Air Force researchers leverage SBIR/STTR funding to produce dynamic, cost-saving training technologies

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WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - Military training has long been an expensive, but necessary endeavor.  In particular, flight training cost billions of dollars per year.  Reducing expenses associated with this training and creating training programs that are more cost-effective and efficient present challenges for the Air Force. 

However, according to Dr. Winston Bennett, a scientist who researches training technology for the Air Force Research Laboratory, his organization has found a key source of funding to address challenges and shortfalls related to training.

"The Air Force provides its airmen with training from the time they enter their initial schoolhouse training until they leave the Air Force," Bennett said. "Everyone can't, and shouldn't be, receiving a one-size-fits-all training regimen.  Training needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the individual and based on feedback provided by their readiness assessments.

"Further, the training enterprise can be more responsive to changing mission needs and innovations from the SBIR/STTR program are a significant way to move the needed capabilities along."

The laboratory's 711th Human Performance Wing conducts unique training and readiness research for the Air Force.  It combines modelling and simulation, gaming, performance assessment and learning theories to support Air Force readiness needs and to provide the Air Force with better, more realistic and credible training capabilities.

Using SBIR/STTR

"The Small Business Innovation Research [SBIR] and Small Business Technology Transfer [STTR] programs are a very strategic part of our portfolio and research investment," Bennett said.  "There are capabilities that we need to develop and things that need to be done, and we put eight to 10 of those requirements out during every SBIR cycle because we believe the small business community can provide alternative solutions that we can foster and transition.   Because the funding for SBIR is already fenced in the Department of Defense budget, we want to take full advantage of the funds to bring those responsive, fast-moving, forward-thinking partners to the table."

Providing more than $300 million annually in funding for research and development activities by small businesses, the Air Force's SBIR and STTR programs fund research from the early stages of concept development until it transitions to military or commercial use.  These mission-oriented programs integrate the needs and requirements of the Air Force into research and development topics that have military and commercial potential.

SBIR Successes

During one such SBIR investment, AFRL and a small business partner responded to a request from the F-22 program office for a flight trainer for use in the field.  The collaborators developed a deployable, game-based trainer prototype, which led to a follow-on $3 million Phase III, Rapid Innovation Fund award for further development of the technology. 

"Perhaps the most successful SBIR project we've had was one that resulted in a technology called the 'Standard Space Trainer' (STT), which demonstrated an open modular approach to satellite operator training," Bennett explained".  The architecture we developed is substantially different than the previous approach to satellite training where entire software suites based on the actual satellite system's operational code were developed for trainers.  They were stove piped and expensive, and weren't really set up to be trainers, primarily because they were operational software systems first and foremost. 

"The SST, in contrast takes emulations of the satellite system and content based on those emulations as modules that can be plugged into the architecture.  Since they have a common architecture, just like the OS on your phone today, operational systems designers simply provide the content for the emulations and training.  This reduces the cost to acquire and sustain the content and the overall trainer substantially.  Not to mention actually using the content as a trainer, first and foremost."  

According to Bennett, in the past the Air Force had spent $80 million to $150 million on single satellite training systems.  The SST capability has developed and delivered high-fidelity training for five satellite systems for just around $39 million in funding.  In the future, the Joint Space Operations Center Mission System Trainer will be incorporated into the SST architecture resulting in another significant training cost savings and readiness success for the community.

"This demonstrates a huge cost reduction in implementing and maintain this type of training," he explained.  "In fact, a studies and analysis group at Air Education and Training Command estimates that this single SBIR program success will save the Air Force over $200 million over the next five years." 

The SST has been so successful, it was recently recognized as a major part of the Air Force's Space Training Evolution Team 2013 CSAF Team Excellence Award recognition. 

Future SBIR Success

His organization continues to use the SBIR program to strategically place learning theory-based capabilities out in the field. 

"We just started two SBIR efforts focused on maintenance training, bringing concepts for adaptive training to partners at Sheppard AFB [in Texas]," Bennett said.  "The programs use different learning theories and approaches to address maintenance training shortfalls they have at the school house.  During the Phase II effort we will be developing maintenance training for the F-15 and C-130 aircraft.  We expect this to be a win-win for the Air Force and the companies involved."

2015 SBIR/STTR Topic Pre-release

The Air Force SBIR/STTR program office released its FY 2015 list of topics on October 22 at www.afsbirsttr.com.  Small businesses and research institutions with expertise to address the topics' technology challenges are encouraged to submit proposals.

The SBIR program was established by Congress in 1982 to fund research and development (R&D) through small businesses of 500 or fewer employees.  The STTR program was established in 1992 to fund cooperative R&D projects with small businesses and non-profit U.S. research institutions, such as universities.

For more information about these programs, please call the Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Office at 1-800-222-0336, email info@afsbirsttr.com, or visit our website at www.afsbirsttr.com.