Near Real Time GPS Simulator Integrated with the Manned Flight Simulator

Christopher Bartone, Frederick Ventrone Jr., Gary Green

Abstract:	A real time GPS satellite simulator has been integrated with the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility (ACETEF) at the Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD) Paxtuxent River, Maryland. The ACETEF facility includes a Manned Flight Simulator (MFS) with a 6 Degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) motion bay, high fidelity aircraft and ship motion models that are integrated with the real time GPS simulator. Navigation sensor models that currently run with the stand alone GPS simulator are currently being added to the real time capability. ACETEF laboratories are integrated via shared memory using a teal time network that distributes environment information pertaining to threats, communications, and platform parameters. This man-in-the-loop GPS simulation will be used to evaluate crew and avionics interfaces and will provide air combat effectiveness testing with GPS user equipment in the loop and integrated with platform avionics. It will also be used for Research, Development, and Test (RDT&E) of carrier landing systems where GPS is used as a landing aid. Installed avionics in an aircraft located in an aircraft size anechoic chamber can be interfaced to a cockpit in the MFS dome. At the same time, the real time GPS satellite simulator simultaneously stimulates installed GPS hardware in the aircraft. Initial demonstration of the real time GPS simulation was performed in March of 1994. The MFS dome at ACETEF was used to generate flight profile data for the demonstration. A 6DOF F/A- 18 strike fighter simulation model was used as the simulated aircraft. Vehicle motion dynamics were passed from the MFS to the GPS simulator over a VME based SCRAMNet real time network. Simulations began with the aircraft sitting idle on the runway until a Rockwell 3A receiver locked onto simulated satellites and began navigating. The aircraft then took off and performed various high g maneuvers with the receiver tracking through each one. Real time video of the pilot’s view was provided so vehicle maneuvers and receiver performance could be monitored simultaneously. Platform position truth data and GPS receiver data were recorded for post test analysis. INTRODUCTIONto the real time capability. ACETEF laboratories are integrated via shared memory using a teal time network that distributes environment information pertaining to threats, communications, and platform parameters. This man-in-the-loop GPS simulation will be used to evaluate crew and avionics interfaces and will provide air combat effectiveness testing with GPS user equipment in the loop and integrated with platform avionics. It will also be used for Research, Development, and Test (RDT&E) of carrier landing systems where GPS is used as a landing aid. Installed avionics in an aircraft located in an aircraft size anechoic chamber can be interfaced to a cockpit in the MFS dome. At the same time, the real time GPS satellite simulator simultaneously stimulates installed GPS hardware in the aircraft. Initial demonstration of the real time GPS simulation was performed in March of 1994. The MFS dome at ACETEF was used to generate flight profile data for the demonstration. A 6DOF F/A- 18 strike fighter simulation model was used as the simulated aircraft. Vehicle motion dynamics were passed from the MFS to the GPS simulator over a VME based SCRAMNet real time network. Simulations began with the aircraft sitting idle on the runway until a Rockwell 3A receiver locked onto simulated satellites and began navigating. The aircraft then took off and performed various high g maneuvers with the receiver tracking through each one. Real time video of the pilot’s view was provided so vehicle maneuvers and receiver performance could be monitored simultaneously. Platform position truth data and GPS receiver data were recorded for post test analysis.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994) September 20 - 23, 1994 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	791 - 797
Cite this article:	Bartone, Christopher, Ventrone, Frederick, Jr., Green, Gary, "Near Real Time GPS Simulator Integrated with the Manned Flight Simulator," Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1994, pp. 791-797.
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