SMART CONTROLLER

SMART Controller is a subset of the features of the SMART software developed by International Aerospace. SMART Controller has been designed by experts in the field of air traffic controller and fighter controller training to be used for a variety of training tasks, from basic training through to advanced training and into battle management training.

SMART Controller incorporates voice control which can reduce operational costs significantly, by removing the need for simulator operators to act as "pseudo pilots", during the basic phases of training, and by reducing the number of support staff required to run a war-gaming centre. SMART Controller can be used as a ‘Stand Alone’ trainer, or multiple units can be networked together using a local area or wide area network for team training. For advanced controller training and war-gaming, SMART Controller can be interfaced to a computer forces generation tool as described in the NCW Modeling section.

Basic Control

SMART Controller can be run from a desktop or notepad pc, which gives the student controllers the opportunity of continuation training away from the formal training establishment. The voice control vocabulary enables the student controller to command aircraft under his/her control, without the need for another operator. Commands include change heading, height and speed, change mode 3A squawks, call other control agencies and return to base. Aircraft tracks behave in a realistic manner and, for example, the controller is able to command the aircraft to adjust his rate of turn. There is also a computer aided interception package built into SMART which tells the student controller bearing, range & height information on the target and which course to steer to intercept.

Advanced Control

For advanced training, the same voice control vocabulary enables the student controller to command aircraft to join a tanker, go to a CAP, scramble from ground alert and to engage targets. Probability of kill is pre-programmed, which gives ‘kill’ zones for front and rear hemisphere attacks. Hostile aircraft within these kill zones will be destroyed.

Smart Controller can also be used with instructors acting in the role of pilots to give added realism. Instructors have access to the characteristics of an aircraft and can easily make changes to reflect the commands of the student controllers. In addition, SMART Controller displays Squadron Readiness States and Mission Tote, which are inter-linked. For example, when an aircraft is scrambled from ground alert, the readiness state will change to indicate this, and once the aircraft is commanded to set the mode 3A code, the aircraft details will appear on the mission tote.

Battle Management Training

Battle Management skills can also be taught very effectively using the SMART Controller. When SMART Controllers are networked together, each user can be allocated a different role; for example, one could act as Wing Operations, another as Controller Red Forces, another as Controller Blue Forces and another as the Weapons Allocator. Using the inbuilt Command toolbar, fighters can be allocated targets by the weapons allocator. The allocator can also use the Threat package to determine which weapon is best suited to attack which target.

For total realism and when working in a tri-service environment, SMART Controller(s) can be interfaced with a Computer Generated Forces tool, to enable the behaviours of all entities to be modelled very accurately. Complex scenarios can be created with each entity having a unique behaviour pattern. Event probabilities can be programmed to, for example, limit airborne radar acquisition, calculate probabilities of weapon kill and probabilities of damage sustained. The effects of jamming, chaff and other countermeasures are among the many other features which can be modelled in order to generate a realistic outcome to a war-gaming scenario.