Scores, grades and events
Every number in a debrief comes from a rubric your training office controls. These are the defaults shipped with the prototype; they are notional until the program sets its own.
How a category is scored#
Each category measures one value, then maps it onto 0 to 100: at or better than the good threshold scores 100, at or worse than the bad threshold scores 0, and anything between is linear.
| Category | Weight | What is measured | Good | Bad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closure | 25% | Peak closure rate near contact (inside 3 m) | ≤ 0.55 m/s | ≥ 1.2 m/s |
| Alignment | 20% | RMS angle from the boom centerline | ≤ 1.5° | ≥ 8° |
| Stability | 20% | RMS position scatter in contact | ≤ 0.15 m | ≥ 0.9 m |
| Envelope | 25% | Share of contact time in the ideal zone, minus 25 points per envelope limit and per limit disconnect | 100% in the ideal zone | |
| Procedure | 10% | Starts at 100; deductions below | See procedure | |
If no contact was made, closure, alignment and stability are judged on the approach and pre-contact instead, with thresholds twice as wide, and the units on the debrief say so.
Procedure deductions#
- −40 if stabilized at pre-contact for less than 3 seconds
- −30 for an overshoot of more than 0.6 m forward of the contact position
- −20 for a limit disconnect
- −10 if the receiver did not re-stabilize at pre-contact after disconnect
Grades#
The overall score is the weighted mean of the category scores. The grade follows from it:
| Overall | Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 85 and above | Proficient | Nothing that needs a formal debrief. |
| 70 to 84.9 | Needs refinement | One or more categories to practice. |
| Below 70 | Debrief required | Review with an instructor before the next sortie. |
Phases#
Approach (closing on the tanker), pre-contact (stabilized behind the boom), closing (moving in to contact), contact (boom connected), disconnect, breakaway (an emergency separation) and post-contact (back at pre-contact afterwards).
Events#
| Event | Severity | Raised when |
|---|---|---|
| Stabilized in pre-contact | info | The receiver holds the pre-contact position steadily. |
| Contact | info | The boom connects. |
| High closure | warning | Closure near contact is above the good threshold. |
| Excessive closure | critical | Closure near contact is at or above the bad threshold. |
| Overshoot | warning | More than 0.6 m forward of the contact position. |
| Envelope warning | warning | Outside the ideal zone while in contact. |
| Envelope limit | critical | The receptacle reaches the boom envelope limit. |
| Vertical oscillation | warning | Repeated up-and-down motion in contact, with its cycles and amplitude. |
| Breakaway | critical | A rapid descent and drop back. |
The moment-by-moment score#
Alongside the category scores, the debrief plots a score for every instant of pre-contact, closing and contact, built from closure, alignment and envelope margin. It shows when a contact went wrong, not just that it did.
Who sets the rubric#
Weights, thresholds and grade bands are part of the system configuration, versioned and activated by an administrator. ML engineers can propose changes from instructor reviews under Operations → AI models (rubric tuning). A change applies to new assessments; existing ones keep the version they were scored with.