Marine Fighter Squadron Deploys
to Iraq With MFOQA Demonstration Tools from SimAuthor
MIRAMAR, Calif., Dec. 18, 2006 -- [ASDWire.com]-- In
August of this year, the "Bats" of Marine All-Weather Fighter-Attack
Squadron 242-VMFA(AW)-242-deployed to Iraq with prototype software
tools developed under the Department of the Navy's Military Flight
Operations Quality Assurance (MFOQA) demonstration project. The
tools are currently being used in combat operations in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
The "Bats" used the tools during air-to-air training at MCAF Kaneohe
Bay, Hawaii, and air-to-ground training at MCAS Yuma, Ariz., in
preparation for deployment to Iraq. The tools provided notable
improvements in the aircrews' debriefs of air-to-air and
air-to-ground sorties, as well as more timely visualization of
aircraft systems data to support maintenance.
"Though the demonstration project is still in progress and uses for
the tools continue to be refined, they provided significant
improvements during our tactical and maintenance debrief sessions
and were convincing enough for us to request their use during our
deployment to OIF," said Major "Drowsy" Reed, Director of Safety and
Standardization for
VMFA(AW)-242.
The tools include FlightAnalyst(tm) and FlightViz(tm), modified
commercial off-the-shelf software programs developed by SimAuthor,
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Westar Aerospace & Defense Group,
Inc. as well as a separate software tool developed by the Navy.
Maj. Reed said several squadron members were convinced of the value
of the MFOQA demonstration prototype tools, and described them as a
"force multiplier" during the unit's preparation for deployment.
The SimAuthor tools provide an analytical presentation of a flight
based on operational data from the aircraft, a graphical and
animated representation of a flight, and a post-flight replay of
aircraft systems data in a format similar to multifunction displays
available to the aircrew in-flight. The analytical and data
visualization capabilities enable squadron aircrews to improve the
quality of their missions in terms of performance and safety, and
assist maintenance personnel with systems troubleshooting and
repair.
"The "Bats" were selected as the lead fixed-wing squadron for the
MFOQA demonstration, which was established to involve the warfighter
in the development of MFOQA requirements and concepts of operations.
MFOQA is a knowledge management process being developed to improve
operational readiness and reduce risks in Navy and Marine Corps
aviation squadrons.
"Throughout the demonstration we evaluated and evolved the prototype
tools for potential use in a combat environment,"said Dr. David
Haas, the technical lead for the MFOQA Demonstration Project.
The "Bats" are using the tools in Iraq on a daily basis. Typical
applications include aircrew debriefs of missions with the
capability to depict spatial relationships of multiple aircraft
during simultaneous flights. The tools also provide the capability
to validate discrepancies during daily maintenance operations, and
possibly eliminate "troubleshooting" steps or maintenance actions,
as allowed within the provisions of the Naval Aviation Maintenance
Program.
The capabilities provided by the prototype tools are being used to
help define MFOQA fleet requirements for to the Naval Air Command (NAVAIR),
which is responsibility for the Navy's MFOQA Program Acquisition.
The history of the Marine All-Weather Fighter-Attack Squadron 242
dates back to 1943 when it was activated as Marine Torpedo Bombing
Squadron 242. The Squadron has a long combat history. It flew
anti-submarine patrols in the South Pacific until the end of World
War II, was deployed to Key West during the Cuban Missile Crisis,
participated in combat operations in Vietnam, and was part of the
Marine Air Group-70 in Operation Desert Shield. The Squadron is
currently based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif.
For more information on SimAuthor, Inc., visit: www.simauthor.com
For more information on Westar Aerospace & Defense Group, visit:
www.westar.com
Press Release
SimAuthor, Inc.
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Boulder, CO 80305
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