Arinc will enhance Air Force training system

Arinc Inc. has won a contract to expand an Air Force threat recognition training system, the company said. The value of the contract was not immediately known.

The Visual Threat Recognition and Avoidance Trainer (VTRAT) is used by the Air Force Special Operations Command to train fixed-wing and helicopter crews to respond to threats from the ground.

Annapolis, Md.-based Arinc will customize the system's applications in order to train crews on a wider range of aircraft. ARINC will also provide enhanced instructional content, including lessons from current combat operations that reflect actual field conditions.

Warrenton, Va.-based Command Technologies Inc. will serve as a subcontractor. VTRAT is designed like a flight trainer but costs less. It creates simulated views of ground threats as they would be seen through an aircraft window. Crew members learn to recognize threats and respond through action or communications. The system records trainee performance and provides remedial exercises as needed.

"In the Air Force, all crew members have a primary duty to identify anti-aircraft threats," said Dr. Lisa Billman, Arinc Engineering Services senior manager. "But in fact all military and commercial aircraft operators today share many of the same concerns."

ARINC develops and operates communications and information processing systems. It provides systems engineering and integration solutions to five industries: airports, aviation, defense, government, and surface transportation.

Privately held ARINC is ranked No. 26 on Washington Technology's 2003 Top 100 list, which measures federal prime contracting revenue.