For decades, there have been advanced small arms training systems designed for military and law enforcement customers. Unfortunately, they are expensive and must be permanently installed, taking up substantial amounts of space and requiring dedicated operators to manage the backend of the training. This has made them inaccessible to citizens.
Readers who joined the Army in the 1980s will likely remember the Weaponeer, which was an arcade-style system. This marksmanship trainer used a tethered M16 and offered realistic recoil and magazine changes. There were no digital targets, and the entire system was analog with small, scaled targets to represent different distances. While it was a fairly compact system shipped and operated from its container, only one shooter could train at a time, and it required a trained operator.
Others have likely used the FATS, or Firearms Training Systems line of simulators while in government service. These pair modified firearms with cinema-style footage. The system can be configured for many different firearms, and custom training scenarios can be programmed, making it useful beyond simple marksmanship and into tactics training. I’ve also used an arena-style system with 270° screen, which embeds you in the action via scenario-based videos that progress based upon how the proctor feels you are managing the scenario. It is very realistic and has been used to train law enforcement officers for situations they’ll experience, where a peaceful encounter can become deadly based upon a misperception by either party.
Today, the U.S. Army relies upon its Synthetic Training Environment, which promises to integrate weapons training along with decision making and tactics. Soldiers and their leadership teams can collaboratively engage realistic targets and objectives in virtual environments that are direct copies of their real-life analogues. Units can rehearse all aspects of a mission with proctors injecting the unexpected on-the-fly, allowing them to experience “25 bloodless battles” before they ever see combat. What’s more, none of them need be in the same location thanks to networking. The downside is that STE is extremely expensive, far out of reach of gamers and firearms enthusiasts.
Despite this, all of these developments are a natural progression of the video game industry, which has developed the VR goggles now used in firearms training and other simulations. As computing power becomes less and expensive, along with artificial intelligence and machine learning becoming more common, video games and the training simulations which we derive from them will become more realistic and more accessible.
The Metaverse, which is a 3D virtual world, is the platform that allows such advances to take place so quickly. No longer must a developer create a proprietary program and virtual environment. Instead, they can much more quickly and cheaply customize within a common environment in order to meet their goals. This allows them to concentrate on increasing realism. We are already seeing environments that take into account the firearm and ammunition being used and can portray realistic ballistic properties. The bullet no longer acts like a laser, but rather flies to the target on a proper ballistic path. Likewise for tactical training, various natural and construction materials provide realistic barrier protection within the virtual environment. With the training environment programmed properly, users will quickly learn the difference between cover and concealment, offering a bloodless loss which might otherwise prove fatal in a real encounter.
To this point, commercially available VR systems have been great for marksmanship training but suffer when it comes to weapon handling. Actual range sessions with live ammunition remains imperative ,which offers the additional advantage of putting the four rules of firearm use into practical purpose. Without coaching, VR training can inculcate bad habits. Hopefully, AI monitors of VR training sessions will not only review where shots were placed and how quickly, but how well the weapon was handled as well.
Much of the current work to improve the training experience is on providing more realistic training guns that better mimic proper form factor and feature accurate recoil. They are also making the devices compatible with a gun’s specific manual of arms and can be used to introduce immediate action as well as reload drills. The lack of recoil in particular has been a shortcoming of retail VR systems, but technologies are being adapted from the airsoft or MilSim community, which more accurately simulate actual firearms.
While this article has focused on firearms training, virtual reality systems are influencing all aspects of our lives. Consider the stationary bicycle with a headset which adds resistance to the pedals and leans back as the rider negotiates a hill. Likewise, aviation simulators have become so realistic that no one would even consider using a delicate and expensive First Person View drone without first logging multiple hours under goggles in a sim program.
Virtual reality systems will continue to decrease in price as well as become more accessible as the Metaverse becomes more mainstream. They will also transition from arcade-style and first-person shooter games to full-on tactical trainers, integrating AI engines to customize the experience and improve all aspects of weapon handling.
