Here’s How The Marine Corps Will Train Future Snipers

First-person shooter is one of the most popular perspectives among gamers, but these simulations can be used for much more than entertainment — specifically military training. And thanks to new the Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer III, Marine Corps marksmen are about to take their sharpshooting skills to a whole new level.

Though the Corps has been using virtual reality to train Marines for two decades, the systems for marksmanship have become exponentially better.

With the ISMT III, Marines have access to multiple weapons: the M9 service pistol, M4 carbine, and wireless weapons, including the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle, M32A1 Multi-Shot Grenade Launcher and M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon.

This latest iteration, modeled off the Firearms Training Simulator (FATS), also boasts three-dimensional projections and features enhanced training modes, “giving Marines a better, more realistic training experience as they prepare for the complexities of modern warfare,” the release said.

You’re beyond misinformed. Sniper kills have been made at over 2400 yards, with zero luck involved. A hunter with a decent modern rifle can routinely make shots at 400+ yards.

OK...first,we're assuming that it's a normal sized man who's the target.That said I wonder of physicists and ophthalmologists have studied this issue.My guess is that that's occurred.If so I'd be interested to see their conclusions.

And bear in mind I'm not trying to disparage our military marksmen.I'm just thinking that 2400 yards is about a mile and a half.The margin for error to hit a man at that distance is so small as to be almost unimaginable.

And on second thought my 100-150 yard figure may have been unreasonable.I think I can see where a highly skilled marksman could hit a man at a greater distance than that.

I wonder if this will really work. The noise and recoil will be absent.

Actually, I'm guessing this system has plenty of noise and recoil. The Army uses the EST2000 (Engagement Skills Trainer, or Electronic Shooting Thingy) to simulate gun ranges and some basic battle drills/scenarios. It's not VR, just an image projected on a way, but it does use special M4s that are connected to an air compressor that uses air to simulate recoil. And there's a whole speaker system with left/right/center to help simulate the noise. I would think this new system they're using uses a similar set up.

The only experience I have here is having scored two or three point below "Expert" in BCT almost 50 years ago.That was pretty amazing because before my arrival at Fort Knox I had never even *seen* a firearm,let alone fired one.

It seems to me that unless a bullet is somehow laser guided or GPS guided (like most long rage missiles are) hitting a person at any more than a 100-150 yards is as much luck as anything else.

Um, you do realize that your ranges at Knox included targets at 300m? That you were likely shooting with iron sights? 300m is about the same as 300yd. Unless you meant to say 1000-1500 yards?

Um, you do realize that your ranges at Knox included targets at 300m? That you were likely shooting with iron sights? 300m is about the same as 300yd. Unless you meant to say 1000-1500 yards?

As I just mentioned I've re-thought my figures and have come to suspect that they might have been a bit low.

I don't recall being told what kind of sights we were using.I do recall being instructed how to zero our weapons (an M-14).Apart from that I'd assume a "typical" sight was what we used.And no,I don't recall any distances at the range.In fact I think it's possible that distances weren't even specified...although I could be wrong.Fifty years is a long time...particularly for someone whose brain cells are dying as quickly as are mine! ;-)

“...It seems to me that unless a bullet is somehow laser guided or GPS guided (like most long rage missiles are) hitting a person at any more than a 100-150 yards is as much luck as anything else.”

Gay State Conservative has the timeline mixed up, and really ought to brush up on system details before dismissing long range rifle fire.

Ballistic missiles (ICBM, SLBM) use inertial guidance: a deliberate choice, to avoid interference from the enemy.

Terminal homing munitions (aka “laser guided bombs”) were first used in action by USAF, in Southeast Asia in the late 1960s. They depend on good weather, and a designator aircraft (or ground unit) shining the laser on the target. The seeker head of the munition homes in on the laser spot. Very difficult to interfere with, but short range.

Satellite navigation was first used in 1960, but Global Positioning System was initiated in 1973, reaching full operational capability in 1995. Terminal guidance packages to bolt onto air-dropped munitions began right after Desert Storm; GPS guidance had the advantages of being completely immune to bad weather, the lack of requirement for a designator, and it was usable anywhere, day or night. Guidance packages were also less costly. Recently, development of combination GPS/laser guidance packages has been initiated.

Some cruise missiles use terrain contour matching (TERCOM), which compares radar returns to a digitally stored map. Improves terminal accuracy, and enhances survivability by allowing lower enroute altitudes and closer approaches to obstacles in the terrain.

Development of GPS-aided artillery projectiles began in 1992. The 155mm M982 Excalibur GPS-aided projectile was demonstrated in 2005.

Rifle bullets are too small to hold any GPS receiver or other current guidance package, plus actuators. But marksmen have been scoring hits out beyond a mile, without assistance from satellites or radio beacons, for generations. No luck, just skill.

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