Training Technology Beyond the Development Phase The evolving live, virtual and constructive training environment offers military audiences around the globe the opportunity to take training to new frontiers. But technical, policy and other challenges remain to be solved before the US and other nations’ services can elevate this training construct to a higher plateau, reports group editor Marty Kauchak . T he live, virtual and constructive (LVC) training environment is back in the spotlight. Fueled by a 2014 I/ITSEC senior leadership panel discussion on the topic, and the military-industry team’s steady pace of successes, community leaders are stepping up their efforts to allow 24/7 participation by individual, unit and staff trainees in LVC sce-narios from anywhere in the world. Several obstacles, including policy and oversight shortfalls and a need to develop select technology underpinnings, cloud the prospects for immediate, wider-scale implementation. The Potential There is nothing even relatively new about the notion of LVC. The concept preceded the US Department of Defense’s policy commitment in the early 2000s to support the establishment of this environment for its military services. While the concept is more than a decade old, incremental progress continues to be made on both sides of the Atlantic to help achieve the potential of long-term savings and other effi-ciencies from the LVC environment. Dave Scott, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Strategy & Business Development, built one compelling case to advance 12 MS&T M aga Z ine 1.2015 LVC capabilities, citing the need to train to the capabilities of fifth generation aircraft (the F-35 and F-22 for instance) and other new weapons platforms and weapons systems for air, ground and maritime forces. In the case of the F-35 and F-22, these aircraft have stealth design, long-range sensors and an over-all ability to survey the battlespace and communicate with each other in supe-rior manner when compared to the ser-vices’ legacy aircraft. “If you want to train a pilot effectively in those environ-ments it’s a complex scenario we would have to put together over long ranges, because these sensors have long detec-tion ranges against enemy targets. The F-35 and -22 were designed to penetrate sophisticated air defense systems com-posed of multiple, advanced surface-to-air missile systems. It’s difficult and in some cases impossible to put together a The Elbit LVC training solution has an embedded training foundation, using the helmets and associated avionics systems that permit pilots to plan, rehearse, fly and debrief using their personal helmets. image credit: elbit.