As modern aircraft become more dependent upon sensors, sensor correlation presents a growing challenge for modern mission rehearsal devices and multi-sensor training devices. The crew members are learning to perform full mission functions using a variety of sensors. These sensor displays must appear realistic and correlate correctly to provide for low level flight and sensor discrimination tasks. This is especially important in crew coordination tasks in mission rehearsal devices. The correlation problem can exist in training devices since sensor data bases are often procured from different vendors or generated from different source material. Technology limits of the image generators compound this problem by reducing the number of features that can be represented in the scene. Developers must construct sensor data bases carefully, with certain compromises, to assure realistic training while maintaining sufficient correlation and accuracy.

This paper describes how Loral is applying this critical technology, learned on the F-15EWST, to the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Aircrew Training System (ATS). Loral is generating a set of data bases to support visual, EO/IR, and various radar sensor simulations with a high degree of correlation. These data bases also meet a high accuracy specification to the digital, map, and photo source data, while being produced in only 48 hours. In addition, the interactive threat simulation entities correlate with all of these data bases. The result is highly realistic training and mission rehearsal devices which overcome the sensor correlation problems.