MetaVR Visuals Delivered in F-16 Simulator ACAT/FRRP

In October 2011, ZedaSoft, Inc. delivered a dual-dome reconfigurable F-16 simulator system to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company (LM Aero) Advanced Development Programs (ADP) group in support of the Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT) Fighter Risk Reduction Program (FRRP).

ACAT/FRRP is a follow-on phase to the Aviation Week Laureate award winning Ground Collision Avoidance System (GCAS) program developed with the U.S Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. This new phase will test similar automatic collision avoidance technologies between USAF fighter aircraft.

The dual-dome solution provides two F-16C Reconfigurable Cockpit Systems (RCS) in high resolution large field-of-view display and projection systems from Immersive Display Solutions, Inc. (IDSI), and visual scene rendering software from MetaVR.

	Illustration of the dual dome reconfigurable F-16 simulator system. Illustration courtesy of ZedaSoft.

The portable dual dome system uses MetaVR's Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG) software to render the the dome visual scene content.  As part of the system MetaVR has provided a 3D terrain database comprised of satellite terrain imagery for the entire continental United States at 1-meter resolution with higher resolution insets for Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Edwards AFB, and Fort Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) areas.

	MetaVR VRSG real-time simulation scenes of the virtual Nellis Air Force Base.

MetaVR also provided an authentic high-resolution 3D model of the F-16 ACAT aircraft, built for real-time simulation.

	On the left, a publicly available photo from the Internet of an F-16 ACAT. On the right, a real-time VRSG scene featuring MetaVR's F-16 ACAT model. The model is from MetaVR’s 3D content libraries, available with VRSG version 5.7.

The 3.4 meter diameter dome leverages existing joint development between MetaVR and IDSI, which uses the same technology as in the F-16 X-DTT partial dome simulators delivered to the Aviano Air Base in Italy in 2010.

Image courtesy of ZedaSoft.

This dual-dome simulation solution provides the balance of lower overall costs with a small 16’ x 32’ footprint installed under a 10’ ceiling.  The dome screen provides a 270 degree horizontal by +120 degree/-30 degree vertical field of view.  This extended vertical field-of-view allows simulator pilots to look up 30 degrees past vertical while providing a 2.5 arc-minutes per pixel high resolution image.

	On the left, a publicly available photo from the Internet of F-16 ACAT in flight over Edwards Air Force Base. On the right, a real-time VRSG scene featuring MetaVR's F-16 ACAT model in flight over virtual Edwards Air Force Base. The model is from MetaVR’s 3D content libraries, available with VRSG version 5.7. The terrain is from MetaVR’s North America 3D terrain.

MetaVR’s North America 3D terrain in Metadesic format is available for purchase to all MetaVR customers who are on active VRSG software maintenance and are US Government or contractors (for official use only). The terrain is provided in MetaVR's terrain format and requires a valid VRSG version 5.7 software license.