U.S. Navy/USAF Development of Tactical Aircrew Combat Training System/Air Combat Manuevering Instrumenation (TACTS/ACMI)

The inflight aircrew training system called Tactical Aircrew Combat Training System (TACTS) by the U.S. Navy and Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) by the U.S. Air Force was originally developed to improve aircrew performance in air-to-air combat. Five installations are now operational--four in the United States and one in Sardinia, for USAFE. The system features (1) real-time tracking, integration, processing, and display of maneuvering aircraft in flight and associated flight data, (2) computer simulation of weapon system employment against which aircrews can exercise their abilities in flight, and (3) magnetic recording of exercise data for sub-sequent replay of alphanumeric and 3-D graphic displays of in-depth analysis. The versatility of the generic system design and the fund of significant data it can produce have led to the continuing expansion of its applications. Extended applications include air-to-surface and electronic warfare training, tactics and weapons system development, and test and evaluation of aircraft and weapons systems.