Lockheed Martin has purchased new high-end servers from Silicon Graphics, Inc (SGI), which will be used to train F-16 fighter jet pilots in the U.S. Air Force. The multimillion-dollar deal will double the number of such training centers from five to 10, SGI said Tuesday.
The training simulators use Onyx 3000 computers and wraparound screens with high-quality computer-generated imagery as well as sound and touch--or "haptic"--information. The simulators can be linked with others for simulations involving several pilots, SGI said.
The visual database of an F-16 pilot training system uses real-world landmarks and terrain and the system delivers sensory cues--visual, aural and haptic--to provide realistic visual ranging, height above terrain, target range, aspect and closure determination. In addition, the threat environments of these F-16 pilot training systems contain more than 100 aircraft and 80 surface entities, all with actual performance characteristics.
In June 1999, Lockheed Martin won a seven-year contract valued at $176 million to build F-16 MTCs for use by Air Combat Command. Lockheed Martin provides three levels of F-16 MTCs. The most comprehensive, a Level-C training center, includes two to four pilot training systems, each with a 360-degree field of view and high-fidelity geospecific database. Level-C MTCs also include briefing/debriefing systems, threat stations, a weapons controller system and a mission observation center where the training mission can be watched as it takes place.
(Ed: Talk about a hardcore gaming machine)