JMASS, real-time, and hardware-in-the-loop

The Joint Modeling and Simulation System (JMASS) is proposed as the Air Force standard Modeling and Simulation (M&S) system for development, acquisition, and test and evaluation (T&E). Through this standardization, it is expected that once a model is developed (threat or blue), it will be used throughout the acquisition and the T&E community. However, if reuse of models is really going to achieve its promise, these models must support real-time T&E needs. That is, these models must run in a variety of hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) facilities and ranges. How does the JMASS Simulation Runtime Agent (SRA) deal with different interprocessor communication methods, real or mockup hardware in lieu of software models, and the speed requirements? Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), under contract to Wright Laboratory's Avionics Simulation Technology Branch, is currently developing answers to these questions with the development of a prototype RA that executes on a personal computer (PC) and runs JMASS models in real-time. This paper will review the prototype work in progress and lessons learned.