Advances in simulation technology and fidelity, specifically in the ability to network Weapon System Training (WST) devices together have made it possible to move more live aircraft training into virtual training. Benefits of transferring more aircraft training to the WSTs reduced cost, and improved safety. Furthermore, the use of WSTs in networking training provides a valuable tool for training aircrews during mission operations where it involves coordination between aircraft such as Aerial Refueling (AR) training.
The Mobility Air Force (MAF) Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) standard is the protocol used by the US Air Forces for Distributed Aerial Refueling training. It provides a set of specifications defining the technical requirements for Virtual Air Refueling (VAR). This standard enabled the capability of VAR over a distributed network using a flying boom refueling system. The US Navy, as well as most NATO countries, use the Probe-and-Drogue (P&G) refueling system as the primary method to perform Air Refueling. For this reason, the ability to train VAR with a P&G system in a distributed environment would be a valuable training capability. Currently, the MAF DMO standard does not provide the technical direction on how to perform distributed aerial refueling training using a P&D refueling system.
This paper proposes a complement data structures to the MAF DMO standard to enable the capability of Distributed Aerial Refueling with P&D systems. Using this proposed standard, a simulation of a distributed virtual air refueling was successfully performed with a C-130 synthetic aircraft as the aircraft tanker and a C-130J WST as the aircraft receiver. The paper will present the experiment results and discuss the crucial lessons learned from this effort. Finally, it will lay out the roadmap of how this proposed standard for VAR with a P&G refueling systems can be implemented in the existing MAF DMO standard.