AAI Purchases MetaVR VRSG Licenses for U.S. Army UAS Simulation Training

MetaVR, Inc. announces that AAI Corp., an operating unit of Textron Systems, recently purchased 176 MetaVR Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) licenses to be delivered over 28 months.

The VRSG licenses, of which 44 were delivered in December 2012, will be used for simulation training in three U.S. Army unmanned aerial system (UAS) programs: the Gray Eagle UAS, the Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS), and Shadow UAS Tactical Communication Data Link (TCDL) retrofit kits.

The UGCS is a NATO standardization agreement 4586-compliant command-and-control platform. Capable of controlling multiple unmanned aircraft, it incorporates the digital TCDL military communications protocol for data transmission, robust bandwidth, and data security, and is aligned with emerging unmanned aircraft systems joint services interoperability requirements.

The TCDL, which is used to send secure data and streaming video from reconnaissance airborne platforms to ground stations, transmits radar, imagery, video, and other sensor information.

Since 2002, AAI has used MetaVR VRSG to provide the synthetic payload visuals for ongoing fielding in its Universal Ground Control Station (and earlier One System Ground Station). These licenses support embedded trainers in Shadow TUAS, Gray Eagle, Aerosonde, and Hunter UAS, which are used by U.S. Army and Army National Guard units. AAI also uses VRSG licenses for the Army’s Shadow Training Aids, Devices, Simulators, and Simulations (TADSS) desktop training suite. AAI produces and supports a complete family of advanced tactical unmanned aircraft systems, including Shadow systems flown by the U.S. Army, National Guard, and Marine Corps.