Enhanced Air Training Effectiveness With GPS Based Positioning

Raymond Bontempi and Stan Goldstein

Abstract:	This paper will demonstrate the ability of integrated GPS/ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) to augment and ultimately replace current ground station based TSPI on ACM1 pilot training ranges. GPS can become a significant part of ACM1 range upgrades freeing up channel bandwidth for more uplink and downlink data throughput. In addition, GPS can provide accurate time tagging which is the basis for accurate air combat simulation and no-drop bomb scoring. ‘dropouts’ of positioning information and data due to antenna shadowing from air vehicle dynamics, and less accurate time tagging for weapon events. Also, virtually the entire channel bandwidth is utilized for positioning information. Integrated GPS/ACMI provides solutions to these problems and allows a more robust and accurate training environment. Since an ACM1 transponder will be an integral part of new aircraft design as well as upgrades of existing aircraft, and in order to ‘train as you fly’ it is necessary to have an ACM1 antenna mounted on the aircraft at all times. This provides a requirement for greater receiver sensitivity and higher output power for onboard transponders. With the application of GPS data two important problems are solved; accurate positioning through periods of channel blackout and accurate time tagging. Once range computers have been refit with new kalman filtering software to accept GPS data, channel bandwidth formerly used for ground based multilateration positioning can be used for uplink and downlink data. Accurate time tagging of weapon events can be used in precise simulations to determine kills and no drop bomb scoring. GPS based ACM1 provides a robust and easily implemented augmentation to current range technology, enhancing the performance of the system.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1995 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 18 - 20, 1995 Disneyland Hotel Anaheim, CA
Pages:	125 - 130
Cite this article:	Bontempi, Raymond, Goldstein, Stan, "Enhanced Air Training Effectiveness With GPS Based Positioning," Proceedings of the 1995 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, CA, January 1995, pp. 125-130.
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