Digitally-Aided Close Air Support (DACAS) is an increasingly important operational capability for many nations and Services. DACAS now allows the use of digital messages to expedite communications, rapidly build shared situational awareness, reduce human error and shorten the kill-chain. Digital systems in aircraft and DACAS ground kits provide other, previously unexpected and significant benefits that improve CAS planning and execution. For example, a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) can now transmit digital target coordinates directly into an aircraft’s weapons system before the aircraft even checks on station. However, with rare exceptions, current joint fires simulators do not support pilots or JTACs with DACAS training that exercises basic or complicated uses of this vital capability. This training often occurs during scarce national and international training and experimentation events.
As the scarcity of live training opportunities increases, so does the challenge of how do we provide warfighters the most realistic environment to create and maintain their proficiency in joint and coalition DACAS missions. Building on last year’s efforts (Reitz, Seavey and Mullins, 2018), this paper discusses the challenges faced in developing a standard methodology for DACAS capabilities in simulation to close this training gap. It also provides lessons learned from the first field test of simulated DACAS systems that allowed a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) in a virtual trainer in France to digitally control a live aircraft operating at a range in Finland during the Joint Staff’s BOLD QUEST 19.1 coalition capability demonstration and assessment event in Finland.