ASM: News & Events, Archive, Defence

Advanced Synergic Microsystems Ltd. (ASML), located here, has bagged a Rs. 1 Crore order from Defence Ministry to execute a state-of-the-art combat flight simulation project. For the first time an Indian information technology company will undertake such a project making it a pioneer in developing flight simulators. Significantly, this implies that the company can now competently make such simulators for other types of aircrafts.

ASML will make the graphics visual simulation display for the flight simulator which involves a three-window display depicting the pilot's view from the cockpit, and other avionics (air bone electronics), besides instrumentation displays in the aircraft. The graphics instrumentation display system mimics the avionics mounted on the aircraft.

The package developed anticipates situations involving complicated terrain featuring mountain ranges, rivers, roads, railway tracks, etc. The software employs numerous polygons as primitive shapes to generate terrains with different topologies, spinning human settlements with 3-D perspective of building, bridges etc.

Unlike common flight simulators, this one will create conditions that are more earth like with a spherical terrain and lightening effects re-presenting dawn, dusk, night and day. It also incorporates infra-red vision during night display. To enable realistic terrain replication, the system uses a database of textures of various ground objects like vegetation, construction materials etc.

Together with these surface parameters, vision perspective is made sharper through an additional range of details available under normal visibility conditions. The software will include the advance features like detection and ranging of targets such as hostile aircraft or missiles.

A fighter pilot explains that the test of a good simulator is its ability to accurately recreate a feeling of flying an aircraft under contrasting conditions - terrain, visibility, weather, element and inclement.

This, briefly, would translate into two capabilities: one visual, the other sensory, visual capabilities implies that any control column- should result in changes in the visual field of view at the same rate as those occurring in the aircrafts position with no jerkiness.

Secondly, while giving control inputs, the pilot requires to feel the same joy-stick forces as in the aircraft depending on the in-flight conditions simulated. The visuals are likely to suffer from two basic problems: one, a lack of light in daylight simulation and, two, jerkiness due to speed of updation of the picture.

Importantly, simulators drastically reduce both the time and expenditure in developing aircraft prototypes. This can prove crucial to the country's major aircraft development programme underway. Additionally, it aids in training pilots by giving invaluable insights into the behavior of new aircraft and, in the overall reckoning, minimizing possible human and machine losses.

All these advantages are attainable because simulators enable testing avionic systems, making it easier to train pilots to fly sophisticated combat aircraft. The simulator would be based on a high performance Onyx graphics computer, made by Silicon Graphics Inc., US.

The visual modeling software applications will be developed by ASML, to simulate the different airports, climatic conditions like fog, haze, lightning, etc., including obstacles while landing and take-off. Such flight simulators are virtually the only means to help train pilots given the shortage of experienced hands.

The simulators will not be restricted to military or aviation applications and can also be used in power plants, vehicles, gunnery, shipping, spacecraft etc. ASML has already embarked on ambitious software development, software exports, CAD/CAM hardware/software projects.

The company has been appointed master distributors for CADDs and Medusa range of Mechanical Computer Aided Engineering Value Added Reseller (MCAE VAR) products from Computer vision, US, ASML, already one of the leading MCAE VARs in the country has major tie-ups with reputed overseas software and hardware companies.