ARMY AL&T
If used correctly, a good training aid or simulator can improve a Soldier’s skills and provide vital safety training before the Soldier is in the actual situation. TADSS can signifi cantly reduce time spent in the fi eld, improve training scores, reduce training costs, enhance unit safety, and multiply the unit’s chances of success in combat.
The Army is placing renewed empha- sis on the use of TADSS in today’s demanding training environment, especially since today’s Soldiers under- stand the power of virtual training devices and simulators. PM CATT, part of the Army’s Program Executive Offi ce Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) in Orlando, FL, takes a leading role in putting needed, high-tech TADSS into the hands of USAR/ARNG Soldiers.
USAR/ARNG Soldiers have probably used many of their devices without knowing that a dedicated team of engineers, technicians, and support logisticians stands behind those devices and simulators and is striving to improve each and every device as the
Army’s combat equipment improves and changes. PM CATT’s mission is to manage the acquisition, fi elding, and life-cycle support of virtual TADSS, while stressing the need for continual improvement and support. PM CATT is responsible for 58 TADSS systems that are either in the fi eld or are being rapidly developed to meet the training needs of today’s Army operations.
TADSS Systems One of PM CATT’s biggest successes has been the ongoing development and fi elding of the Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) 2000, the high- tech equivalent of an old-fashioned shooting gallery. It allows the Soldier to practice individual marksmanship skills and combat leaders to improve their unit’s collective gunnery skills. It offers various engagement scenarios and records the individual Soldier’s hits and misses, which provides effective feedback in unit after action reviews (AARs). All this is safely done before a single round is fi red on a live-fi re range. PM CATT has fi elded more than 330 ESTs to USAR/ARNG installations and plans to fi eld 227 more.
PEO STRI’s MSTC teaches Soldiers basic combat casualty care through both classroom instruction and hands-on train- ing. (U.S. Army photo by Doug Schaub.)
Another PM CATT system is the Call for Fire Trainer (CFFT), which allows for- ward observers from all units to practice their coordina- tion with fi res and effects from artillery, mortars, naval gunfi re, and close air sup- port. The CFFT system can train up to 30 Soldiers in a single classroom and provide recorded feedback to Soldiers regarding their performance. A newer version, the CFFT II, was approved for full-rate production in June 2009 and will provide additional capabilities that allow for inte- gration with other simulation systems; the capability to train for classifi ed operations; and enhancement of command,
control, computing, communication, and intelligence interoperability. To date, PM CATT has fi elded 116 CFFTs to USAR/ARNG installations and plans to fi eld 87 more.
A recent success for PM CATT has been the fi elding of more than 190 high- mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) Egress Assistance Trainers (HEATs). This system was rapidly devel- oped and fi elded in partnership with Red River Army Depot, Texarkana, TX, in direct response to urgent demands from units supporting the overseas con- tingency operations. This device includes a full-sized M1114 HMMWV cab and simulates the rollover of a vehicle in combat situations, giving Soldiers hands-on practice in extracting them- selves and their buddies from a crippled vehicle in various rollover angles. A key secondary safety lesson is geared toward proper vehicle load planning and equip- ment tie-down; as the simulator rolls, anything that is not properly secured becomes a projectile and gives the crew a “hard-knock” lesson. So far, 100 HEAT systems have been fi elded to RC units.
A key system that PM CATT has devel- oped and is currently fi elding to ARNG units is the Shadow Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Crew Trainer (SCT). The National Guard Bureau recognized a need for a unique crew trainer and approached PM CATT with a request to build a simulator. Live UAV mis- sions are often diffi cult to conduct at home stations where Federal Aviation Administration airspace limitations do not allow actual deployment of UAVs. This trainer allows Shadow units to vir- tually fl y an entire mission without ever having to launch their UAVs. To date, eight SCTs have been delivered and another 17 are planned to be fi elded.
PM CATT has also seen success with the ongoing development and fi eld- ing of the Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (AVCATT), which is a mobile, transportable, multistation
APRIL –JUNE 2010 55
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