Project Director Sensors-Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) reached a historic milestone earlier this month by delivering the first Virtual Aerial Systems Trainer (VAST) classroom for the U.S. Army. This first-of-its-kind capability is now operational at the 204th Military Intelligence Battalion in Fort Bliss, Texas, and is designed to train both rated and nonrated crewmembers in support of the Theater-Level, High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) (ATHENA) and High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) aerial ISR platforms.
“This achievement represents the culmination of years of coordinated planning, engineering, and operational alignment,” said Angel Acevedo, Project Support Manager for PD SAI. “Working closely with industry partners, this effort was informed and enabled through critical input from the Army Capability Manager for Intelligence Sensors, New Systems Technology Integration Directorate, U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, Project Director Fixed Wing, and most importantly, operational feedback from Soldier pilots and sensor operators.”
PD SAI partnered with a software and IT company to deliver a suite of virtual modules that allow Soldiers – both pilots and non-rated crew members- to engage in hands-on learning for key systems and procedures, ranging from preflight operations to advanced maintenance and electronic intelligence tasks. These modules were developed and deployed in record time, with initial training occurring just hours after receiving official approval.
Soldiers will receive immersive, task-based training in a modular virtual reality. The VAST classroom represents a transformational shift in how the Army can approach mission equipment training, environment, eliminating dependency on scarce flight hours while increasing fidelity, safety, and repeatability of mission-critical tasks.
“Shaped heavily by Soldier input, PD SAI produced a capability that is immersive, effective, and lethality enhancing,” said Sam Benfer, Training Manager for PD SAI. “Feeback upon initial training was overwhelmingly positive and Soldiers are excited to see new modules implemented in the future."
The delivery of this classroom signifies not only a leap forward in immersive training technology, but also a commitment to modernizing the ISR crew readiness in a rapidly evolving threat environment.
After interacting with the VAST system, Soldier provided feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and generated excitement for the potential of modules to come. The successful deployment at Fort Bliss sets the foundation for scaling VAST across the force in alignment with training strategies.
“This initial delivery serves as a milestone validation for the push to transform the Army into a modern fighting force,” Acevedo said. “The ability of the VAST to rapidly deliver critical Soldier capability training, optimize training time and structure, and eliminate waste through the use of virtual aircraft and systems, aligns perfectly with the Army Transformation Initiative.”
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