Written by Vasiliki Psychogiou
Immersive close combat training technology specialists, 4GD, have been awarded a contract to supply first-to-market smart urban warfare training targets to the British Army.
SimStriker, which first started development in lockdown in 2020, represents a new generation of intelligent training adversaries. SimStriker is set to add a layer of tactical performance analysis to the 4GD SmartFacility currently in service with the 16 Air Assault Brigade in Colchester.
The target is fitted with sensors capable of accurately recording the fire rate of soldiers. High tech instruments inside the mannequin can also pick up movement, light and sound and enable the target to vocally respond, raise the alarm, shoot back with non-lethal ammunition and drop on its base when engaged.
SimStriker has significant advantages. It is upgradeable and can be networked into 4GD’s ACIES IntegratedRealities synthetic environment to introduce a virtual world to the SmartFacility where the target appears as a digital avatar as well as a physical adversary. When linked to ACIES, real-life actions are reflected in the 3D environment. When SimStriker is engaged and drops, the avatar inside the simulation does so too, and vice versa.
The smart target is also an integral part of ECFECTUS, 4GD’s overarching data collection and analysis framework that collates information from soldiers, weapons and SmartFacility sensors and cameras. Data drawn by SimStriker and aggregated via ECFECTUS enables soldiers to monitor their training and improve their tactical performance through feedback on key aspects of urban warfare such as lethality, survivability, mobility and sustainability. The 4GD’s SimStriker technology differentiates from traditional wooden targets towards a new generation of smart adversaries. The 4GD’s SimStriker adds realism to simulations, assesses the effectiveness of soldiers with mathematical precision and helps boost their urban warfare capabilities, according to Rob Taylor, Founder of 4GD.
Bibliography
4GD to deliver SimStriker smart urban warfare training targets to British Army. (2022, April 21). Defense News April 2022 Global Security Army Industry | Defense Security Global News Industry Army Year 2022 | Archive News Year. Retrieved 26 April 2022, from https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_april_2022_global_security_army_industry/4gd_to_deliversimstriker_smart_urban_warfare_training_targets_to_british_army.html
Ruzhelnyk, O. (2022, April 21). 4GD to deliver “smart” urban warfare training targets to the British Army. EDR Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2022, from https://www.edrmagazine.eu/4gd-to-deliver-smart-urban-warfare-training-targets-to-the-british-army
