Military

A. NOMENCLATURE-TITLE-PROGRAM

1. Nomenclature-Title-Acronym. Tactical Operational Preview Scene (TOPSCENE)

2. Program Element. To be determined

B. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

1. System Characteristics Unclassified

2. Capabilities Unclassified

3. Functions Unclassified

D. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

1. Operational Uses. The TOPSCENE mission rehearsal system, hereafter referred to as TOPSCENE, is a stand-alone system that enables Naval Strike Warfare and Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF) aircrews to perform superior mission planning and have total familiarity with their mission routes and target areas in order to ensure mission success and high survivability. TOPSCENE utilizes Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components integrated to provide a mission rehearsal program, which generates high quality, free-roam perspective views in 3-D and in real time. Using the integrated visual generation and the operator inputs (stick and throttle joystick), TOPSCENE can view terrain at high and low altitudes while maneuvering through terrain and among 3-D cultural features. Country-sized databases display frame rates generally exceeding 30 Hertz (Hz) and are capable of networking with intelligence, imagery, and planning systems. Out-of-the window and Night Vision Device (NVD) views show effects of varying light conditions, fog, haze, etc. The system is completely deployable and will be installed on all aircraft carriers and deployed with Marine Expeditionary Units. The system is installed at various land-based sites for use while "gearing up" for a deployment.

All known Department of Defense (DoD) military services are currently using TOPSCENE systems and databases successfully in support of every U. S. military mission since Desert Shield and Desert Storm. TOPSCENE databases are made for all services at Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) Fallon, and further development of and issuance of these databases is also provided by Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, Florida; Training and Contingency Division at the Washington Navy Yard; and the 160^th Special Operations Training Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

A yearly Navy Mission Rehearsal Operations Advisory Group (OAG) will afford the fleet a means to provide inputs for the required improvements to the system. A TOPSCENE Database Working Group (DBWG) has been established to address the database production issues. In addition, the Mission Rehearsal Working Group (MRWG), which meets quarterly, provides programmatic coordination and guidance between related Navy Program Offices and the OPNAV sponsor.

2. Foreign Military Sales. TOPSCENE has been in use by the other U. S. Armed Services, and there is a possibility that this system may be available to our allies in the future.

E. DEVELOPMENTAL TEST AND OPERATIONAL TEST. TOPSCENE has been in use for over 10 years and is composed of COTS components. Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) or Technical Evaluation (TECHEVAL) were not planned or required.

F. AIRCRAFT AND/OR EQUIPMENT/SYSTEM/SUBSYSTEM REPLACED. Not Applicable (NA)

G. DESCRIPTION OF NEW DEVELOPMENT

1. Functional Description. TOPSCENE provides aircrew and ground personnel with familiarization of actual terrain and cultural features prior to flight or deployment to the area of interest. The system uses national asset imagery databases derived from multiple sources for display.

2. Physical Description. TOPSCENE is located in the Carrier Intelligence Center (CVIC) spaces aboard aircraft carriers, squadron ready rooms on amphibious assault ships, and various shore locations. TOPSCENE consists of a rack and a half, occupying a space 44 inches wide, 70 inches tall, and 36 inches deep, with a total weight of 645 pounds. Electrical requirements require a dedicated 20-ampere circuit, 120-volt Alternating Current, at 60 Hz. TOPSCENE is permanently mounted with four mounting points on each rack. The full rack consists of one Silicon Graphics ONYX 2 computer, a 24-inch monitor, and two hot swap chassis. All components are shock mounted inside the rack and enclosed in aluminum containers. The remaining equipment consists of a Hewlett Packard laser printer and storage area.

3. New Development Introduction. Prototype TOPSCENE systems were developed and delivered to the Navy in 1989 and 1990. Fleet exposure to the prototype systems provided feedback that identified improvements and generated requests for additional units. Based on these requests, a number of engineering development models were improved and upgraded. Production unit level systems have been delivered to the Navy, Marines Corps, Army, and Air Force. Improvements and upgrades will be incorporated as TOPSCENE is further refined as approved by the OAG and OPNAV Resource Sponsor.

