The air combat lab a modular air-to-air combat simulation

This paper describes the development and application of an air-to-air combat simulation system at IABG. The simulation is not a typical man-in-the-loop one, where a human pilot flies at least one of the participating aircraft. Instead all contestants are controlled by a single computer. The human user can choose between a variety of tools to configure aircraft, weapon systems, and countermeasures, and set up engagements. High-level control does not follow a fixed timeline or a predefined path but rather depends on the course of the engagement A selection of predefined maneuvers can be executed, depending on the overall situation. Among possible applications for the Air Combat Lab are aircraft and weapon systems analysis, tactics development, and flight instruction.