Eyeing More Relevant and Capable Ranges
Written by Erin Flynn Jay
Making Training Ranges that are Relevant to the War
Environments in Iraq and Afghanistan is Inherently
Difficult. U.S. Military Construction for Ranges
with Fixed Facilities is a Multi-Year Process.
Making training ranges that are relevant to the contemporary operating environment of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan is inherently difficult. “Military construction for ranges with fixed facilities, based on the latest doctrine, is a multi-year process. Doctrine follows the development of lessons learned, which, itself, trails the current experiences of operating forces,” said Lieutenant Colonel Charles “Jack” Emerson, PM TRADE product manager, Digitized Training.
The Army has focused on shortening the time between obtaining today’s combat expertise and implementing training ranges built on it through a variety of methods. These efforts must be both specific to support defined requirements, but flexible to allow modification to support new requirements without re-creating new solutions. Emerson said they continue to close the gap between a “training” experience and an “operational” one.
Today’s soldier resembles a world-class pentathlete. “Fighting a war; policing unstable urban areas; advising local leaders; conducting area reconnaissance; and working with a variety of non-governmental organizations are all plausible, but diverse, mission areas that a commander must consider for his unit. The current operating environments have highlighted the need to support and replicate cultural awareness situations and the creation of facilities that look and feel like the real operational environment,” Emerson told MT2. “Immersing the soldier in a realistic setting is a catalyst to the training experience allowing him to achieve a higher level of proficiency, faster.”
In addition, doctrinal changes (such as from IEDs), current lessons learned (such as from new reconnaissance assets) and new equipment (such as from mine resistant ambush protected vehicles) all challenge the local installation range managers to provide relevant range capabilities.
Today, the Army is creating ranges that have enduring training value. Commanders seek the ability to train on a variety of situations and scenarios. “Our MOUT training complexes come in a variety of forms and offer the ability to train on discrete combat tasks [such as from an Urban Assault Course] or more complex, variable environments [such as from a Combined Arms Collective Training Facility],” said Emerson.
Commanders seek to train as they fight. Increasingly, that means being able to use (in a training environment) all the weaponry, vehicles, C4ISR equipment, and other supporting elements “wrapped” in a pertinent training scenario with appropriate digital interfaces. The Army has greatly increased its ability to provide that kind of training in the past few years, and continues to improve on it.
Current MOUT training facilities are fielded with a modern video, target and sensor suite that provides a high-fidelity training experience for units up to a battalion in size. “These capabilities become increasingly unwieldy for larger units, and training assessments through the use of individual player units become more useful,” said Emerson. Individual player units offer the ability to track movement (for highlevel assessments) and enable other capabilities such as the integration of area munitions effects, shot pairing analyses, and integration into other live, virtual and constructive (LVC) simulations.
SITUATIONAL BASED TRAINING CHALLENGE
The need to generate and provide situational based adaptive training enablers to support cultural and dynamic situational awareness is a unique challenge. A balance must be struck between performance and training realism, and reliability and total ownership cost management. “These situational based adaptive target systems and ranges must support aperiodic behaviors and events to ensure that each soldier receives the best training possible that challenge individual strengths and weakness, i.e., targets must act and react to the actions taken by the soldier,” Emerson added.
The U.S. Army does not yet have a satisfactory solution that allows for the contiguous tracking of individual players from outdoor to indoor environments. Procuring a satisfactory solution that leverages existing investments will greatly enhance training capabilities. “Local range managers continue to seek improvements that improve the training experience and add flexibility. Changeable exterior facades, reconfigurable buildings, and MILES shootback effects are popular range enhancements,” said Emerson. Additionally, local unit commanders seek to tie in their inherent reconnaissance assets into the training environment, and have those assets integrated into the overall scenario to exercise higher-level battle tracking and command functions.
