Opportunity: Manned Flight Simulator (MFS)

Opportunity Number:

NAWCAD-011

Opportunity Location:

Pax River, MD

Opportunity Description:

The Manned Flight Simulator (MFS) facility provides high-fidelity, hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) flight simulation capabilities supporting Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) across Navy and Marine Corps aviation platforms (e.g., F/A-18, F-35, V-22, CH-53K, E-2D, and Unmanned Systems).
We are seeking motivated undergraduate and graduate engineering interns across Software, Visuals/Gaming/Computer Science, Electrical, Aerospace, and Mechanical Engineering. Interns work alongside experienced engineers to modernize flight trainers, conduct flight test rehearsals, evaluate pilot-vehicle interfaces, and build next-generation Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) environments. Individual project assignments are matched to the intern’s academic discipline and facility technical priorities each term.

Goal 1:

Develop a functional understanding of MFS facility architecture, safety protocols, and operational workflows by actively participating in simulator setup, calibration, or hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) operations.

Goal 2:

Apply core academic engineering principles (Software, Visuals/Graphics, Electrical, or Mechanical) to design, build, test, troubleshoot, or analyze assigned MFS subsystem components.

Goal 3:

Demonstrate initiative and adaptability in diagnosing engineering challenges, actively participating in team technical reviews, and effectively communicating technical status, lessons learned, and recommendations to peers and project leads. “

Opportunity Skill Set:

Software Engineering / Computer Science – Flight dynamics modeling, avionics simulation, C++/Python tool development, network protocols (DIS/HLA), automated test scripting, and data analysis pipelines.
Visuals & Graphics Engineering – 3D visual database/terrain modeling, Mixed Reality (XR/VR) development, rendering engine optimization (e.g., Unreal Engine), and sensor simulation (FLIR, NVG, Radar).
Electrical / Computer Engineering – Cockpit instrumentation interfaces, avionics hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) harnesses, signal acquisition, microcontrollers, and hardware troubleshooting/fault isolation.
Mechanical / Aerospace Engineering – Cockpit mechanical layout, control loading / flight control force-feel systems, motion platform integration, thermal/chassis packaging, and pilot human factors evaluations.