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Investment Strategies for Improving Fifth-Generation Fighter Training John A. Ausink, William W. Taylor, James H. Bigelow, Kevin Brancato Prepared for the United States Air Force Approved for public release; distribution unlimited PROJECT AIR FORCE The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Air Force under Contract FA7014-06-C-0001. Further information may be obtained from the Strategic Planning Division, Directorate of Plans, Hq USAF. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-0-8330-5060-1 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2011 RAND Corporation Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND documents are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND permissions page (http://www.rand.org/publications/ permissions.html). Published 2011 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] Preface The U.S. Air Force is finding it increasingly difficult to safely and affordably train combat air force (CAF) aircrews so that they will be prepared for combat conditions. Increased combat- ant commander (CCDR) requirements coupled with reduced force structure are stretching the ability of units to support sufficient training. Reduced flying hours are insufficient to meet Ready Aircrew Program (RAP) training requirements, and training ranges are insufficient to properly train and support new combat capabilities. In addition, safety considerations, mission complexity, airspace and range restrictions, and real-world commitments and costs limit the amount of training that can be accomplished in live aircraft. Air Force training experts believe that the increased use of simulators; distributed mission operations (DMO); and new applica- tions of live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) training1—in particular, the ability to “inject” battlefield effects and simulated or constructed threats into live aircraft systems—are required to mitigate training risks. The Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements (AF/A3/5) asked RAND Project AIR FORCE to explore investment strategies that allow fifth- generation fighter aircraft to take advantage of the potential training benefits of LVC media. This technical report documents the results of RAND’s research on this topic. The report examines the nature of any training gaps that might exist for fifth-generation aircraft and then uses rough cost comparisons to show that continued investments in simulators and DMO capabilities must continue before large investments are made in more exotic LVC technology. Readers may also be interested in the following related RAND documents: • Fighter Drawdown Dynamics: Effects on Aircrew Inventories, William W. Taylor, James H. Bigelow, and John A. Ausink (MG-855-AF). • Absorbing and Developing Qualified Fighter Pilots: The Role of the Advanced Simulator, Richard Marken, William W. Taylor, John A. Ausink, Lawrence M. Hanser, C. R. Anderegg, and Leslie Wickman (MG-597-AF). • Absorbing Air Force Fighter Pilots: Parameters, Problems, and Policy Options, William W. Taylor, James H. Bigelow, S. Craig Moore, Leslie Wickman, Brent Thomas, and Richard Marken (MR-1550-AF). • The Air Force Pilot Shortage: A Crisis for Operational Units? William W. Taylor, S. Craig Moore, and C. Robert Roll, Jr. (MR-1204-AF). 1 Existing Department of Defense definitions include the following: Live training involves real people operating real systems; virtual training involves real people operating simulated systems (e.g., a person operating an aircraft simulator); and constructive training involves simulated people operating simulated systems (e.g., a computer program generating and controlling missile threats against a person in an aircraft simulator). iii iv Investment Strategies for Improving Fifth-Generation Fighter Training The research described in this report was conducted within the Manpower, Personnel, and Training Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of a fiscal year 2009 study “Business and Operational Case for Distributed Mission Operations Versus Live Flying in Fifth-Generation Fighter Continuation Training.” This report should interest military leader- ship and policymakers involved in decisions related to investments in LVC training approaches for fifth-generation aircraft. RAND Project AIR FORCE RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF pro- vides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future aerospace forces. Research is conducted in four programs: Force Modernization and Employment; Manpower, Personnel, and Training; Resource Management; and Strategy and Doctrine. Additional information about PAF is available on our website: http://www.rand.org/paf/ Contents Preface ........................................................................................................... iii Figures ........................................................................................................... vii Tables ............................................................................................................ ix Summary ........................................................................................................ xi Acknowledgments ............................................................................................. xv Abbreviations ................................................................................................. xvii Chapter One Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Background ....................................................................................................... 1 The Problems According to ACC .............................................................................. 3 Fifth-Generation LVC Reality .................................................................................. 4 Simulators and Mission Training Centers .................................................................. 4 Networks ........................................................................................................ 5 Centers .......................................................................................................... 5 Research Approach and Organization of This Technical Report .......................................... 6 Chapter TwO Training Gap for Fifth-Generation Fighter Units ........................................................ 9 Fifth-Generation Training Requirements ..................................................................... 9 Examples That Argue for the Existence of a Fifth-Generation Training Gap ..........................