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 Recent phase one tests of the Marine Corps’ Aviation Distributed Virtual Training Environment ( ADVTE), have been highly successful.

“The ADVTE is a system of local and wide area networks that will ultimately link together the majority of Marine aviation simulators located at Marine Corps Aviation Training System Sites, in the continental United States,” said Kent Campbell, Naval Aviation Training Systems (PMA-205) ADVTE program lead.

“The networks allow aviators operating simulators of many Marine Corps platforms to “fly” together—regardless of geographical location—to create tactical scenarios that support training and increase readiness and efficiency,” added Campbell.

Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point and MCAS New River, both in North Carolina, were the first locations connected by the ADVTE under phase one. Recent assessments evaluated the system’s ability to facilitate interoperability between simulators and the two air stations.

“The 2011 Marine Corps Aviation Plan called on us to arm our warfighters by developing a system of tactically relevant networked trainers,” said Capt. John Feeney, PMA-205 program manager. “ADVTE will help achieve that goal. In addition, it will free up Marine Corps aircraft for operations while shifting more training to simulators to augment combat mission readiness.”

The high-fidelity system was developed by the Naval Air Warfare Center, Training Systems Division, in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with PMA-205.

“Until now, nothing like this existed for the Marine Corps. There was no networked training capability that allowed this type of command, control, and planning for virtual training exercises,” said Campbell.

Now that the first phase connection has been successfully implemented and tested, the team is working to implement phases two and three, which expand the networks to training sites at MCAS Miramar and MCAS Camp Pendleton, Calif., followed by MCAS Beaufort, N.C. and MCAS Yuma, Ariz.

The network linking all the MATSS within the continental United States is scheduled to be complete in December of 2012.

Once fully implemented, geographically diverse Marines in simulators representing a wide array of platforms will be able to come together for mission rehearsal, such as air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, as well as joint exercises, in a safe, virtual environment, Campbell said.

Each MATSS will have a mission planning center, known as the Network Exercise Control Center, capable of developing, planning, rehearsing, executing, monitoring, controlling and reviewing scenario-based training sessions.

In the future, the system will train maintainers as well as aviators and discussions are taking place on how to connect Marine Corps simulators internationally.

The Marine Corps also plans to expand the ADVTE to allow linking with its ground training systems and unmanned aviation training systems.

“ADVTE is very exciting,” said Campbell. “It’s taking Marine Corps aviation training to a whole new level.”