By Geoff Fein
Until earlier this year, many junior sailors trained for conducting shipboard helicopter takeoffs using archaic tools–including wooden models to simulate aircraft.
But an urgent request from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Three (HSC-3) in San Diego, led to an effort between the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Lockheed Martin [LMT] to develop a more capable training program, and all within a three-month time frame, a company spokesman said.
Now sailors at HSC-2 and -3 have a more modern up-to-date helicopter control officer (HCO) tower simulator that combines advanced simulation technologies with actual physical mock ups, according to ONR.
“This is a request that came in from fleet operators who had a method for conducting training for this that was less than optimal…it was actually full of negative training,” ONR Command Master Chief Stephen French, told Defense Daily in a recent interview.
HSC-3 had a stand-alone computer that had one ship deck and one helicopter for its training program, both of which are obsolete, along with a single scenario, French said. “In that scenario the players did not demonstrate the right hand signals, nothing was technically correct.”
In the trainer they had before, the helicopter wasn’t the right helicopter, Warren Wright, Lockheed Martin spokesman, told Defense Daily.
HSC-3 kind of made do with what they had, Jim Mashburn, instructional system specialist, HSC wing, told Defense Daily earlier this week.
“We were using basically stick figures to demonstrate the helicopter and ship,” he said.
HSC-2 at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., still used wooden models, French said. “We looked into what we could develop that would provide them with more effective training. That brought us to [the HCO].”
Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract in 2008 and began work in October ’08.
“We didn’t start from scratch,” Wright said. “We started with another program, an immersion trainer.”
Lockheed Martin modified the program and based upon HSC-3’s request, put five different ship decks into the new software, Wright added.
The HCO now has the ability to conduct helicopter take-off procedures from a LPD-17, Littoral Combat Ship, cruiser, destroyer and a T-AKE cargo vessel, he said.
“All of this is pretty much to scale, and that’s a very important requirement,” Wright said. “We also had to make sure not only was the helicopter the right size, but that it was sitting in the right place on the deck.”
And Lockheed Martin worked directly with Lt. Geoffrey Anderson, a HCO training officer, to ensure that the new program captured the correct processes and hand signals, Wright added. “Those are the key things about this particular trainer that are important.”
While the training program is bare bones (it has no sound effects), French said it didn’t need to be best of breed.
“It’s familiarization training. It’s important familiarization training, but it doesn’t certify a person to do this so it doesn’t need [advanced] levels of [immersion],” he said.
But the program does come equipped with the ability to institute emergency procedures such as having the helicopter catch on fire, or roll over, during take-off, Mashburn said.
“It’s a very valuable training [asset] for the fleet,” he said. “Now when they arrive at the ship, [sailors] have a much better understanding of what to expect. We went to great pains to make it right.”
HSC-3 has been training with the new HCO for five months, Mashburn added, while HSC-2 has been using the program for a shorter period of time.