Introduction T he Naval Surface Tactical Maneuvering Simulation System (NSTMSS) is a high level architecture (HLA)-based distributed simulation system that is composed of 3-dimensional (3D) ship- handling simulators, a tactical level simula- tion of the operational area, a virtual envi- ronment manager, and simulation manage- ment processes (Topçu 1999, Topçu and O˘ guztüzün 1999). It has been developed by using the concepts of HLA, which provide a structural basis for interoperability and reusability (IEEE 2000 a, b, c). NSTMSS provides a networked virtual environment (NVE) testbed for naval surface actions in which new formations can be evaluated and tested and present ones can be practiced and analyzed. A potential application is training, where naval college cadets can practice formations. Many tasks in the real world are accom- plished by a team. Like other military opera- tions, a naval surface operation involves planning, timely execution, and evaluation. A naval surface operation is carried out by the participation of planning officers, ships, and Navy shore facilities. To gain the full benefits of team training in a virtual environment, several users from different levels of partici- pation (e.g., an officer in the ship for plat- form level training simulation and an officer in headquarters for tactical level simulation) must participate in the virtual environment. The principal objective of NSTMSS is to link platform (e.g., ship simulator) and tactical level (e.g., surface task group) simulations in order to create a realistic virtual world for the simulation of highly interactive naval sur- face operations as well as to provide reusability and interoperability. NSTMSS provides a team training platform for both the officers of the watch (OOWs) to carry out tactical maneuvering exercises, and the officer in tactical command (OTC) to develop the tactical picture and provide leader- ship. A similar approach is visible, albeit in a much more comprehensive scale, in the battle field tactical training (BFTT) system of the U.S. Navy, a distributed interactive simulation (DIS)-compliant system that supports mission Abstract This paper discusses the main issues involved in developing a high level architecture (HLA)-based distrib- uted simulation while presenting an application called Naval Surface Tactical Maneuvering Simulation System (NSTMSS), which is intended to serve as a testbed for HLA and distributed interactive simulation (DIS) research. NSTMSS provides a networked virtual environment (NVE) for naval surface actions in which new formations can be evaluated and tested and present ones can be practiced and analyzed. This paper also describes a development lifecycle for HLA-based distributed interactive simulations and reflects best practices. TECHNICAL PAPER NAVAL ENGINEERS JOURNAL WINTER 2005 23 Developing An HLA-Based Naval Maneuvering Simulation Okan Topçu and Halit O˘ guztüzün