Automated Wingman

Modeling and Simulation (M&S) plays a major role in the development of new technologies for both military and civilian applications. The Army uses M&S to improve effectiveness and efficiency in developing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs);development and design; testing and evaluating technology, concepts, and systems; training; and numerous other applications. With the development of the RAH-66 Comanche and the AH-64D Long Bow Apache, new tactics have been developed to optimize theemployment of the advanced capabilities of these platforms. These tactics focus on an own-ship and wingman team concept and all but eliminate the concept of single aircraft missions. This change in tactics presents a problem for the R&D community in thatthe single aircraft representation supported by the current simulations does not represent the new operational environment of the own-ship/wingman team concept. For this Phase I effort, CHI Systems proposes to use iGEN, its proprietary integrateddevelopment environment (IDE) for developing intelligent agents, to implement a pilot Synther with capabilities to fly Comanche-type missions. Communication and battlespace infrastructure will be designed to enhance the interoperability of the human pilotand the pilot Synther and to integrate the Synthetic Wingman, or SyWing, simulator within a SAF. SyWing will provide a capability to embed synthetic wingmen within existing and future Army rotorcraft simulators. By eliminating the need to providefacilities to utilize human pilots for this role (requiring moderate- to high-fidelity flight simulators with full displays and controls, as well as radio communications infrastructure), this will reduce the cost and footprint of flight simulationfacilities where there is a need to test or evaluate teamwork behaviors in realistic mission contexts. The technology, once developed, has applicability to related domains. In addition to its use in testing contexts, SyWing will be useful for trainingapplications. Owing to the low footprint of iGEN models in general, we expect that SyWing will be highly useful for low-fidelity part-task trainers where teamwork plays a role. Clearly, the concept is extensible to fixed wing flight, and can be used inconstructive and virtual simulators across a wide range of DoD applications. Apart from defense applications, SyWing could be extended to civilian aviation (whether rotorcraft or fixed wing), to serve in training and testing roles (such as the FAA'songoing experimentation with air traffic control displays and concepts). In addition, entertainment and commercial shrink-wrapped flight simulators/desktop trainers are future candidate applications.