Ten Technologies: A Brief Look at Military Evolution — Training Simulators

By Carla Voorhees,
Defense Media Activity
 
This is the eighth in a series of 10 technologies integral to the United States military since World War I.
 
Training simulators can act as a dress rehearsal for critical skills prior to deployment.
 
The military uses many kinds of training simulators, ranging from the helicopter and aircraft simulators developed by the U.S. Air Force, to the maintenance trainers developed by the U.S. Army, to the I Marine Expeditionary Force’s Battle Simulation Center featuring the Office of Naval Research’s Infantry Immersion Trainer at Camp Pendelton, CA.
 
More specifically, the Infantry Immersion Trainer is a 32,000-square foot facility that uses virtual reality to recreate urban scenes to give troops the necessary skills to navigate a battle overseas. Using weaponry modified to work like laser-tag and paint-ball, Marines navigate through realistic houses, alleys, and other structures, and interact with avatars representing civilians and enemy combatants.
 
The training system, which debuted in 2007, equips infantry troops with a similar tool set already afforded to aviators and tank commanders. They can practice combat missions and interact with avatars and background actors to work on language skills.