Airborne laser/electronic warfare training system

In combination with a helicopter having instruments for controlling the helicopter, a system operable with the instruments of said helicopter and adapted to control the instruments for providing inflight simulation of laser/electronic warfare threats to train crews in the use of electronic warfare countermeasure equipment and tactics, said system comprising:

• a plurality of independently operating transmitter units for transmitting radio frequency signals having line-of-sight characteristics to simulate the threats, each of said signals being uniquely encoded with an identification code, said plurality including at least one transmitter unit for simulating a stationary threat and at least one transmitter unit for simulating a non-stationary threat, said non-stationary threat simulating transmitter transmitting an encoded signal;
• and
• on-board equipment, carried aboard the helicopter for detecting said threat simulating signals and controlling the helicopter radar warning instruments accordingly, said equipment including
• a receiver capable of receiving said signals from said threat simulating transmitter units when said transmitter units are within the transmitting range and the line-of-sight therewith, and
• a controller, responsive to said received signals, for controlling the instruments of the helicopter in response thereto, said controller causing the instruments to present the threat to the aircrew whenever the threats are within presentation range, and the line-of-sight to the helicopter.

A method of training crews aboard an aircraft in the use of electronic warfare countermeasure equipment and tactics to react to simulated laser/electronic warfare threats including stationary and non-stationary threats, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a memory aboard the aircraft and preloading said memory with threat identification and threat location data for each stationary threat to be simulated;
• providing radio frequency signals for each of the threats to be simulated, all of said signals having a unique code providing data identifying the threat and each of said signals provided for a non-stationary threat having a code providing data pertaining to the location of each simulated non-stationary threat;
• receiving said transmission signals aboard the aircraft, when the aircraft is within the line-of-sight and the transmitting range of each simulated threat;
• decoding said signals received from said stationary threats to determine the identity of the threat therefrom;
• decoding said signals received from said non-stationary threats to determine the location and the identity of the threat therefrom;
• receiving data pertaining to the aircraft position and heading from the instruments of the aircraft;
• determining from said aircraft position and heading data and said preloaded threat identification and location data whether the aircraft is within both the line-of-sight and the presentation range of a stationary threat;
• determining from said aircraft position and heading data and said decoded threat identification and location data whether the aircraft is within both the line-of-sight and the presentation range of a non-stationary threat;
• and
• causing the threat to be presented over the instruments of the aircraft whenever the threat is within the line-of-sight and the presentation range thereof.

A system operable with the instruments of an aircraft to control the instruments for providing inflight simulation of laser/electronic warfare threats to train crews in the use of electronic warfare countermeasure equipment and tactics, said system comprising:

• at least one independently operating transmitter for transmitting a radio frequency signal having line-of-sight characteristics to simulate a threat, said signal being omni-directional and having at least a unique identification code;
• a receiver, carried aboard the aircraft, for receiving said signal from said transmitter;
• a memory for storing data pertaining to at least the identification of said at least one threat, said threat identification data being preload into said memory;
• control means responsive to said received signal for controlling the instruments of the aircraft in response thereto, said control means decoding said signal, receiving data pertaining to the position and heading of the aircraft from the aircraft instruments, and comparing said threat identification data from said memory with said aircraft position and heading data to determine whether the aircraft is within the line-of-sight, and presentation range to the threat;
• and means for interfacing said control means with the aircraft instruments, said control means causing the aircraft instruments to present the threat to the crew, said control means causing the relative distance and direction of the aircraft with respect to the threat to be presented.