The increasing use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems is complicating airspace management, and conventional airspace-management technology has proved ineffective for managing these small, stealthy (whether by design or not), and highly maneuverable RPA systems.  Training for RPA operators has also failed to address methods and techniques for effective airspace management, further raising safety risks.  Improved training for RPA operators, common operating picture development, and de-confliction methods and techniques will go a long way toward making mixed-use airspace effective and safe.

KBSI is designing an innovative simulation-based training system that will improve RPA-operator airspace situation awareness.  The Framework for Airspace Situation-awareness Training (FAST) technology will allow users to create instructionally sound scenario-based training content for airspace management and de-confliction in manned and RPA systems.  These scenarios can be stored in the FAST scenario library for reuse in simulation-based training or as templates for adaptively evolving scenarios to meet specific training needs.  The FAST technology will also allow users to design airspace management and de-confliction performance measures and high fidelity immersive training mechanisms for manned and RPA systems.

The FAST technology will provide significant improvements in the quality of training for airspace management, situation awareness, communications, and control for both manned and RPA systems, reducing the time and cost needed to create and maintain instructionally valid simulation-based training content.  The results of the initiative will be transitioned to the Mesa AFRL DMO training environment through their Learning Management System (LMS).  We also anticipate packaging the FAST Situation Awareness (SA) learning and scenario management components as extensions to commercial training system vendors.