The HEL Counter-Air Program (HELCAP) Combined Arms Counter-Air Simulation Facility

The HEL counter-air program HELCAP is a program which focused on the soldier-machine interface issues related to combined arms counter-air operations. The thrusts of the HELCAP initiative were to 1 provide soldier- compatible interface designs for the command and control nodes which would demonstrate integration of counter-air operations between air defense and aviation units through interactive laboratory simulation, and 2 validate these soldier-interface criteria through laboratory testing of the command and control concepts. The laboratory demonstrations examined a small battalion slice which consisted of four nodes. This document provides an overview of the HELCAP simulation facility and HELCAP design specifics. The simulation equipment is described for each of the HELCAP nodes 1 The helicopter node, describing the communications system and display, vertical situation display, tactical situation display, weapons systems equipment and displays, subsystem status monitoring display, aircraft survivability equipment display 2 the tactical operations center nodes describing the battlefield situation display and data display and 3 the integrated weapons system display for the pedestal-mounted stinger node describing the simulator configuration and operation and the gunners panel and controls. A symposium and demonstration of the HELCAP concept and simulation was provided to the Army on 17 and 18 July 1991.