Joint Terminal Attack Controller training reaches new heights Published Jan. 23, 2008 By Capt. Jessica Martin Nellis AFB Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog, 57th Wing commander, and Col. Dan Walker, Air Force Research Laboratory, hosted a ribbon cutting here Jan. 17 for the Joint Terminal Attack Controller Virtual Trainer dome which will soon be incorporated into the syllabus for Nellis' JTAC students. The dome, measuring 14.5 feet high and 23.6 feet in diameter, sits inside the 6th Combat Training Squadron and will provide more realistic training before JTACs head into the field. Developed by the AFRL, the dome is a high-fidelity, fully-immersive, realistic training and rehearsal environment with real-time sensor, simulator, and database correlation. "The dome gives us an advanced capability to provide the most realistic scenarios possible for Airmen," said Lt. Col. John Harris, 57th Operations Group deputy commander. "Nellis is the first base to have this trainer--we're breaking ground with it." JTACs are responsible for directing combat aircraft engaged in close air support and other offensive air operations, and their training continues to evolve over the years-- from students moving pieces on a five-foot by five-foot sand table, to the current Interim Forward Air Controller with its flat-screen projection, to the dome. The dome projects a desert landscape on a 360-by-180 degree field of view, and JTACs use M-22 binoculars that simulate depth on the screen. The simulator operator inserts scenarios via a laptop outside of the dome, while an instructor monitors student's reactions. Another flat-screen TV outside of the dome acts as a brief/debrief system, recording what's going on inside the dome. Students can watch their mission played back and be critiqued while the system records the next mission. The system can store up to six months worth of data so a student's progress can be assessed. For the next year, AFRL will provide software and hardware maintenance and development, and JTAC students and instructors will provide feedback on the dome so that adaptations and upgrades can be made if necessary. "We plan to get two more immersive trainers during fiscal year 2009, whether they are the same as this dome or an iteration of it, based on the feedback this system receives," said Lt. Col. Kirk Emig, 6th CTS commander.
