Use of VR Glasses Enables Full Immersion
Indra has launched the TALIUM tactical mission system, specifically designed to support next-generation aircraft operating in highly digitised environments against technologically advanced adversaries, the company announced on 2 November.
The solution allows commanders to plan and conduct complex operations accurately, coordinating multiple aircraft of varied characteristics and capabilities, drastically reducing mission complexity in the digital domain, and operating in a combat cloud environment, facilitating effective decision-making in a streamlined manner. Navigation, threat and target data are entered into the digital mapping component, defining the tactical situation – much of the work being automated through connections to C2 centres. Staff are then at liberty to plan the mission, allocate resources and identify ingress and egress options.
The data volume and detail provided by TALIUM is considerable and includes variables related to the fuel, weight, crew, flight altitude and speed of each aircraft, for example. It can thus estimate, in real time, whether a mission is feasible, detecting potential problems. It also facilitates communication configuration, establishing the frequencies, channels and data-link to be used, centralising the requirements for all aircraft and preventing any errors in this highly critical area.
On board, the pilot views the complete plan in Indra’s TDM mission system, the ideal complement to TALIUM. Indra’s solutions exchange data in real time via the data-link, enabling commanders to monitor the developing operation and update data, send orders and make other changes to the tactical situation. This results in far more efficient operations executed in a precise, coordinated and secure manner. All of these skills are essential for survival in highly digitised environments, where information determines superiority over the adversary.
TALIUM also facilitates mission briefing and debriefing, downloading data to exploit and share in order to enable corrective and predictive maintenance functionality, for example. It can manage all kinds of operations via a single system common to all the types of platforms, fleet and mission stages, dramatically reducing complexity and increasing aircraft availability. Its open architecture can be integrated into C2 suites, IFF equipment and flight simulators. All of this makes this solution a key system for decision-making and interoperability with allied forces.
TALIUM is an evolution of Indra’s AMPS mission system, currently used by Spain’s TIGER and NH90 helicopter fleets. With this evolution, Indra is positioning itself at the apex of C2 technology, leading European efforts to ensure technological autonomy and sovereignty.
TALIUM also goes a step further, using virtual reality (VR) to support the decision-making process. VR glasses enable viewing in a fully immersive environment that uses an advanced sandbox as a testing, planning and mission analysis environment. Controls enable rehearsal and analysis as well as ‘what if’ scenarios. An additional benefit is the ability to share the virtual scenario in real time with distributed – often widely separated – commanders, allowing them to meet, interact and plan virtually.
