Advances in Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) technology will soon make it possible for aircrew in the Combined Air Forces to utilize LVC capabilities on a daily basis. LVC is enabled on a live platform by the integration of various virtual sensor models into the weapon system that replicate the functions of live sensors onboard the weapon system. These sensor models can be implemented at various levels of fidelity, from simplistic range bin detection models to physics-based, environment-enabled models. This paper describes a research experiment designed to measure aircrew sensitivities of various levels of sensor model fidelity used on a platform within an LVC framework. This effort builds upon existing LVC capabilities developed for the F-15E platform under the Secure LVC Advanced Training Environment (SLATE) program (Lechner & Huether, 2008, Lechner & Wokurka, 2010, Lechner & Schwering, 2012, Call & Lechner, 2018). In this study, aircrew were presented targets of varying levels of fidelity for both an electromagnetic sensor (AESA Radar) and an electro-optical sensor (Sniper Targeting Pod) utilizing the sensor hardware on an F-15E avionics bench. Participants were current and former pilots and Weapon System Officers (WSO). The impacts of sensor fidelity were evaluated using a combination of objective performance metrics and subjective aircrew ratings for target detection and identification tasks. Subjective responses of participants indicated favorable ratings regarding the LVC capability for emulating real-world conditions to support training for all tasks. Participants reported that functionality was realistic, workload was manageable, and the systems were acceptable to meet training needs. Objective performance measures generally supported the more true-to-life targets for tactical tasks, however other instance supported a mix of sensor fidelities. This paper will detail all experimental results, give recommendations for specific implementations within the LVC environment, and ideas for future research directions will be discussed.
Human Performance Analysis and Engineering
Evaluating Fidelity for Tactical Training within the Live-Virtual Constructive Environment
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