MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. -- Soldiers and Marines will soon have the chance to train to take and return simulated fire from a model Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
Laser Shot Simulators, which produces the Mobile Marksmanship Training Simulators, will soon install its first systems featuring the Army and Marine Corps' next tactical vehicle.
"We're doing some installs with the JLTV for the Army Reserve out in California," Scott Gurnett, Laser Shot Simulators' program manager, said at the Modern Day Marine expo. "I think some of the Marines are also going to be involved in some of the training."
Giving troops the chance to train in a model of the vehicle they'll use in combat will help them prepare for real-world scenarios, Gurnett said. They'll get a sense of how much space they have to maneuver around the vehicle's interior and can practice using it in simulated convoys.
Set to replace the Humvee, the JLTV is expected to hit the fleet as early as next year. There will be two variants: a two-seat version and one that can fit four troops. The four-seater can also carry crew-served weapons, like the .50-caliber machine gun or a Close-Combat Carrier and TOW-missile system.
While not meant to serve as a driver-trainer, the JLTV-marksmanship simulator still allows Marines and soldiers to get a sense for how the vehicle will feel and react in real life in different conditions.
"If you're following too close and somebody hits the brakes because they're receiving fire from the left or the right, there could be a collision," he said. "Or they could lose sight of one of the other vehicles or have breaks in the convoy. You really have to work together as a team."
The troops can also switch out the weather conditions or terrain inside the simulator, so they can get some experience dealing with bad guys in rain, snow, at night or slick, muddy conditions.
The JLTV version of the Mobile Marksmanship Training Simulator is being produced now, Gurnett said. Once the work is complete, Gurnett and his team said there are plans to install it on a West Coast base in a 50-by-100 square foot building.
-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins.
