Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation
Encyclopedia
Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) systems record an aircraft's in-flight data.
They are often used by the military
for aerial combat training and analysis.
ACMI systems usually include 4 major subsystems.
Transmission Instrumentation
Airborne Instrumentation
Advanced Display and Debriefing or Individual Combat Aircrew Display
They are often used by the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
for aerial combat training and analysis.
ACMI systems usually include 4 major subsystems.
Subsystems
Control and Computation- The Control and Computation Subsystem (CCS) is usually a rack-mounted personal computerPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
running applications that calculate Time-Space-Position-Information (TSPI).
Transmission Instrumentation
- The Transmission Instrumentation Subsystem (TIS) is firmwareFirmwareIn electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
running at or near a communications tower on the range the aircraft are flying around. The TIS will have 1-9 remote interrogators (remotes) scattered throughout the range. One of these remotes is at the TIS, and is referred to as the "remote at Master". Each remote interrogates an AIS pod (see below) loaded on each aircraft flying on range, and receives the response and relays it to the TIS.
Airborne Instrumentation
- Antiquated ACMI systems triangulated each pod's position and relayed that TSPI back to the CCS. Modern ACMI systems no longer triangulate; instead, a GPS unit is installed in each Airborne Instrumentation Subsystem (AIS) pod to calculate its own position, thereby relieving the CCS of the triangulation algorithm. The CCS now gets a complete TSPI message from the AIS pod via the TIS, and forwards this data to a display system.
Advanced Display and Debriefing or Individual Combat Aircrew Display
- Advanced Display and Debriefing Subsystems (ADDS) are quickly vanishing and being replaced by Individual Combat Aircrew Display Systems (ICADS) because the ICADS software can run on any compatible personal computer. ICADS is the display software that receives data from the CCS and displays it in a three-dimensional graphical user interfaceGraphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
.