Joint primary aircraft training system (JPATS) concept development: an application of systems engineering methodology

The United States Air Force (USAF) and the United State Navy (USN) are conducting a study to examine joint primary aircraft training system (JPATS) concepts. The USAF is examining its requirements for a T-37 replacement under specialized undergraduate pilot training (SUPT). The USN is examining its requirements for a T-34C replacement in the pilot training pipelines. This study should allow the services to maximize the number of JPATS elements, particularly the aircraft, to be jointly acquired. Each service, however, must insure that its version of JPATS fulfils its training needs. A key part of the study is the definition of the pilot skills needed by the students, and their phasing through the training continuum. While the instructional systems development (ISD) process does not lend itself well to a top-level concept study, the process essence, a systematic means of solving problems in the design and development of effective and efficient training systems, was the foundation from which the concept study analysis was conducted. A follow-on front-end analysis will apply the ISD process directly