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The virtual ship: a new capability in support of maritime forces

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Abstract

This describes describes a concept for the Virtual Ship and highlights its potential application throughout all phases of the platform lifecycle. The requirements for implementing the Virtual Ship concept are described.

Executive Summary

A key challenge in modem surface warfare is the integration of many different systems. These include on-board and off-board sensors, data fusion systems, command decision aids, command and control (C2) systems, weapons and the platform itself. There is currently a gap in the capability to rigorously study these integration requirements in a laboratory environment. Additionally, the capability is lacking to comprehensively investigate the operational efficacy of new systems prior to their introduction to service. The Virtual Ship will provide a facility through which these issues may be addressed. It will exploit modern computing capability, particularly distributed simulation technology, to bring together simulations of ship systems in order that warship operations may be simulated. The Virtual Ship will provide a human-in-the-loop capability in that human operators may interact in real time with the simulations just as they would interact with the real system. The Virtual Ship will find application in support of a number of DSTO and ADF objectives. It will provide an environment within which the operational utility of sensors, signal processing techniques, data fusion techniques, command decision aids and weapon systems may be demonstrated and refined. It will enable the operational perspective to be accounted for in the laboratory, prior to expensive sea trials. It also provides a means by which system user requirements may be elicited in a controlled and cost effective manner. These potential applications of the Virtual Ship are not limited to supporting the force in being. The significant advantage that a "virtual" environment offers is that of integrating models of systems that represent the latest technology, or represent future technological prospects. With these models the Virtual Ship may be used to assess the operational utility of concept platforms, or platforms proposed during an acquisition. The requirement for a new platform may be specified in terms of the Virtual Ship. The integration requirements associated with new systems may also be explored in the virtual environment. It is in this way that the Virtual Ship will support the capability development and acquisition processes. The Virtual Ship will support the force in being through its contribution to training, tactical development, mission rehearsal and studies of operational concepts. In addition, exploiting the Virtual Ship from the earliest phases of the platform life will mean that these activities can be performed prior to the platform being manufactured. This offers the possibility that the Virtual Ship will facilitate a new platform being introduced into service accompanied by mature training and operational doctrine that exploits the platform's unique capabilities. The Virtual Ship will share a close relationship with operations research. Operations research has traditionally been concerned with mathematical modelling and constructive simulation. Measures of effectiveness are rigorously computed, often exploiting statistical techniques. The Virtual Ship will complement this capability through the fidelity it provides and through its ability to capture human performance characteristics. The concept that unifies them is that of supporting military decision- making. The Virtual Ship will be based upon the High Level Architecture (HLA), which is a framework supporting distributed simulation. It enables individual simulation systems to exchange data over a network in such a manner that they may operate within a common virtual environment. The HLA will be customised to support the integration of simulation models in the maritime domain. The Virtual Ship Architecture (VSA) refers to those components required to simulate warship operations, over and above the components of the HLA. The provision and collection of data are essential processes associated with the Virtual Ship. Data must be provided to characterise the simulated entities, their interactions and the environment. Data collection during simulation facilitates analysis and decision making. Participation of Industry in the Virtual Ship project is essential to its success. Industry will be a significant source of models, whether the intention is to represent the force in being, or to represent future platforms in the context of capability development or acquisition. The initial phase in establishing a Virtual Ship shall be concerned with the technical requirements associated with adopting the High Level Architecture. As the HLA is mastered attention will be focused on development of guidelines for using the Virtual Ship. An essential characteristic of the Virtual Ship is its human-in-the-loop capability. The guidelines for use will emphasise capturing the performance of trained operators in a manner that is credible in the eyes of Virtual Ship users and the decision makers who utilise its outputs. The contribution of the RAN to this process is critical. The Virtual Ship will evolve into a dedicated facility available to support activities across the whole of the Defence Department. It will contribute significantly to research, force development, acquisition, training, mission rehearsal and tactical development.

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