Northrop showcases simultanious simulated air refueling from three different location using SIM's.

Just happened to run across this on youtube today but wow are times changing. A c-17 pilot, a KC-135 pilot, and a KC-135 boom operator from three geographically different locations "linked" up and preformed a simulated in-flight refueling in real time. quite impressive actually...

In a first for the U.S. Air Force, a team led by Northrop Grumman successfully demonstrated a high-fidelity virtual aerial refueling, networking geographically dispersed flight simulators and providing a realistic simulation of an air-to-air refueling process. During the Oct. 30 demo, Northrop Grumman connected a pilot in a C-17 transport flight simulator in Texas, an operator in a KC-135 tanker flight simulator in Florida and a boom operator in the Boom Operator Weapons Systems Trainer, or BOWST, simulator in Oklahoma, with all three simulators operating simultaneously via the Mobility Air Forces Distributed Mission Operations test network. Simulating an actual in-flight refueling mission is a way the Air Force can maintain readiness and reduce costly live flights.

This must be the future of "cost savings" for the airforce. Man, going in the SIM used to be a yearly thing. Or so I thought.

reply to post by boomer135


Is that a fairly accurate representation of what it looks and sounds like in the real thing? It looked like the C17 cockpit view was centered on the KC135 but in the boom view it looked like the C17 kept drifting to the port side?
I can imagine this would save quit a bit of cash from doing it live...crews could train 24/7 weather an aircraft or flight crew was locally available or not. Just link up with your flying buddies on the other side of the world.

reply to post by Sammamishman


Sounds like it except with the chick narrating. The rest is pretty accurate

Nothing that I haven't been doing for the last decade in sims on my desktop computer. Wow. Taken long enough to catch up.

The fidelity of modern desktop sims would shock many in the USAF I think. The fidelity puts the multi-million dollar sims to shame. Only thing missing is the hardware cockpit.

reply to post by mirageofdeceit


There's even some pretty decent hardware cockpits I've seen around the web.

Sammamishman
reply to post by boomer135

 

I can imagine this would save quit a bit of cash from doing it live...crews could train 24/7 weather an aircraft or flight crew was locally available or not. Just link up with your flying buddies on the other side of the world.

I think there's some "reality" missing...them trying to do it while coming under enemy fire.

Obviously, this so called "refueling" is actually an encroachment of the airspace of the People's Republic of Pineland. It merits a swift and devastating reprisal by the brave forces of the PRP. I volunteer.

reply to post by Bedlam


Wait.....I thought we were allies with the PRP. Shouldn't we be more concerned with what North Atlantica's next move is and the where a bouts of Jose Cuervo?