PM TRADE has done a number of things to bring holistic training systems and set the conditions for long-term capability and sustainability. A common radio between various training systems will allow for bulk price purchasing and common supply. By standardizing the interfaces between various systems—through the use of the Common Training Instrumentation Architecture (CTIA) and the Future Army System of Integrated Target (FASIT) standards—the ability to integrate and support various training systems is improved.
PEO STRI has released, and is releasing, several requests for proposals in the next few months. The Homestation Instrumentation System RFP deals with capturing position location and weapons effects data for real-time exercise monitoring and after-action review (AAR) capability. This supports full spectrum contemporary operational environment operations to include collective maneuver, force-on-force training for platoon through battalion units.
The Integrated MOUT Training Systems RFP supports the Urban Operations Home Station Training strategy, a fundamental element of the Combined Arms Training Strategy. It supports U.S. Army’s training for urban operations from individual through battalion levels in accordance with the latest training guidance (Training Circular 90-1) and provides instrumentation for the Combined Arms Collective Training Facility, Live Fire Shoot House, and the Urban Assault Course.
The Common Army Ranges and Target Systems RFP procures target systems and devices in support of ranges defined in Training Circular 25-8 (Training Ranges) and Training Circular 25-8-1, (Army Special Operations Forces Training Ranges) per the Future Army System of Integrated Targets standards.
Emerson said the above contract actions are centered on the continued development and integration of the Live Training Transformation (LT2) Product Line and core architectures. The LT2 efforts focus on reuse and creation of common training components and assets. The product line ideology allows greater emphasis to be placed on fulfilling emerging requirements vice parallel development of similar components by individual programs.
Additionally, PM TRADE is leading an effort to synergize and accelerate MOUT and cultural awareness training enablers via the creation of a Center of Excellence at Camp Blanding, Fla. The MOUT Center of Excellence will coordinate, support and conduct research, development, testing and evaluation of MOUT and cultural training technologies, and assist the services in the integration of these technologies into new and existing training programs of record.
SAAB’S EMPHASIS ON SMALL UNITS
Saab Training USA has developed products from instrumented tactical engagement simulators to special targets to fulfill the rapidly changing requirements for realistic training in an urban warfare environment. The emphasis is on small unit tactics and the actions of individual soldiers and Marines. The current rules of engagement require target discrimination to avoid collateral damage and the mixture of noncombatants as well as opposing forces.
“The Marine Corps has taken the lead in developing new training methods for MOUT with their Instrumented Tactical Engagement Simulation System (I-TESS),” said Bob Clydesdale, business development manager for Saab Training USA. “The need for realistic urban warfare training in response to the combat in Iraq and Afghanistan required a precision simulation system for live training exercises to allow the Marine to move seamlessly from open terrain fighting to close-in combat in buildings and tunnels.”
Each Marine is equipped with a lightweight instrumentation system that tracks their movements in and out of structures with a realistic laser gunfire simulation, and indirect artillery and air support fire effects. The buildings are rapidly modeled with structural details such as wall thickness to support “shoot through the wall” and artillery spalling simulation effects.
This innovative program is a direct result of the long approved Range Instrumentation Systems requirements document with new technology such as Saab’s new MOUT Small Arms Transmitter, said Clydesdale. This Class 1 eye-safe laser transmitter is designed to transmit laser coded player identification information at the same time the rifle is firing plastic bullets with marking dye to replicate the dangerous environment of close quarters combat.
Saab Training USA of Orlando was awarded a $29 million IDIQ contract in 2009 to provide mobile I-TESS systems for each Marine Division and the Marine officer’s Basic School at Quantico. A complete I-TESS laboratory system to test new developments was delivered within months of the contract award from the Marine Corps’ PMTRASYS in Orlando.
