Crew Role-player Enabled by Automated Technology Enhancements (CREATE)

The Tactical Coordinator (TACCO) is a front-line Naval flight officer on P-8A aircraft responsible for the tactical portion of a patrol or surveillance flight mission. The TACCO coordinates mission activities and must organize functions across the entire flight. Additionally, the TACCO directs sensor operators, develops tactics with aircrew, and informs navigational staff of mission concerns. While existing part-task training (PTT) is sufficient when practicing simple procedural tasks (for example, deploying a sonobuoy), P-8A missions rely on communication among onboard crew and coordination with other platforms (such as organizing ASW with nearby submarines and ships). Crew interaction and coordination training is a significant deficiency within the current PTT system.SoarTech has designed and constructed a proof-of-concept capability that augments the P-8A PTT with intelligent, speech-activated role player agents. This capability includes autonomous, interactive crewmembers (specifically the radar and sonar operators) that are capable of supporting and providing information to, and interacting with the TACCO. SoarTech also developed a software testbed to support a proof-of-concept capability with which trainees can rehearse ASW activities with autonomous crewmembers. We propose here a Phase II SBIR effort to fully develop and integrate these crewmembers within this software testbed, ultimately integrating the capability into the PTT.