Vocational schools have been around quite some time, teaching students the basics of many trades including computer repair, restaurant management, dental assistant and even construction. In this video John McHale, Executive Editor at Military & Aerospace Electronic Magazine, puts a different spin on the practice in a recent Avionics Intelligence Report.
In partnership with L-3 Link Simulation & Training, college students and government personnel will soon have the opportunity to master the skills of unmanned systems operation at Grand Forks Air Force Base.
As John explains, through the power of simulation, classes will deal with real world mission scenarios that involve moving people and vehicles, as well as varying weather conditions.
Considering the fact that UAV operation is one of the few sectors of defense spending to experience budget increases, the demand for pilots and support personnel is bound rise in the coming years, and graduates may find themselves involved with the Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS).
Artist Rendition of X-47B UAV Landing on Carrier Deck
While this new university program currently deals with unmanned aerial vehicles, there’s an obvious extension of such simulation technology to cover both ground-based and underwater unmanned vehicles.
So what’s next? Will we see more aspects of military training become part of the standard college curriculum? Will we eventually see this innovative training paradigm extended to include the operation of ground vehicles or commanding ships on the open sea? Watch the video and let us know what you think about the future of defense-related training.
