Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Training
ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) involves the use of co-ordinated and integrated information from a variety of sources to support military land, sea and air operations. These sources include satellite imagery, sensors and payloads on manned and unmanned aircraft and maritime vessels, and SIGINT (signals intelligence) and EW (electronic warfare) data. ISR operations often involve the location and tracking of allied units and hostile forces to enable more effective battlefield performance.
The training of ISR operators to provide practice in interpreting data and imagery can be performed using real military aircraft and vehicles, but this has its limitations. Aircraft are expensive to operate, and they and their associated personnel and equipment may be required for other operations. ISR training with real aircraft is also limited by the weather conditions surrounding the training area, and cloud cover may limit the effectiveness of ISR sensors. UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)-based ISR training may also be limited by restrictions on the operation of unmanned aircraft in shared airspace.
Simulation Training & ISR Simulators
ISR training may be undertaken using purpose-built simulators that closely resemble or utilize hardware from real UAV ground control stations (GCS) or aircraft cockpits. It may also be delivered through browser-based solutions on a personal computer for remote trainees. Training solutions may also involve virtual reality (VR) headsets or augmented reality (AR) displays.
ISR simulators may incorporate prerecorded video and sensor feeds with associated metadata, or use simulated data generated by the simulation software. The scenarios may be paused, replayed and recorded for further analysis.
Simulated ISR scenarios may also be delivered through realistic 3D models that replicate real-world environments such as desert, jungle, urban and arctic. These 3D simulations may add elements such as weather, turbulence, and friendly or hostile units.