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The Marine Corps’ next-generation marksmanship trainer is headed
to the fleet. The Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer III adds
three new weapons, 3-D imagery, and enhanced training modes, giving
Marines a better, more realistic training experience as they prepare
for the complexities of modern warfare.
New weapons, better graphics
The Marine Corps adopted virtual training in the mid-1990s as a
way to sharpen Marines’ marksmanship skills. This first system
... the
Firearms Training Simulator—was designed primarily to train Marines
for rifle and pistol qualifications. Over time, FATS evolved into
ISMT, which added new weapons and video scenarios for Marines. ISMT
III ups the ante by providing wireless connectivity to the M9
service pistol, M4 carbine and adding three new wireless weapons ... the
M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, M32A1 Multi-Shot Grenade Launcher and
M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapons.
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February 15, 2017 - Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jorge Carrillo, staff
non-commissioned officer-in-charge at Marksmanship Training
Battalion aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, fires an M72
Light Anti-Tank Weapon, one of the new additions to the Indoor
Simulated Marksmanship Trainer III. The ISMT III adds three new
weapons, 3-D imagery, and enhanced training modes, giving Marines a
better, more realistic training experience as they prepare for the
complexities of modern warfare. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Ashley Calingo)
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“In the evolution of this training system, it went from a
specific one to two weapon system and now pretty much covers the
full spectrum of small arms weapons that are used by the Marine
Corps today,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Matthew Harris, ISMT III
project officer in Marine Corps Systems Command’s Training Systems.
“ISMT helps to build fundamentals of muscle memory for Marines so
that when they hit the range, they are ready to respond to real-life
scenarios.”
Harris also noted that ISMT III includes filters
for the squad day optic and machine gun day optic Marines use with
the M27 and M240 to alleviate the problem of pixilation when
shooting in a virtual environment.
“Before, if Marines used
the optic inside the ISMT, they could see all of the pixilation
because the optic would magnify what’s on the ISMT screen. ISMT III
incorporates a diffuser, allowing Marines to use the optic inside
the simulation without the blurry pixilation of the screen,” said
Harris.
ISMT III also improves the user’s experience by
providing 3D graphics and imagery that is consistent with the
graphic capabilities offered by most gaming systems today, said
Harris.
“The old system had very rudimentary, two-dimensional
graphics,” said Harris. “In the old system, if you were looking at a
tree, it would look flat from any angle. ISMT III offers
industry-standard graphic imagery. So, instead of having an outline
of a figure, you can actually see the roundness of the shoulder, the
front and back of them as he’s moving to and from.”
Enhanced training modes, capabilities
ISMT III also improves the user’s training experience with
collective training mode capabilities and additional, enhanced
training and judgment scenarios. The collective training mode is new
to ISMT III and enables Marines to train side-by-side and work on a
common objective before heading to the training range.
“Say you’re going to Twenty-Nine Palms and are going to run a
range for a platoon-supported attack,” said Harris. “I can bring in
a machine gun squad and have them go through—in collective
mode—training to work on communication, target identification and
suppression, ammunition consumption. Marines can now go through some
of the minor details that they typically couldn’t do unless they
went out to the range and fired live.”
Perhaps one of ISMT III’s greatest training enhancements is the
addition of several authoring stations across the Corps that enable
Marines—in conjunction with combat camera troops and other skilled
video personnel—to film and upload their own scenarios.
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February 15, 2017 - Marine Corps Cpls. Noah Paul and Geovanni
Martinez, combat marksmanship coaches and Indoor Simulated
Marksmanship Trainer operators, fire M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles
at the ISMT III training range aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico,
Virginia. The M27 is one of three new weapons offered with the ISMT
III. The M27 comes with enhanced squad day optics, which enable
Marines to see their screens more clearly in a virtual environment.
The ISMT III adds three new weapons, 3-D imagery, and enhanced
training modes, giving Marines a better, more realistic training
experience as they prepare for the complexities of modern warfare. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Ashley Calingo)
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“If Marines are looking for a specific training scenario
that isn’t currently available, they can use the authoring
station to create that scenario,” said Harris.
The
10 new judgement scenarios enable Marines to immerse
themselves in realistic environments and situations—such as
a vehicle checkpoint, a room clearing, gate operations or an
active shooter situation. Harris said the new judgement
scenarios are not just infantry-specific; they are “Marine
Corps-esque” situations in which any Marine could
potentially find him or herself.
ISMT III can also
simulate moving targets, one of the upgraded training
enhancements from previous ISMT iterations.
“One of
the scenarios in ISMT III that wasn’t in the older version
is that of a moving target,” said Master Sgt. Jorge
Carrillo, staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge at
Marksmanship Training Battalion aboard Marine Corps Base
Quantico. “In this scenario, the target simulates movement,
like it’s closing in on the shooter. In real life, the
Marine closes in on the target, but you can’t really do that
indoors. But because the screen simulates movement, you’re
actually able to execute training as if you were doing it
outside in the real world.”
“The best marksmen the military
can offer”
The Corps has fielded around 200 of
the 490 ISMT III systems destined for major Marine Corps
bases, reserve duty sites, amphibious transport docks and
amphibious assault ships worldwide. Land-based installations
of ISMT III are projected to be finished by September 2018.
Amphibious installations will occur concurrently, but may
take more time to implement than land-based installations
due to the need to retrofit the system onto designated
spaces aboard each ship.
“Marksmanship is embedded in
the Marine Corps,” said Carrillo. “As technology advances
and weapons get better and more accurate, we need to teach
Marines how to use those weapons and improve their
marksmanship, so that we can continue to be the best
marksmen the military can offer.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Ashley Calingo, Systems Command
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
The U.S. Marines
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