ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman
Corporation (NYSE: NOC) systems helped make Northern Edge 2015 the
most advanced live, virtual and constructive (LVC) air-to-air
training event ever achieved.
The joint training exercise involving all U.S. military services
was held June 11-26 at the Joint
Pacific Alaska Range Complex and included virtual participants at
air force bases and sites nationwide.
The live and virtual participants were linked by the LEXIOS (LVC
Experimentation, Integration and Operations Suite) system developed
by Northrop Grumman. Through LEXIOS, virtual aircraft operated by
actual aircrew members participated in the same airspace alongside
their live counterparts via networked simulators. Constructive –
simulated forces in a simulated environment – components were also
used to augment the battlespace to make the training as realistic
as possible.
Northrop Grumman developed LEXIOS as part of its role as the
prime contractor for the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Mission
Operations Network (DMON), a system that enables dissimilar
aircraft platforms located across the globe to seamlessly
interoperate and train together in a realistic virtual
environment.
"Northern Edge was the largest LVC integration seen to date
in any of the services and the first exercise to completely
integrate the various elements," said Capt. Matthew Mendenhall, chief of command and control
operations, U.S. Air Force 353rd Combat Training Squadron. "For the
first time from a command and control, and intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance standpoint, the virtual, live and
constructive assets interacted at an efficient level and proved
they can work and talk to each other consistently and
securely."
"Many 'firsts' were achieved during this critical, large-force
warfighter training, which involved multiple sites and complex
missions," said Martin J. Amen,
director, satellite and network operations, Northrop Grumman
Information Systems. "These included the first integration of
virtual Mobility Air Forces and Combat Air Forces aircrews
supporting live flight operations and their first operational
training event via the distributed mission operations network."
Ten different virtual sites nationwide interacted with live
aircraft and integrated air defense systems in Alaska. In one scenario, aircrew members from
Mountain Home, Seymour Johnson,
Tyndall, Ellsworth, Tinker and Offutt Air Force Bases, and Joint
Bases Elmendorf-Richardson and Pearl
Harbor-Hickam, virtually operated 14 fighter aircraft, one
conventional bomber, two mobility transport aircraft, one airborne
warning and control system and one reconnaissance aircraft. Virtual
and live participants were able to interact with each other in
various phases of combat employment to maximize the training's
effectiveness in the exercise.
Northern Edge is designed to sharpen tactical combat skills;
improve command, control and communication relationships; and to
develop interoperable plans and programs across the joint force.
Major participating units this year included U.S. Pacific Command,
Alaskan Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pacific Air Forces, Marine
Corps Forces Pacific, U.S. Army Pacific, Air Combat Command, Air
Mobility Command, Air Force Materiel Command, Air National Guard,
Air Force Reserve Command and U.S. Naval Reserve.
LEXIOS enabled the Air Force to take the next step in LVC
training. Command and control aircraft like the 55th Wing's
RC-135 Rivet Joint no longer have to be present at the actual live
fly exercise to achieve full-scale operational training with their
Air Force, joint and coalition partners. "LVC enables those aircrew
members to achieve quality training at a fraction of the cost of
the live training; even more importantly, the quality of training
itself is exceptional," Amen said.
"LVC is one of the few realistic options we have going forward
in our resource-constrained future," said Col. Stephen Platt, the Northern Edge deployed forces
commander. "It gives us options to do things we either don't have
forces for or the capabilities to execute today. LVC is a window
into the future of what our forces are going to face. We are
growing and maturing rapidly in our LVC capabilities, which
increase the value our warriors get through LVC."
Northrop Grumman has been working on the Combat Air Forces
Distributed Mission Training Operations and Integration program
since its inception in 1999. In 2013, the company was selected to
continue providing network and integration services under the
Distributed Mission Operations Network (DMON) 2.0 service
contract.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
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SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation