sites in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and has developed solutions including an Advanced Integrated Mission Station for police helicopters and a C2I and weapon deployment system for the German Artillery (ADLER II). Recently, a team at the Fürstenfeldbruck site in Germany began creating a Sea Lynx Cockpit Procedure Trainer (CPT) for the German Navy.

The Sea Lynx helicopter, originally intended as a utility craft, serves in battlefield utility, search and rescue operations, and anti-submarine warfare.  Since acquiring their first Sea Lynx helicopter in 1981, the German Navy has updated and augmented their fleet repeatedly.  The next phase of updates is the modernization of all aircrafts to be completed by the end of 2012.  In preparation, the German Navy contracted ESG in December of 2007 to develop a two-part trainer that includes the main CPT and a Part-Task trainer. 

Once completed, the Sea Lynx CPT will provide training for two distinct groups: advanced pilots who need to get up to speed on the modernized aircraft and entry-level pilots who require complete training.  To provide this type of training, ESG has equipped the CPT to run 2 separate environments built and run with STAGE Scenario from Presagis.

Sea Lynx CPT

The Sea Lynx CPT, developed by ESG to complement the Navy’s full-flight training simulator, is a replica of the Sea Lynx MK 88A cockpit and has 7 touch screen monitors organized in a T-shape.  The instrument panel consists of three monitors with two monitors above and two below.  In addition, the CPT has an instruction station that includes 4 large monitors.

When ESG set out to design the CPT, they had to take into account the variety of functions that the Sea Lynx performs and the conditions in which it operates.  Sea Lynx helicopters are equipped to operate from ships in all weather conditions, and the modernized aircraft is being fitted with new operating and display elements.  The challenge for ESG was to develop a procedural trainer that reflects this.  To provide the necessary training on the new elements, ESG developed touch screen monitors for the CPT as well as 2 extensive environments powered by STAGE Scenario.

The CPT’s first environment is 500 kilometres of the North Sea, and the second is an Open Water environment that contains ships, helicopters and submarines.  In addition, the environments can also include about 50 computer generated forces (CGF).  All of these elements, in both environments, are run by STAGE Scenario.

Scenario-Run Simulations

When the German Navy contracted ESG to design the CPT, ESG needed to select a simulation software that would help them to develop and run large and complex marine scenarios.  Further, the requirements for the CPT included the ability both to develop unique real-world scenarios and to evaluate pilot performance.  STAGE Scenario was an ideal fit for ESG because it is designed for training and evaluation applications, for analyzing tactical scenarios or systems in a simulated environment, and for simulating real or synthetic systems, including real-time simulations of real world scenarios.

The decision to use STAGE Scenario for the CPT was an easy one.  Says Dr. Jörg-Otto Hartz, Project Manager for the CPT and other Sea Lynx projects, “STAGE Scenario provides all the tools we need for the logging and recording of the scenarios.”

Hartz adds they were able to keep production costs down due to their experience of using Scenario since version 3 as well as their use of it in both in-house and third party simulators.

By employing STAGE Scenario, the team at ESG can build tactical scenarios that simulate dynamic, interactive, complex, and real-time tactical environments.  Within these environments, end-users, like the German Navy, have the capability to develop their own training exercises. For the CPT project, the team developed a simulator in which the German Navy can create their own real world naval scenarios for safety and mission critical training.

According to Hartz, “The CPT can run as many scenarios as the Navy wants.  What we provide with STAGE is the capability for creating various scenarios.  We developed samples, and then they are able to create and run their own missions.”

Real World Training Scenarios

This ability to have instructors create and run their own missions is essential to the success of pilot training.  In the case of the Sea Lynx CPT, this ability is especially important given that this procedural trainer must serve the diverse needs of two distinct groups of pilots.

While the German Navy’s advanced pilots will use the CPT to retrain and familiarize themselves with the new flight electronics in the helicopters, their entry-level pilots will rely on the CPT for an even greater part of their training.  For the entry-level pilots, the CPT represents the second phase of their Sea Lynx training.  Once they have acquired the basics, they will use the CPT to get their first hands-on experience with the helicopter’s systems and functions.  The final phase of their training will then take place in the German Navy’s full-flight simulator.  However, while the pilots will have only limited access to the full-flight simulator, they will have complete access to the CPT throughout their pilot training and beyond.

To fully train these two groups to perform a variety of roles in challenging marine conditions, the German Navy can use samples developed by ESG and other third-parties to create their own, STAGE Scenario-powered, missions.  To do this, ESG included tailored licenses in the CPT. Explains Hartz, “The capability of STAGE Scenario is open.  This allowed us to provide a preparation license for the simulator, which, in turn, means that they are able to create their own simulated scenarios without having to compile any code.”

Because STAGE Scenario runs the environments and allows end-users to multiply and control CGF in the scenario, the German Navy can spend their time and energy creating real world training scenarios for pilots flying in Open Water or the North Sea instead of managing complex programming and software integration.

Ultimately using STAGE Scenario helped both ESG to develop the CPT and the German Navy use it. Says Hartz, “Working with STAGE Scenario makes it easy to add new scenarios and to quickly and efficiently make routes for the pilots and trainers who can easily work with the interfaces and the simulation.”

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