Lockheed Martin is advancing soldier training with a range of new high-tech solutions that promise to reduce training costs significantly while enhancing effectiveness.
The American aerospace and defense contractor has revealed plans to replace the U.S. Army’s outdated Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) gear with a new virtual SIMRES solution, among other changes being implemented with various types of military training. Although primarily a weapons manufacturer, the company has a history of producing simulated training products.
MILES To SIMRES
Anyone who has entered the U.S. Army in recent decades will be familiar with the service’s MILES gear, first introduced in the early 1980s. The system has been upgraded through the years, most recently in 2012, although it remains cumbersome; notably, the laser emitter attached to the barrel of a weapon needs a clear line of sight to the body sensors worn by soldiers. That line of sight limitation results in light concealment, like bushes blocking fire, creating an unrealistic training environment. Additionally, lasers fail to mimic the speed and trajectory of a live round, further diminishing realism.
The new SIMRES system, a leap forward from the optical technology of MILES, uses geo-pairing to create a digital replica of the soldier, weapon, and environment. That digital replica enables detailed analysis, which factors in weather, wind speed, and other variables, resulting in a training environment that mirrors real-world combat conditions.
The system’s ability to provide individualized feedback for soldiers further enhances its realism and effectiveness.
Cyber Tanks
It isn’t just infantry training that’s going virtual. Lockheed has a history of providing similar services for tank training with its Advanced Gunnery Training System (AGTS). In addition to dependence on weather and terrain conditions, the cost of maintaining tanks, ranges, fuel, and ammo are severe limiting factors for live fire tank exercises.
Over the decades, Lockheed has improved the system to be more realistic while adding more vehicles. The training is a cost-effective way to familiarize soldiers with various cars and maximize the impact of live tank exercises.
Digital Wargames
Lockheed provides realistic training for command and staff levels through its Battle Staff Trainer (BST). BST models and simulates challenges through WARSIM, first delivered in 2005 after almost a decade of development. WARSIM has trained every US Army Command and Staff Organization since 2010 through its realistic and immersive environment.
Traditionally, this type of multi-domain training can be complex due to the challenges of coordinating joint capabilities. Still, WARSIM allows for virtual real-time coordination, aiding leaders in joint capability familiarization. BST can simulate large-scale conflicts involving many units across a variety of domains.
Keeping Up With Gamers
Army simulations have lagged behind commercial video games produced as entertainment. Training is far less engaging when soldiers encounter simulations that are less realistic than the home video games they are used to.
Lockheed is meeting this challenge with its Future Simulation Engine built on Unreal Engine 5, bringing a quality never before seen in military simulation visuals. Overall, more realistic visuals generate more realistic responses from soldiers, creating more effective training.
FSE is the engine behind Intelligent Ground Semi-automated Forces (IGSAF). IGSAF allows for enormous-scale combat simulations inside a virtual Earth. The program scales from crew level to brigade level exercise, providing nuanced exercise control and an after-acton review system as Wargames play out.
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds a BA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.