Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Gunnery simulators augment Army Guard training By Tech. Sgt. Erich B. Smith
                National Guard Bureau
 SUFFOLK, Va. – Spc. Erik Murphy, a cavalry scout with the Virginia Army National Guard’s Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, stood in the turret of a Humvee, prepared to engage targets with his M2 .50 caliber machine gun.  “Gunner ready,” he said to his truck commander, as they proceeded down a dusty road. Soon enough, the commander called out an approaching target. “Target identified,” Murphy responded. “500 meters.”  After beat or two of silence passed, he was given the command to fire.  “On the way!” Murphy exclaimed, depressing the trigger and filling the air with a steady stream of rattling thuds as the weapon fired. But the targets that received the hail of gunfire weren’t real – and neither was the weapon. Both were part of the Individual Unstabilized Gunnery Trainer, a computer-based simulator that connects the body of a weapon to a virtual reality system and is used to augment training on crew-served weapons. Designed to mimic firing from a vehicle turret, the IUGT can support a variety of weapon systems in addition to the M2, including the M240B machine gun and the MK19 grenade launcher. It can also simulate day and night scenarios. For Murphy, firing at moving targets during the night scenario presented the greatest challenge. “The moving targets are the most difficult part, especially when moving the turret so you can maintain that good line of sight,” Murphy said. While the trainer replicates the feel of firing from a turret, said Murphy, a real-world mission or firing on a range has other elements that can’t be simulated. “You have all your gear on. You’re probably sweating. You’re dealing with the heavy recoil of your weapon, your adrenaline is pumping [and] you’re sleep deprived,” said Murphy, describing those missing items. “The trainer is meant to get your feet wet, but it’s not going to be the same thing.” But, Murphy said, the IUGT is still beneficial and goes beyond just target practice. “[The IUGT] requires you to use the proper terminology and communicate effectively,” he said, adding the system can detect incorrect verbal commands, resulting in scoring penalties for the Solider or the inability to proceed with the training. Without proper communication, he said, gunners, truck commanders and drivers may have a lower ability to assess threat levels during a mission. “The longer it takes to assess a situation the deadlier or more unsafe the situation can become,” Murphy said. That’s where muscle memory can be an asset, said Army Sgt. Donald Arbaugh, a cavalry scout in the same unit as Murphy. The trainer allows Soldiers to build the muscle memory of operating the weapon system, as well as the commands and firing procedures, making everything run smoother once in a real turret. “When they actually go to the range, it just clicks,” said Arbaugh. Simulators are used to build proficiency in other combat arms skills, too. The Call for Fire Trainer is similar to the IUGT, but rather than firing from a turret, it allows Soldiers to request artillery support. With a computer-generated landscape projected on a screen, Soldiers training on the system use a map, compass and binoculars to identify targets and call for artillery fire using the correct procedures. “The request is channeled from the forward observer to a fire support [noncommissioned officer], and he’ll push it up to a firing battalion,” said Army Staff Sgt. Clayton Kelly, a fire support NCO with the Virginia Army Guard’s Detachment 1, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment. Like the IUGT, the firing battalion is simulated. Once receiving the needed information from the forward observers, the fire support NCO plugs that into the computer and the “fired” rounds are then seen impacting on-screen. If needed, the forward observers then must make adjustments to bring the rounds on target. The simulator encompasses multiple skill sets and capabilities required for mission success, said Kelly. “It tests your skills with a map, compass, with the equipment and being able to work quickly,” he said. “It’s everything you are going to do on the range and every piece of equipment is either a mock-up or a digital version of it.” Army Cpl. Devon Corrias, a fire support specialist in the same unit as Kelly, said the equipment mock-ups add to the experience, especially the trainer’s binocular and compass systems. “The binoculars are synchronized with the compass,” he said. “[When] you’re panning, the compass follows along the pan so it actually tracks like your heading, so you can actually see [potential targets].” Like the IUGT, the Call for Fire Trainer has its drawbacks. For example, Kelly said, the training system can have difficulties accurately depicting depth. “One of the things that forward observers have to do is estimate range,” he said. “It’s really hard to do when you’re already far away from a screen [that projects] a 2-D battlespace.” Still, Kelly doesn’t discount the trainer, which helps keep call-for-fire skills current. “It’s really a perishable skill and we don’t get to do it enough,” he said. “But the more you add to the training, the bigger picture [forward observers] get to see.” Others agreed. “We conduct two live-fire missions per year and if we rely on those exercises to maintain proficiencies we would never meet [Army] standards,” said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Parker, a fire support specialist with Det. 1, HHB, 1st Bn, 111th FA Regt . “This allows us the ability between live-fire exercises to maintain that currency.” Ultimately, said Kelly, Army Guard members are better prepared for the warfight because of simulators. “If any unit gets one and they are running it right and they know its procedures, they will just make themselves more lethal,” he said.
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course
 By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith,
  38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry,
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska
 By 156th Wing
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 2 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 9 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 10 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil