Tasmanian Devil Project and High Level Architecture Article by: John Tufarolo (tufarolo@mitre.org)
Sarcophilus harrisii
In the wild, its main food supply consists of small wallabies and kangaroos, birds, lizards and probably frogs and crayfish. It is not hesitant to attack animals much larger than itself. Despite a ferocious reputation, the little "devils" have proven to be easily tamed and indeed, have become affectionate and playful companions. They sometimes exhibit a savage and fierce appearance and although they growl and scream, are not really very mean. Being nocturnal, they typically hunt and feed during the night. Driven by the continual overpowering urge to eat, this slobbering, snarling, omnivorous tornado with teeth does not care what he gobbles. It demolishes everything in his path, leaving behind a trail of rubbish and reducing whole forests to toothpicks in seconds [1,2]. The above describes Sarcophilus harrissi or Tasmanian Devil, Bugs Bunny's evil nemesis, or a typical fighter pilot on combat survival training. But more pertinently, Tasmanian Devil also refers to an ongoing simulation experiment in the distributed mission training domain. Distributed Mission Training Distributed mission training (dmt) is a general term that refers to the ability to conduct mission-level training at geographically disparate locations. When applied to aircraft training, it includes the capability to conduct basic engaged maneuvers and to link multiple aircraft simulators together to develop complex team fighting concepts. It can also include full mission training in a simulated combat environment at the basic employment-formation level [3]. Training of this type is of keen interest to both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force. Existing training systems do not offer the capability to train in multi-ship roles and at distributed locations. Resource constraints and safety considerations also limit the use of aircraft sorties to meet this training need. The application of advanced simulation technology is envisioned to provided for an increase in this vital aspect of flight training. | |
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