Innovations for the next year’s I-TESS incremental upgrade are additional battlefield effects, vehicle association devices for instrumented players in or around the vehicle to assess simulated collateral damage from IEDs, and a new software defined radio to deploy the mobile instrumentation system anywhere in the world using the locally available frequencies, Clydesdale added. LIVE FIRE VIRTUAL TARGETRY
Usually MOUT training takes place in “live” environments, using MILES gear for live-on-live engagements, or the use of target devices for laser or live-fire exercises. The history of MOUT training products has varied greatly in terms of targets. “Low technology devices include paper targets and ‘poppers’ pop-up targets. However, high technology devices such as life-sized virtual targetry, which interact with the live trainers, are a significant new innovation,” said Christopher Chambers, president of Laser Shot. “Tracking participants in an urban combat training is one of the most challenging real-time location problems currently being undertaken.”
The combination of real-time tracking of people rapidly moving through and around large numbers of multi-story buildings requiring precision has not been practically possible until recently. “Consequently, it is possible to achieve a true live-virtual-constructive training exercise in a laser or live-fire environment,” said Chambers. Combining the position tracking of live soldiers, and the virtual targetry dynamics into an overall command and control (or “constructive”) exercise is also possible.
The paper targets of yesteryear are being replaced by fully immersive live-fire virtual targetry. From Laser Shot’s perspective, Chambers said the most innovative addition to MOUT Training is the use of virtual targetry.
Although still in initial phases of implementation, the desire to have full immersion and heightened reality in MOUT is really only possible by adding virtual human avatars who think and act like live humans. “For non-lethal and lethal training, virtual targetry is the only method of training that creates high cognitive loads and encourages adaptive and agile thinking,” said Chambers.
Laser Shot’s Legacy Range and Training Area Modernization program equips aging shooting ranges and shoot houses with fully interactive, game-based or video-based targetry to support close quarters battle tasks. The exclusive technology of Laser Shot’s Thermal Shot Live-Fire Virtual Targetry System is new; the special operations forces of the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy have already begun upgrades to improve their current facilities.
The Thermal Shot Live-Fire Virtual Targetry System replaces antiquated static targets that provide little real-life training value, with fully immersive, life-sized, full-motion computer-generated imagery that may be displayed across entire target walls. Shooters using the Thermal Shot system enter a shoot house or similar combat environment equipped exactly as they would fight—without special equipment or instrumentation—and see projections of realistic, moving 3-D virtual targets made to support tactical training.
MOUT CONSTRUCTION
Shoot house construction has evolved significantly in recent years. “The Department of Defense has begun fielding fully modular, no-surface- danger-zone laser and live-fire MOUT facilities,” said Chambers. “These facilities can be placed anywhere on an installation since they require no danger zone. Therefore, live-fire MOUT training is possible literally right next to the barracks or headquarters.”
In terms of MOUT construction, the USMC has awarded a multipleyear contract worth nearly $1 billion to the Parsons-Allied Container- Laser Shot team. Dozens of new designs of live-fire and non-live-fire facilities are beginning to be fielded in FY10, Chambers concluded. Today, advances in MOUT facilities design are focused on the creation of larger, safer and more realistic training venues. “This includes the construction of entire villages to accurately simulate all aspects of combat in today’s conflict zones,” said Joshua Brittingham, Shock Absorbing Concrete (SACON) tech representative at Terran Corp. “Training facilities, especially shoot houses, have evolved from simple one-room wood and gravel shacks with a target in the corner to elaborated, multi-story mazes with infinitely configurable training scenarios.”
One economical building product that has allowed the expansion of shoot houses in size and training complexity is SACON. This material is poured into panels and blocks that are then shipped and assembled on-site using common construction equipment. SACON panels and blocks are bullet traps, allowing for the safe capture and recycling of spent rounds. Depending upon the density and thickness of the SACON, shoot houses and facades can be designed for weapons up to .50-caliber, Brittingham said.
Advances in shoot house design and manufacturing methods will soon allow for multi-story rooms, including ceilings and stairs, to be constructed entirely of SACON over much wider spans. Recent advances in on-site repairs and patching techniques of worn SACON areas will extend the useful life of blocks and panels, sometimes for years, Brittingham added. SACON also works well for constructing grenade houses, allowing for the integral design of shoot/grenade house training facilities. ♦