Helicopter Simulation
The helicopter shown is the SH-2G Super Seasprite built by Kaman Aerospace Corporation. At the time of initial deployment to the United States Navy, the helicopter’s designated roll was anti-submarine warfare. Since that time, the helicopter has been adopted by a number of countries and fulfills a number of rolls including surface warfare, search and rescue, special operations, and vertical replenishment. The small size of the helicopter allows it to be deployed from a variety of smaller ships including corvettes and frigates.
When configured for anti-submarine warfare the helicopter uses a 3-person crew:
pilot, co-pilot, and sensor operator. The pilot and co-pilot are responsible for
maneuvering, aircraft defense, and should it become necessary, attack. The
sensor operator (think “Jonesey” from the movie Hunt for Red October) is
responsible for submerged target acquisition through the use passive and active
sonobuoys.
The simulation included both the cockpit and the sensor operator station. Within the cockpit, virtually every knob, switch, dial, and indicator (well over 1,000) was simulated. The flight controls were simulated and a large portion of the software was devoted to engine simulation and the associated aerodynamics of the aircraft. Hundreds of malfunctions could be introduced into the simulation to provide the pilots with a variety of problems, ranging from a simple circuit breaker failure to a complete electrical system shutdown to an engine flame out. A picture of the forward portion of the cockpit is shown below. Additional devices occupied the space between the pilots, both near their seats as well as overhead.
The sensor operator station did not include as many instruments or devices,
although it was no less complex. The helicopter includes a sonobuoy processor
that helps the sensor operator locate and track submerged objects. This device
was “stimulated” in the simulator. The stimulation was accomplished by modeling
the ocean and objects that reside there, including crackling shrimp,
subterranean peaks, and of course submarines. The simulation created all these
sounds and then attenuated them by distance, depth, and gradient such that each
sonobuoy “heard” the correct sounds.
These sounds were converted into electrical signals and then provided to the sonobuoy processor and to the aircraft’s intercom system. The simulation was performed with multiple Motorola 68000 embedded processors and Texas Instruments DSP320C30 digital signal processors which were controlled by a number of Sun workstations. At the time, a large amount of performance optimization was required to obtain the instrument and acoustic fidelity required. For example, some flight instruments had to be updated at 60hz to ensure smooth motion and fidelity with the actual helicopter. Given the advances in CPU performance since then (early 1990s), the simulation, with the exclusion of the ocean, could likely be accomplished on 1 or 2 of today’s processors.
The helicopter shown is the SH-2G Super Seasprite built by Kaman Aerospace Corporation. At the time of initial deployment to the United States Navy, the helicopter’s designated roll was anti-submarine warfare. Since that time, the helicopter has been adopted by a number of countries and fulfills a number of rolls including surface warfare, search and rescue, special operations, and vertical replenishment. The small size of the helicopter allows it to be deployed from a variety of smaller ships including corvettes and frigates.
When configured for anti-submarine warfare the helicopter uses a 3-person crew:
pilot, co-pilot, and sensor operator. The pilot and co-pilot are responsible for
maneuvering, aircraft defense, and should it become necessary, attack. The
sensor operator (think “Jonesey” from the movie Hunt for Red October) is
responsible for submerged target acquisition through the use passive and active
sonobuoys.
The simulation included both the cockpit and the sensor operator station. Within the cockpit, virtually every knob, switch, dial, and indicator (well over 1,000) was simulated. The flight controls were simulated and a large portion of the software was devoted to engine simulation and the associated aerodynamics of the aircraft. Hundreds of malfunctions could be introduced into the simulation to provide the pilots with a variety of problems, ranging from a simple circuit breaker failure to a complete electrical system shutdown to an engine flame out. A picture of the forward portion of the cockpit is shown below. Additional devices occupied the space between the pilots, both near their seats as well as overhead.
The sensor operator station did not include as many instruments or devices,
although it was no less complex. The helicopter includes a sonobuoy processor
that helps the sensor operator locate and track submerged objects. This device
was “stimulated” in the simulator. The stimulation was accomplished by modeling
the ocean and objects that reside there, including crackling shrimp,
subterranean peaks, and of course submarines. The simulation created all these
sounds and then attenuated them by distance, depth, and gradient such that each
sonobuoy “heard” the correct sounds.
These sounds were converted into electrical signals and then provided to the sonobuoy processor and to the aircraft’s intercom system. The simulation was performed with multiple Motorola 68000 embedded processors and Texas Instruments DSP320C30 digital signal processors which were controlled by a number of Sun workstations. At the time, a large amount of performance optimization was required to obtain the instrument and acoustic fidelity required. For example, some flight instruments had to be updated at 60hz to ensure smooth motion and fidelity with the actual helicopter. Given the advances in CPU performance since then (early 1990s), the simulation, with the exclusion of the ocean, could likely be accomplished on 1 or 2 of today’s processors.