From: Pierre duPont Subject: APPS: USAF Virtual AWACS with Division Software Date: Tue, 2 Apr 1996 16:40:53 +-100 Virtual AWACS Trains Controllers in Real-World Airborne Situations U.S. Air Force uses Division VR to develop trainees' spatial awareness SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 27, 1996 -- A virtual reality (VR) system from Division is giving future U.S. Air Force weapons controllers the spatial awareness skills they need to operate airborne radar systems. The U.S. Air Force's Armstrong Lab (San Diego, Calif.) uses Division's VR technology for its "Virtual AWACS Training System," which simulates the real-world experiences of controllers onboard the E-3 Sentry, a Boeing 707 aircraft modified with an airborne warning and control system (AWACS). The E-3 Sentry provides all-weather surveillance and command, control and communications (C3) capabilities used by commanders of U.S. and NATO air defense forces. Division's VR technology immerses trainees in a realistic 3D virtual world while they read and interpret 2D radar displays. "Virtual AWACS" simulates mission-critical situations and updates airborne locations of all combatants at the rate of a single radar scan. Two interactive models can be used for surveillance of vast amounts of virtual airspace: For close-range simulations, the operator uses a head-mounted display (HMD) to visualize combat aircraft from a variety of viewpoints. For global surveillance, the operator can fly through the vast 3D world using the HMD with a hand-held input device that provides six degrees of navigational freedom. Simple color-coded icons represent friendly and hostile aircraft in the virtual world. Aircraft movement in the virtual world corresponds to the real-time movements of the simulated aircraft. To monitor the activity of a single hostile aircraft relative to a friendly fighter, the controller can "hook" a target icon. Upon acquiring a hook, a vector connects the two aircraft and indicates the target's relative position and heading. Additional information can be displayed for each friendly and hostile aircraft in the virtual environment. Other trainees can view the operator's performance in the virtual world on a large-screen monitor or projection screen. "This type of training simulation requires a very large virtual world with high-fidelity images, complete immersion for the user, and real-time interactivity," says Mike Harrison, vice president of sales for Division. "It's the kind of professional VR application in which Division systems excel." Division develops and markets virtual reality systems for professional applications such as product design prototyping and training simulation. The company has U.S. headquarters in Redwood City, Calif. and world-wide headquarters in Bristol, UK. Division also has U.S. offices in Chapel Hill, NC, San Diego, Calif., Detroit, Mich., Buffalo, NY, and Atlanta, Georgia, as well as offices and distributors worldwide. Division customers include Ford Motor Co., Bechtel, McDonnell Douglas, NASA, EDS, ABB, British Aerospace, US DoD, Nynex, Glaxo Wellcome, and Sandia National Labs. ### Images available upon request. USA Press Contact: Bob Cramblitt Cramblitt & Company Tel: 919-481-4599; Fax: 919-481-4639 E-Mail: cramco@interpath.com European Press Contact: Pierre duPont Division Limited Tel: +44 1454 615554; Fax: +44 1454 615532 E-Mail: pierre.dupont@division.co.uk #####