MAPLESIM: Tailored solutions for networking legacy flight simulators - An HLA based approach

Abstract

Traditionally the Flight Simulation Department of the National Aerospace Laboratory NLR is strong in high fidelity human-in-the-loop flight simulation. In order to open up more possibilities for NLR flight simulators as participants in networked simulation exercises, NLR started the project MAPLESIM. During the first part of this project a high-performance network has been created between several of NLR's military flight simulations in combination with computer generated forces using the simulation package ITEMS. This network makes use of NLR's deterministic reflective memory network (SCRAMNet) for real-time distribution of the critical data. This enables data to be distributed at high rates (50 Hz). The next step in this project is a connection between this high performance network and "external" simulations. Two different approaches are followed to realise this connection with the outside world. The first has been a DIS(Distributed Interactive Simulation)-based connection. This DIS gateway has been developed in the summer of 2000. For the second gateway to external simulations an HLA (High Level Architecture) protocol interface unit will be developed. This will make it possible to integrate the NLR simulation environment into a complete synthetic environment, together with Command & Control systems, tactical wargaming tools and exercise observation and evaluation tools. SmartFED, an in-house developed tool that facilitates that proprietary simulators at various geographic locations participate in a joint simulation, will control this environment.