4. Significant Interfaces. A direct interface with the NSAWC was developed in 1998 to allow direct electronic access and connectivity to national imagery resources. This interface supports direct access with the afloat Joint Service Imagery Processing System - Navy (JSIPS - N), the Tactical Automated Mission Planning System (TAMPS), the Joint Maritime Command Integration System (JMCIS), and other systems.

5. New Features, Configurations, or Material. The model 4000 utilized the Silicon Graphics ONYX 2 Infinite Reality workstation resulting in improved graphics, special effects maintainability and size reduction. The model 400 utilizes a Silicon Graphics OCTANE workstation which represents a significant decrease in cost and size of footprint.

H. CONCEPTS

1. Operational Concept. TOPSCENE is a stand-alone system that only requires a user. TOPSCENE is not a watch station, and requires no sharing during use. Aviators from various platforms, for the purpose of mission rehearsal, operate the system. Currently assigned ship's company personnel (ET's and IT's) monitor the equipment for failure and/or malfunction.

2. Maintenance Concept

a. Organizational. This system is under an Integrated Logistics Support Plan (ILSP) for planned life cycle maintenance support. It is a stand-alone system that is used by aircrew, ground forces, and Special Operations personnel.

(1) Preventive Maintenance. Navy ET personnel will accomplish the TOPSCENE preventive maintenance requirements (general computer hardware maintenance, cleaning the equipment, checking filters and corrosion prevention and treatment) during deployment. Either military or civilian technical personnel, as determined by the Program Office, perform preventive maintenance ashore. Preventive maintenance is accomplished using approved TOPSCENE maintenance procedures.

(2) Corrective Maintenance. Both civilian and Navy ET and IT personnel perform corrective maintenance. This is determined on a case by case basis. Silicon Graphics equipment is repaired by certified personnel in accordance with the manufacturer's warranty requirement. Both civilian and military personnel conduct fault isolation, both individually and/or collectively, to determine failed or defective Shop Replaceable Assemblies (SRAs).

b. Intermediate. Civilian personnel perform intermediate maintenance. No requirements for military personnel are expected. There is no requirement for Support Equipment (SE), Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), or Special Test Equipment (STE). Common test equipment required is a multimeter.

c. Depot. Depot maintenance is performed at the system manufacturing facility, Lockheed Martin Vought Systems, Dallas, Texas, on an as required basis. Government technical representatives or Lockheed Martin Vought Systems perform modifications on-site when required.

d. Interim Maintenance. Contractor Engineering and Technical Services (CETS) personnel and Mission Rehearsal government technical representatives perform maintenance throughout the full service life of the equipment. There is no Navy Support Date (NSD) as such. Technical and advisory services are provided to operational communities for a period determined by PMA205. Civilian government technical representatives are located one each on the East and West Coast of the United States. There is a staff of engineers and support personnel located at Lockheed Martin Vought Systems manufacturing and integration facility in Dallas, Texas. There are Lockheed Martin Vought Systems engineers located at the NSAWC Data Base Generation Facility to support TOPSCENE. These two groups of individuals are tasked to provide engineering services as long as TOPSCENE is deployed.

e. Life Cycle Maintenance Plan. The formal life cycle maintenance plan is the contractual responsibility of the manufacturer and the government technical representatives that will provide maintenance and support for hardware and software on both a scheduled and unscheduled basis.

3. Manning Concept. Initial analysis and 10 years deployed operation indicates that there is no required increase in the allotted uniformed manpower. Personnel who operate TOPSCENE are already trained in their particular specialty and are using the equipment to sharpen skills and cognitive ability. Initial System Administration and Operator training is conducted during initial installation. Follow-on training is provided at NSAWC Fallon during the pre-deployment cycle. Aircraft Carrier Intelligence Center (CVIC) ET and IT personnel are responsible for preventive maintenance and daily operational check. There are currently no figures available to document mean time between failure, mean time to repair, etc. The workload that has occurred has not resulted in requests for increased manpower from the fleet.

