Virtual Flag comes to Dyess

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Erien Clark-Chasse
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  For the first time ever, Dyess personnel hooked their B-1 simulator into a network of more than 250 other people from 16 locations across the country for Virtual Flag 06-04.  

Virtual Flag 06-04, which ran from Aug. 14 to 17, is a quarterly exercise linking operational and tactical training devices and simulators in a virtual environment.  Simply put, Dyess aviators, along with flyers, ground troops and navy personnel from all different locations get a chance to plan, fly, fight and learn from each other in a realistic virtual world. 

"We have always known the value of flight simulators, but now we have a chance to integrate our flying with different platforms in the same virtual world ... even if they are across the country," said Capt. Chris Wachter, 7th Operations Support Squadron wing weapons officer.  

Within this environment, he points out, "The Army JTAC can see a target in his simulator and pass on its coordinates across the radio, the crew in the B-1 simulator can then map this target with their radar and bomb it, finally another aircraft simulator such as an A-10 can watch the bomb impact and give battle damage assessment real-time." 

The system takes into consideration all the conditions flyers will and may encounter in the real world, but getting 16 locations in synch can be a challenge with unique rewards.  

"During real-world flying training, if we find something doesn't go exactly as we plan it takes hours or even days to train for it again, but with this we can set it back up almost right away," Captain Wachter said.  

Each day of the exercise included a three-hour theater campaign, within a 12-hour day including everything a real-world mission would have, everything from mission planning, pre-briefing, flying and de-briefing was conducted via video conference giving the face-to-face factor. 

"We treat these missions just like the real thing," said Captain Wachter. "Having all of these aircraft in the air from all of these locations in the real world is almost insurmountable, unless we are really at war." 

Getting all these different simulators made by different companies and using different technology to talk to each other is a source of pride for Judi Gill of Rockwell Collins. 

"What we have done here is taken geography out the equation," Ms. Gill said. This new ability takes away some of the risk associated with flying the training sortie. 

"Virtual Flag is a great opportunity for our pilots to participate in a large-scale exercise without leaving Dyess," said Lt. Col. Paul Myers, 7th Operations Group deputy commander. "This creative way of practicing the way we fight is just another example of how we're better preparing our war-fighters for combat."