EVERY MINUTE COUNTS
with a 10 kW-class laser—to influence the design, tactics, techniques and proce- dures for this emerging capability well in advance of fielding in fiscal year 2022.
As RCCTO develops these and other prototypes under accelerated timelines, close and recurring collaboration with Soldiers is imperative to ensure that they deliver residual combat capabilities that meet users’ needs. Many of these proto- types are predecessors to programs of record. Soldier feedback enables the design to mature before the capability is fielded on a broader scale, reducing risk for the program of record.
Even amid COVID-19 social distanc- ing and work restrictions, RCCTO has executed Soldier touch points to continue the feedback cycle. As technology evolves at an ever-increasing pace, Soldier-centered design is the new reality for development if an accelerated timeline is to be met and a fielded weapon system is to remain relevant.
HYPERSONICS AND MIXED REALITY In the blink of an eye, a multiton truck and trailer were flipped on their side to reveal what was underneath. Secured equipment changed locations in seconds instead of hours. A bird’s-eye view revealed the fixes needed and options for change.
Tis experience unfolded in January, when Soldiers from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, used virtual reality to take their first look at the Army’s prototype Long Range Hyper- sonic Weapon (LRHW). Tis was the first of many planned Soldier-focused evalua- tions intended to influence system design.
Te LRHW prototype, developed by the RCCTO Army Hypersonic Project Office (AHPO), is scheduled for delivery no later than fiscal year 2023. Tis new class
10 Army AL&T Magazine Summer 2020
of ultrafast, maneuverable, long-range missiles will launch from mobile ground platforms, using existing Army stock.
Continuous Soldier-centered design feed- back will be critical to successful fielding and operation. RCCTO AHPO has part- nered with the Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill to execute virtual Soldier-
Soldier feedback is critical
throughout the prototyping process to ensure the solution has informed design characteristics and provides military utility.
centered design for critical developmental items and with the Army Multi-Domain Targeting Center, also at Fort Sill, for execution of virtual mission planning.
With an aggressive development plan, the Army isn’t waiting for Soldier input until after hardware is designed and built. Instead, it is mitigating risk by team- ing with industry partners and using virtual reality tools to enable collab- oration with Soldiers on an early and regular basis. Within the Collabora- tive Human Immersive Laboratory in Denver. Soldiers from Fort Sill were able
to interact with the component hardware of the LRHW system.
While hypersonic technology is often considered futuristic and complex, the Soldiers’ input focused on seemingly low- tech items that are critical to Soldiers’ operational experience, such as generator placement and access, excess equipment that could be removed to save weight, generator exhaust routing and specific locations for skid plates.
In total, there were more than two dozen items listed as improvements from the initial Soldier feedback session. Some of the recommended changes will be incor- porated into the first prototype, while others will inform the next generation of hypersonic weapons. Soldier recommen- dations have been included in the virtual model maintaining compliance with the most current design, allowing validation of Soldier suggestions.
“Tere were things we saw on the model they created virtually that had our recom- mendations applied to it,” said Lt. Col. Aaron Bright, chief of the Operational Training Division of the Fires Center Directorate of Training and Doctrine. “One was the loss of some extraneous items either to make room for more useful items we wanted them to add, or to make it more transportable.”
Bright said he easily got the hang of the virtual reality system after about five minutes and that the authenticity of the system was spot on.
“I didn’t think the virtual reality would be as interactive nor as intuitive as it turned out to be,” he said. “I was able to grab pieces of the LRHW with my hands and move them weightlessly to the side to get a better look at another part, and to better understand how the system as
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