Agile Drone Training: Zephyr Drone Simulator to Enhance Airmen Combat Proficiency in sUAS Operations Deployed and CONUS

As the Air Force embraces Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine and a shift towards expeditionary airfields in austere environments, small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) will be a critical enabler for lighter manning footprints. Additionally, permanent airfields CONUS, in Europe, and East Asia are adopting sUAS for various critical air base mission support and sustainment functions that enable Airmen to execute operations more accurately, safely, and efficiently. However, the Air Force has no way to train Airmen on how to operate sUAS. The Computer Based Training (CBT) fails to replicate real world physics, controls, or flying conditions. “No drone zone” bases and the FAA have strict sUAS flight rules that restrict when Airmen can train. Coordinating training introduces enormous logistical hurdles that make actual training sessions few and far between. If drones are damaged during training, squadrons must purchase replacements and incur the costs out of their own already limited budgets. Additionally, there is no formal way for instructors to track and monitor Airmen proficiency and progress. Instructors develop ad-hoc training regimens and use subjectivity to determine if a trainee is proficient. Airmen end up piloting sUAS in real-world scenarios with limited competency, risking crashes, damage to aircraft or critical infrastructure, and mission failure. The Air Force needs to train its people on sUAS operations, otherwise it risks battlefield defeat in the next fight. To address this challenge, the 375th Air Mobility operations Group Detachment X proposes to partner with Little Arms Studios (LAS) on a SBIR Direct to Phase II R&D proposal. LAS will modify, adapt and enhance its Zephyr Drone Simulator to provide safe, low-risk training that improves Airmen proficiency in sUAS operations at Scott AFB. This includes thermal imaging for the Blue Air Program’s building inspections and aircraft maintenance, as well as extended beyond visual line of sight training for the Red Air Program’s counter drone detection and mitigation program.  Zephyr Drone Simulator is a full-featured drone training software for drone instructors, flight academies, professionals and hobbyists. Our advanced UAV simulator trains drone pilots to safely and efficiently operate according to FAA guidelines. Zephyr uses real-world physics and a constantly expanding library of training modules and drone platforms meticulously crafted with accurate flight characteristics for cutting-edge drone pilot training.