engineering

Smart onboard data interface module

Smart onboard data interface module is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Smart onboard data interface module rather than just read about it. In short: The Smart Onboard Data Interface Module (SMODIM) is an integrated device once used by the United States Army and foreign militaries for live simulated weapons training on military platforms. The SMODIM was the primary component of the Longbow Apache Tactical Engagement Simulation System (LBA TESS) that provides weapons systems training and collective Force-on-Force live training participation.

Key takeaways

Smart onboard data interface module belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Smart onboard data interface module to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Smart onboard data interface module from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Smart Onboard Data Interface Module (SMODIM) is an integrated device once used by the United States Army and foreign militaries for live simulated weapons training on military platforms. The SMODIM was the primary component of the Longbow Apache Tactical Engagement Simulation System (LBA TESS) that provides weapons systems training and collective Force-on-Force live training participation. TESS was an advanced weapons training system developed for the AH-64 Apache to support force-on-force and force-on-target live training at U.S. Army Combat Training Centers (CTCs), Aviation Home Stations, and deployed locations. TESS integrates with aircraft and ground vehicles to provide collective opposing force participation in live training. The Aerial Weapons Scoring System (AWSS) integration with LBA TESS provided the ability to conduct force-on-target engagements using plastic ammunition for 30 mm gun, rockets, and simulated virtual emulated Hellfire missiles. Gunnery scoring was supported by the SMODIM, which transmitted data from the one point to the other. AWSS scored the pilot's live-fire gunnery performance and provided constructive After Action Review (AAR) feedback.

Designed and manufactured by Aerotech,"The SMODIM was fully compatible with the multiple integrated laser engagement system (MILES) and legacy laser-based direct fire weapons simulation. Additionally, it eliminates the requirement for MILES-type lasers by providing the capability to geometrically pair weapon engagements with lasers".

Background In 1992, Aerotech was selected by U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command (CECOM) to provide the real-time casualty assessment (RTCA) interface for the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter. This component was called the onboard data interface module (ODIM). As the Army incorporated new technologies, the SMODIM added GPS and telemetry and became the core component of live helicopter training systems at all U.S. Army Combat Training Centers (CTCs) with a fielding of over 240 systems. In 1997, the SMODIM was modified to provide a proof of concept for the upgraded AH-64 (D model) Longbow Apache. In 1998 the "Modular" SMODIM and the longbow tactical engagement simulation system (TESS) training system was fielded to all three CTCs and Aviation Home Stations, and became the U.S. Army's first fully integrated live aviation training system. Over the following 15 years, the SMODIM has deployed in multiple systems and platforms with over one thousand SMODIMs fielded in the U.S. and abroad. An "Advanced" SMODIM or "ASMODIM" is currently in development due to parts obsolescence and will provide an 80% increased processing performance. Security encryption is in accordance with FIPS 140-2 level 2. Advanced weapon simulation is augmented by digital terrain elevation data (DTED) and geometric ranging. Data communication and data transmission upgrades utilize RS-422 and RS-485 full duplex channels, and ARINC 429 technical standards.

Overview The SMODIM includes a built-in GPS receiver, telemetry radio, data recorder, and MIL-STD-1553 mux bus processors. The SMODIM interfaces with the weapons systems and actively tracks, records and transmits data to the ground station or exercise control (EXCON). RTCA feedback is passed directly to the weapons processor and the ground station through the onboard telemetry radio. The SMODIM processes area weapons effects (AWE) data received from the EXCON and computes geometric pairing solutions for weapon engagements using the RF Hellfire, semi-automated laser (SAL) Hellfire, 30 mm chain gun, and rockets. It selects a target from its onboard player/position database in the appropriate weapons impact footprint, then uses the probability-of-hit (Ph) factor to determine the assessment (i.e., 'hit'/'miss'). Via the data link, it then informs the target it has been selected for assessment. The SMODIM maintains a dynamic position database through player-to-player network communications. The onboard telemetry radio supports simultaneous distribution to multiple locations. The radio acts as a message repeater to overcome line of sight (LOS) interruptions. The SMODIM interfaces with distributed interactive simulation (DIS) networks using SMODIM tracking analysis and recording (SMOTAR), an advanced software suite that provides visual display and tracking of SMODIM instrumented players. GPS provides real-time position data as players are dynamically simulated, tracked and recorded over tactical maps and aerial photos for after-action review (AAR).

The TESS Aircraft System consists of an "A" kit that becomes part of the aircraft, and a "B" kit that is added to the aircraft for training exercises. The "A" kit includes the SMODIM Tray Assembly, modified software in the weapons display and systems processors, with cable connection provisions. The "B" kit includes the SMODIM, Eye-Safe Laser Range Finder/Designator (ESLRF/D), TESS Gun Control Unit (TGCU), Aircraft Internal Boresight Subassembly (AIBS), TESS Training Missile (TTM) with Flash Weapon Effects Signature Simulator (FlashWESS), GPS and telemetry antennas.

Monitored parameters Aircraft Position Location and Heading Aircraft Pitch, Roll and Yaw Ammunition Inventories Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) Status (on/off) Missile, Rocket and Gun Firing Player ID Radar Altitude Range to Target Real Time Casualty Assessment Weapon Release Selected Sight Selected Designator Laser Code and Missile Seeker Code Target Acquisition Designation Sight (TADS) Azimuth Target Position

Qualifications The SMODIM is qualified with an airworthiness release (AWR) through the Aviation Engineering Directorate (AED). Environmental and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) compliance tests include DO-160, MIL-STD-810E/F and ADS-37A-PRF.

Platforms The SMODIM is used on the following platforms with applicable current contract information:

AH-64 Apache Longbow Attack Helicopter; FMS Royal Netherlands Air Force Longbow TESS WAH-64 AgustaWestland Apache Helicopter; FMS United Kingdom (UK) Collective Training System CH-47 Chinook Helicopter; AV TESS Supplemental Kits UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter; AV TESS Supplemental Kits OH-58 Kiowa Warrior Helicopter; KW CASUP TESS UH-72A Light Utility Helicopter; Offensive Capability Other platforms instrumented with the SMODIM include:

LYNX Attack Helicopter Aircraft Survivability Equipment Trainer (ASET) IV Avenger Air Defense M270, M270A1 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS)

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Smart onboard data interface module: SMODIM showing interface connections — SMODIM showing interface connections

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Smart onboard data interface module

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Smart onboard data interface module claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Smart onboard data interface module before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Smart onboard data interface module ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Smart onboard data interface module

In research: Smart onboard data interface module appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Smart onboard data interface module in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Smart onboard data interface module is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Avionics, Electronic engineering, Foreign Military Sales, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Smart onboard data interface module outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Smart onboard data interface module in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Smart onboard data interface module means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Smart onboard data interface module out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Smart onboard data interface module in simple terms?

Why does Smart onboard data interface module matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Smart onboard data interface module?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Smart onboard data interface module.