Navy Seeking Improved At-Sea Readiness With Aegis Virtual Maintenance Trainer

The U.S. Navy is developing a virtual maintenance trainer for the Aegis Combat System with the goal of increasing readiness and self-sufficiency at sea.

The development effort is in its final stages at the Surface Combat Systems Training Command in Dahlgren, Virginia, where the Aegis VMT is expected to be rolled out initially in the spring.

SCSTC Commanding Officer Capt. Dave Stoner touted the virtual trainer’s potential to meet fleet commanders’ desire for ships to be more self-sufficient and improve overall troubleshooting capabilities, Defense News reported.

Stoner told the publication that the underlying technology of the Aegis VMT is critical to keeping up with the changes in current and future Navy combat systems.

According to Stoner, the Aegis VMT is flexible enough to provide detailed training beyond finding faulty computer chips and onto resetting something in the software.

“As a design strategy, we’re going more toward software design that is agnostic of the hardware it rides on. In the past, a lot of our training has been very hardware centric: find the bad circuit card, find the bad voltage regulator or switch or component,” he explained.

Moving forward, Stoner envisions the virtual trainer to be the standard for gaining and maintaining proficiency in routine maintenance and troubleshooting.

Future Aegis VMT development efforts will include the addition of the Ship Self-Defense System and the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 anti-submarine warfare combat system. Upon initial rollout, the trainer will be subsequently deployed in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and San Diego, California, SCSTC spokeswoman Kimberly Landsdale informed Defense News.