ASTi recently delivered two DACS to the Depth and Simultaneous Attack Battle Laboratory (DSABL) at Ft Sill, OK. The commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) systems were shipped on an extremely expedited schedule to meet the Army's requirement for networked voice communications during a Future Combat Systems (FCS) experiment in January, 2004. ASTi's networked radio simulation environment linked operators located at various TRADOC Battle Labs, including: Ft. Sill; Ft. Rucker, AL; and Ft. Knox, KY.

The DACS systems shipped to Ft. Sill provide 24 battle lab operators with a turnkey, simulated communications environment. In addition to the DACS, ASTi-provided hardware includes hand-held communications panels, headsets and press-to-talk (PTT) switches. The hand-held panels control operators' transmit and receive access to a bank of 32 simulated radios, and visually indicate communications status.

Through Lockheed Martin Information Systems (LMIS), the USAF 19th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, FL received shipment of four DACS systems to upgrade its existing MC-130E Combat Talon I Weapon System Trainer (WST) and MC-130H Combat Talon II Mission Rehearsal Trainer (MRT) simulators.

These new ASTi systems replace previously-installed DACS to provide the latest chassis & processor configurations, DSP technology and software. Systems installation into the existing simulators' infrastructures required zero hardware changes by the USAF, as rack-space form factor and cable interconnections to the new DACS are identical to those being replaced.

Radio simulation features provided by the DACS systems include a full radio suite with multimode transceivers, embedded ANVDT and KY-58 communications security, electronic warfare (EW), and navigation aids simulation. The platforms also supply networked radio communications to Pilot, CoPilot, Flight Engineer, Instructor Pilot, Left Navigation, Right Navigation, CSO (WST only), EWO (MRD only), and DSO crew operator positions, as well as Instructor Stations.

Bechtel Bettis, Inc. purchased a DACS system to provide network communications to 24 operator positions, including three Instructor stations, in an intercom training application. The DACS allows instructors to access a single broadcast channel, as well as up to 16 point-to-point connections to individual operators.

Operators and instructors interact with the intercom environment through customer-furnished touchscreen panels, which send data to a central host computer. The host computer, in turn, sends information to the DACS platform which reconfigures the intercom environment and establishes comms connections on-the-fly, with minimal network latency.

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) purchased two DACS and one Telestra system for the Dam Neck, VA Combat Direction Systems Activity (CDSA). One of the DACS platforms provides eight simulated radios for an E-2C Hawkeye trainer, and the Telestra system supplies High Level Architecture (HLA) capabilities to ASTi's complete radio simulation and communications environment.