NATO STO

Tactical aviation has a long history of physiologic episodes associated with flight in challenging environments. However, in the last 5-10 years pilots of multiple high-performance aircraft (fighter/attack jets and trainers) have experienced a higher-than-expected rate of these episodes, many with no apparent cause. These unexplained physiologic events (UPEs) continue to pervade high-performance USAF/USN and international military aviation despite the best efforts of local and system-level investigations. While UPEs across platforms bear many apparent similarities, the current process of local investigations has produced numerous and disparate theories to explain these UPEs. This has triggered a multitude of (often parallel) research studies, consultative efforts, and procedural changes. While these activities share the goal of understanding and mitigating the conditions that contribute to UPEs, limited coordination between nations, disciplines, and platforms has impeded progress. In addition, most UPE investigations focus on individual incidents and are generally stove-piped within a platform; investigations do not efficiently and effectively share information.