Dahlgren, Va. - The Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) working with Surface Training Systems Program Office (PMS 339) at the Naval Sea Systems Command and Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, is completing the development and installation of a training simulator, funded by Surface Warfare Resource Sponsor, OPNAV N96, to improve Shipboard Navigation System Maintenance training.
The need for a new training approach was driven by navigation mishap investigation reports and combat missions requiring precise navigation data. This new integrated navigation training solution teaches Electronics Technicians the interrelationships of shipboard navigation architecture and its importance in effective weapon system employment.
Navigation systems in Navy surface ships are made up of various components including Integrated Bridge and Navigation System (IBNS), AN/WSN-7 Ring Gyro Navigation (RGN) / Ring Laser Gyro Navigation (RLGN), AN/WSN-9 Digital Hybrid Speed Log (DHYSL), AN/SSN-6 Navigation Sensory Systems Interface (NAVSSI), IP-1747 Control Display Unit (CDU), and distribution systems such as USQ-82 Fiber Optic Data Multiplexing System. These systems obtain or distribute navigation data throughout the ship to multiple ship systems.
Capt. Len Remias, CSCS Unit Dam Neck’s commanding officer, explains that the current training methodology approaches each system individually and does not present the technicians with an opportunity to train in a “system of systems” environment.
“In order to overcome the training gap, a Navigation System Maintenance Trainer (NSMT) is being installed at CSCS Unit Dam Neck that will feature a training system composed of simulation devices and Technical Training Equipment (TTE),” he said. “The NSMT will permit Electronics Technicians to receive hands on training in preventive and corrective maintenance troubleshooting procedures. In addition, the NSMT will train students on all the components of the complex navigation system network.”
The NSMT features a Virtual Maintenance Performance Aid (VMPA). The VMPA provides a three-dimensional virtual environment that supports training in Combat System Operational Sequencing System (CSOSS) operations, Planned Maintenance System (PMS), system alignment, troubleshooting, and repair. Students will operate and troubleshoot to the component level in the virtual environment and then transition to the TTE for most removal and replacement procedures.
“It will allow students to enter a virtual world environment and interact with the various navigation system components,” said Chief Electronics Technician Cedric Alexander, CSCS Unit Dam Neck’s leading chief petty officer. “This will benefit students who have never been on a ship by giving them an accurate representation of equipment location and characteristics.”
Once the installation of the trainer is complete, a series of testing and acceptance events will occur. A pilot course will be launched this summer. A Ready for Training date of January 2016 has been established for teaching the new course of instruction.
“The NSMT simulator will be the cornerstone of future navigation system maintenance training for many years to come,” Remias said.
The Center for Surface Combat Systems mission is to develop and deliver surface ship combat systems training to achieve surface warfare superiority. CSCS headquarters’ staff oversees 14 learning sites and provides almost 70,000 hours of curriculum for close to 700 courses a year to more than 40,000 Sailors. The training center uses a mix of blended learning comprised of instructor led classes, hands-on labs, simulation and computer-based training.
For information on the Center for Surface Combat System, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/cscs/
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