GREAT LAKES, Ill. (NNS) — In an effort to provide the highest level of realism in weapons handling training, gunner's mates (GM) at the Fire Arms Training System (FATS) at Center for Surface Combat Systems Unit (CSCSU) Great Lakes, Illinois, used a new wireless training system for the class that graduated Nov. 7.
Previously, students were trained using a tethered firearms training simulator, but now have the ability to train with weapons using commercial wireless Bluetooth technology. The wireless weapons communicate with the FATS, giving the same control as tethered weapons, but with a full range of motion.
"The new wireless weapons replicate the fit and function of live weapons providing the same accurate, real-time training diagnostics as did our older tethered weapons simulator, but better," said Cmdr. Gregory C. Ludwig, commanding officer, CSCSU. "Students are now afforded a broader range of motion - as the new Bluetooth-equipped weapons are wireless with no external components."
According to Ludwig, to further enhance the virtual firearms training experience, weapon recoil is achieved with a rechargeable magazine of compressed air. This is significant in that while not tethered, these weapons retain full sensor feedback for robust diagnostics and after action review.
"If you took your own personal firearm out to the range and fired, you wouldn't have any cables coming off of it," said Matt Wooldridge, CSCSU weapons instructor. "It feels like, operates and looks like the real deal."
Students use a M9 9mm pistol as well as the M-16 rifle in class, which is the same weapons previously used, except without the cables, and are the same types of weapons used in the fleet.
"These weapons are just like they are going to get out of a weapons locker on board ship," said Lenny Swaney, CSCSU weapons instructor. "This simulation allows the students to get more accustomed to the weapons, as they have the same realistic feel."
Lt. Joseph Luthy, director, combat systems "A" school at CSCSU, believes this latest technology is a significant upgrade for the students because of the more realistic features of the weapon simulator.
"Any time you have a cable tethered to something, it feels as if you're firing something other than a weapon," said Luthy. "Students more likely to follow the weapons handling safety precautions with a realistic weapon, which helps them put the right foot forward in the future."
CSCSU GM "A" school is approximately 27 weeks long and has an average annual throughput of 386 students. GMs are responsible for the operation and maintenance of guided-missile launching systems, underwater explosive weapons such as torpedoes, rockets and missiles and the systems used to launch them, gun mounts and other ordnance equipment, as well as small-arms magazines. They work with electrical and electronic circuitry and mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
"Combining this Bluetooth technology with our seasoned instructors makes weapons training as realistic as possible," added Ludwig. "Our eventual goal is for students to safely achieve weapon handling experience that allows them to quickly and accurately qualify on a live range; it saves the Navy both time and money."
For more news from Training Support Center, Great Lakes, visit www.navy.mil/local/tscgl/.