AFGSC saves millions, increases safety through CSP - afgsc.af.mil

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. – Modernization and innovation marque the Air Force ever ready, but modernizing takes clip and money, portion innovating requires caller ideas. Air Force Global Strike Command B-2 Requirements part precocious expedited this process, redeeming millions of dollars and six years of enactment by utilizing AFWERX to use already conceptualized innovative ideas to lick an existing problem.

In 2019 and 2020, AFWERX opened a U.S. Air Force Pilot Training and Development situation to commercialized investors and industries. Multiple companies submitted commercialized solution proposals they believed would amended aviator grooming and development. One of the solutions submitted was the T-38 Mixed Reality Training Device.

“The T-38 MRTD was projected arsenic a ‘prototype project’ to get a needed capableness to the pilots astatine Whiteman,” said Francisco Webb, Deputy Chief of B-2 Requirements. “We were capable to usage the CSP arsenic the connection to the authorities successful our declaration with them for the project.”

By utilizing an already developed connection for the simulator and a institution acceptable to enactment it, the declaration was easier to create. This allowed the full task to beryllium completed with a savings of $4 cardinal and the simulator was afloat operational successful 1 twelvemonth alternatively of the expected seven.

The simulator, located astatine Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, gives pilots the accidental to regularly bid connected exigency procedures truthful they are prepared for in-flight emergencies. It combines virtual world goggles and reflectors connected the pilot’s fingers that overhead sensors prime up to way question portion they are sitting successful a exemplary cockpit. When the aviator flips a switch, the pitchy successful the virtual world responds. There is besides a tablet connected truthful an teacher aviator tin inject 1 of 18 exigency scenarios astatine immoderate clip during the simulated flight.

“It makes them amended astatine power memory,” said Webb. “So it’s musculus representation and astir a 2nd quality absorption versus having to conflict done handling an existent successful formation emergency. It makes them faster, but it makes them much businesslike and perchance it’s going to prevention lives. That’s the eventual goal.”

“AFWERX, the Air Force Research Laboratory Technology Directorate and Air Force innovation arm, accelerates agile and affordable capableness transitions by teaming innovative exertion developers with Airmen and Guardian talent,” according to their website.

Airmen funny successful accessing ongoing and erstwhile AFWERX challenges tin spell to afwerxchallenge.com.