foto: Saab, Public domain/NLAW in GC IDT
Simulation and training technologies are a key part of the early stages of military training in modern armed forces. They save time and resources. At IDET in Brno, we had the opportunity to try out Saab's Ground Combat Indoor Trainer.
At the end of May, the Supreme Audit Office (SAO) published a report stating that the modernization of training facilities is lagging behind. During its audit, the NKÚ found that the Army does not have enough modern trainers and simulators, nor are they interconnected for training within NATO. The number and types of simulators were insufficient for full-fledged training of soldiers. However, the Ministry is beginning to invest in the modernization of simulation and training technologies and has, for example, purchased new components for a live simulation system and plans to expand it further. The purchase of newly introduced combat vehicles will also include a virtual simulator and trainer. "It is clear that the development of simulation and training technologies will bring cost savings and increase the effectiveness of training," said Petr Neuvirt, a member of the SAO who led the audit.
Visitors to this year's IDET trade fair were also to see for themselves the potential of modern simulators. VR Group, a subsidiary of the state-owned company LOM PRAHA, presented its products in this field. Visitors were able to sit in the cockpit of an L-39 Skyfox training aircraft and "fly" and "maneuver" over a realistically rendered landscape. The exhibition of the Swedish company Saab, which has many years of experience in the development of trainers and simulators – which are also used by the Czech Army – attracted particular attention. Visitors had the opportunity to try out elements of the GC IDT (Ground Combat Indoor Trainer) system.
GC IDT – Ground Combat Indoor Trainer
The Ground Combat Indoor Trainer offers various configurations for practicing the use of hand weapons, including anti-tank weapons, from basic operation to completing tasks in various tactical scenarios. The weapons equipped with sensors correspond to their real-life counterparts in all their controls, including weight, and the handguns also simulate recoil when fired. All can be configured according to user requirements so that the weapons correspond to the design in which they are used by the army. On Thursday, May 29, journalists also had the opportunity to try out this simulator. And not just try it out – the system offers immediate evaluation, which is particularly tempting for organizing competitions at events such as IDET.
It is actually a sort of videogame. It is as realistic as it can be indoors and without the use of ammunition, and without the danger of an enemy response. We were first to get our hands on the shoulder-fired NLAW guided anti-tank missile developed by Saab Bofors Dynamics, which has been in service with a number of allied armies since 2009. Weighing about 12.5 kg, the weapon can be stabilized using a telescopic leg braced against the belt. Anyone who has ever played computer simulators such as the Arma series from Bohemia Interactive suddenly felt "at home" when looking at the screen through the system's sight.
Realism is the key to effective training and operational success
Targets appeared in the realistically rendered landscape. First a stationary T-72 tank, then a moving truck, and finally a moving tank. The NLAW has an effective range of 20–600 m and is extremely easy to operate. It is practically impossible to miss a static target – you aim at the vehicle, hold the sight controller with your right index finger for three seconds, and fire the missile with your right thumb. For moving vehicles, you need to aim at their nose and track their movement in the sight for at least three seconds. The weapon calculates the angular velocity of the target and the missile then follows the desired trajectory using an internal inertial navigation system. It requires a steady hand and patience. However, experience from computer games has little effect here – unlike sitting comfortably in a chair with your hand on a mouse, you are standing and actually holding a real weapon in your hands.
The NLAW is a "fire and forget" system, which allows the shooter to take cover immediately after firing. It is also disposable and is not reloaded. It is therefore easy to imagine the costs and obstacles involved in initial training if it were to be carried out with real ammunition in the real world. Or rather, what advantages and possibilities does a realistic simulator offer, allowing future soldiers to aim and fire an unlimited number of missiles, hit and "destroy" an unlimited number of various targets, in any conditions, day or night, in any weather, and in any scenario? Thanks to immediate feedback, they gain experience and improve their skills: "Studies show that soldiers who undergo realistic live simulation training and receive objective feedback with highly accurate data learn faster and gain confidence in their own performance. This gives them the best chance of successfully completing their mission in a real combat environment," says Saab.
Hitting a target with Carl-Gustaf is much more difficult
Some of us used a little more ammunition than was advisable on moving targets the first time around, but that's exactly what this training is for: to learn the right habits for basic weapon handling. Hitting a target with a Carl-Gustaf anti-tank weapon (in the M4 version weighing 7 kg) is significantly more challenging than with a guided NLAW missile. The basic controls are similar, but instead of aiming at the target and calculating the angular velocity, you have to set the distance (either by estimation or using a rangefinder) – and the actual hit is a matter of feel and practice. The Carl-Gustaf is not a single-use weapon; in a real situation, it is operated by two men – a gunner and a loader. The simulator also offers the option of selecting the type of projectile depending on the selected target (anti-tank, fragmentation, multi-purpose).
The environment again offered static and moving targets at distances of 200 and 400 meters. And this time, the journalists naturally used much more ammunition than during the previous NLAW testing – we overshot, undershot, and missed. The system immediately provides the soldier and his instructor with an analysis of the shot, the trajectory of the projectile, and calculates the expected effect on the target. It is easy to imagine that with the appropriate theoretical preparation, the shooter gains an invaluable opportunity to improve in this initial phase, again at a negligible cost.
Handguns with recoil
The short meeting with journalists at Saab’s stand continued with the announced competition. Representatives of Saab described the principle: targets will pop up on the screen from a field. A figure without a ballistic vest is a friend, and we do not shoot at friends. A figure with a ballistic vest is an enemy. Different parts of the body/target are worth different numbers of points, with a headshot naturally worth the most at five points. There will be five "enemies" and they will pop up in different places together with the "friends." It sounded easy until they showed us their own results: the best score was 13 points? Isn't that a little low?
We were given an assault rifle with a collimator sight and a pistol, and we shot with the rifle. And very quickly, we realized that this wasn't going to be shooting fish in a barrel. The targets popped up in a split second – orienting yourself through the collimator, deciding whether to aim at a friend or an enemy, taking aim, and firing was a really difficult task for the untrained. Some approached it in their own way and collected negative points for shooting hostages. Congratulations go to our colleague from Poland, who scored 14 points, and to our former editorial colleague Filip Klasna, who scored 7. I ended up with a clean zero and a bronze medal, even though I was convinced that I had at least four headshots, which was confirmed by the reaction of those around me after each shot – but I was wrong, I was too slow. The system saw it better.
This mode also offers a wealth of scenarios and possibilities. Similar to training with anti-tank weapons, it is about gaining confidence in handling the weapon, getting used to it, and improving your reactions in real time. Last but not least, it is again about saving costs, because although a 5.56 live round does not cost as much as an NLAW guided missile, you will not find it on the street.
There were six of us in total, and within half an hour, including instruction, we each managed at least three shots from the NLAW system, three shots from the Carl-Gustaf anti-tank weapon, and five shots from an assault rifle. We all felt that the results would be better next time. Repeated training, adjusting various variables that affect learning optimization, immediate feedback. And the attractiveness of the training. An important issue of our time is the recruitment and the personnal questions of the army. Young people like modern technology and like to do things efficiently. Modern simulators and trainers, such as those presented by Saab at this year's IDET, are definitely among the attractive technologies that can support interest in joining the armed forces.
Tagy