4. Training Concept. TOPSCENE training is provided during initial installation and as required through the TOPSCENE website for operators or maintainers. TOPSCENE is delivered, installed, and training provided by Civil Servant and contractor technical representatives at the delivery site. Training generally consists of approximately one hour of system operation for users (operators) and up to four hours of system administration for ET's at NSAWC during aircrew annual or pre-deployment training cycles. TOPSCENE does not require dedicated instructor training. Additional technical or training support is available as required from the TOPSCENE Technical Support Teams located on both coasts.

a. Initial Training. Initial training is On-the-Job Training (OJT) and is fulfilled at the time of installation. This oral training is of a general nature including computer uses and database update procedures.

b. Follow-on Training. TOPSCENE contractor personnel located at NSAWC, Fallon, Nevada, are available to provide follow-on training to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) detachments, approximately 80 aircrews per CVW, with six to eight detachments per year. Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS)-1 provides training support for the Weapons and Tactics Instructor courses and related MAGTF training programs. TOPSCENE technical representatives provide refresher training to the Marine Expeditionary Units and others as requested. There is no formal follow-on training planned at this time.

c. Student Profiles. Systems Administrators are designated by the ship's CVIC Officer or the Combat Systems Maintenance Officer for the Navy and by the Operations Officer for the Marine Corps. Systems Administrators must possess basic computer systems knowledge and an understanding of the UNIX operating system. The computer systems technician must have knowledge of standard computer cleanliness techniques. Navy and Marine Corps aviators comprise the majority of the operators requiring user training. Additional training is provided to Intelligence Officers on various components as required.

d. Training Pipelines. At the current time there is no training pipeline designated for TOPSCENE. All training is conducted on-site during system installation.

I. ON-BOARD (IN-SERVICE) TRAINING. There is no further training planned at this time. TOPSCENE is intended to provide the rehearsal required for the safety and proficiency of the aircrews. No PQS exists for either operators or maintainers.

1. Proficiency or Other Training Organic to the New Development. The only proficiency training is through continued use of the equipment itself.

The Maintenance Training Improvement Program (MTIP) would normally be used as a training management tool that, through diagnostic testing, identifies individual training deficiencies. Since the bulk of both the preventive and all of the corrective maintenance is being performed by technical representatives, this program will not be utilized.

2. Personnel Qualification Standards. NA

3. Other Onboard or In-service Training Packages. NA

1. Manufacturer and Contract Numbers. The following is the result of the sole source procurement of the TOPSCENE system and the integrated support for this system.

2. Program Documentation. No ILSP has been developed for TOPSCENE. There is no MRC deck, and no maintenance instruction pages have been developed.

3. Technical Data Plan. Technical manuals and operator manuals are available for fleet users and are delivered upon installation. Replacement manuals are available through PMA205 or the technical representatives.

4. Test Sets, Tools, and Test Equipment. No special equipment is required for fleet personnel. All that is required for the local level is common test equipment.

5. Repair Parts. The manufacturer provides all repair parts. No parts for this system are planned to be integrated into the Navy supply system.

6. Human Systems Integration. NA

K. SCHEDULES

1. Schedule of Events

a. Installation and Delivery Schedules. The delivery and installation schedule is the same, as installation normally takes one day and is ready for use when installed. All FY99 installations have been completed.

b. Ready For Operational Use Schedule. The systems are ready for operational use upon delivery and installation.

c. Time Required to Install at Operational Sites. Normal installation time is one day, plus one day for on-site training.

d. Foreign Military Sales and Other Source Delivery Schedule. TOPSCENE has been in use by the other U. S. Armed Services, and there is a possibility that this system may be available to our allies in the future.

e. Training Device and Delivery Schedule. NA

L. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT AND CONTRACTOR FURNISHED EQUIPMENT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS. NA

M. RELATED NTSPs AND OTHER APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS