New US Air Force Center Will Enable Advanced Virtual Training for Pilots Written 26 August 2020
F/A-18 Hornet flight simulator aboard the USS Independence aircraft carrier. | Photographer's Mates Airman Chris Howell, USN; Wikipedia; Public Domain
Air Force Times reports that on August 17, the US Air Force opened the Virtual Test and Training Center (VTTC), “a new, $38 million building where pilots will practice advanced tactics in a simulated environment that replicates war against a near-peer nation.” The center, located at Nellis Air Force Base, “could be key for the U.S. Air Force as it grapples with the question of how it can train pilots against complex threats like Russia and China at a budget-friendly cost.” While “live exercises will remain an important component of pilot training, the VTTC will give the Air Force a way to simulate a vast battlespace populated by high-end threats. Users will be able to network with other pilots on the system – who fly F-16s, F-22s, F-35s and F-15Es, with perhaps more to come – and fly complex missions against virtual enemies that are impossible to emulate in live training exercises like Red Flag.”
Full Story (Air Force Times)