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About DFIRST – A Low-Cost, Efficient Training Tool |
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DFIRST™ was originally developed by SRI International under the Defense Advanced Projects Agency's (DARPA) Simulation in Training for Advanced Readiness (SIMITAR) program. SIMITAR was initiated after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to provide more realistic operational training for Army National Guard units. DFIRST™ was successfully tested by the National Guard's 116th Cavalry Brigade at the Orchard Training Area near Boise, Idaho in October 1995 and supported the Brigade's annual training in June 1996. Two of these original systems have been delivered, one to support the Idaho National Guard at the Orchard Training Area and the other to support the California National Guard at Camp Roberts/Fort Hunter-Liggett. As a truly deployable system, DFIRST™ successfully supported the All-Service Combat Identification Evaluation Team (ASCIET--now the Joint Combat Identification Evaluation Team, or JCIET) exercises at Fort Stewart, Georgia in 1999 and 2000. A new generation of DFIRST™ equipment has been developed; and two systems have been delivered, one to support the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Kentucky, and the other to support the Mississippi National Guard at Camp Shelby. The existing Idaha and California systems have been upgraded to the 2.0 baseline. Three additional systems will be delivered in FY04 to Texas, Minnesota, and Virginia. DFIRST™ instrumentation tracks position location for all participants and engagement simulation of combatant offensive actions including weapon firing, target indication, real-time casualty assessment (RTCA), damage indication, and kill removal. Results of engagement simulations are not only recorded for archiving and After-Action Review (AAR), but they are also provided in real time to the crews to inform them of damage to their vehicles. Virtual mine fields can be sown in the exercise area, and DFIRST™ can simulate artillery engagements. DFIRST™ includes a Base Station for exercise control and AAR equipment, providing a self-contained debriefing facility for the crews being trained. The Base and AAR Station can be configured as a single trailer or split into smaller separate trailers. DFIRST™ equipment also includes a Participant Instrumentation Package (PIP) for each vehicle. The PIP contains Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, digital communications radios, and processing equipment. The PIP, along with associated cabling and antennas, constitutes the vehicle instrumentation. For the ASCIET exercises an external data interface was developed to provide Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) Protocol Data Units (PDUs) from the Base Station to ASCIET data collection and analysis computers. The initial DFIRST™ system included instrumentation for up to 60 vehicles consisting primarily of M1A1 tanks and M2 Bradley combat vehicles; however, the system has supported up to 150 vehicles and vehicle interfaces have been developed for 30 different vehicle types, including former Soviet Union vehicles. Currently, DFIRST™ also can instrument dismounted troops and has expanded the RTCA options via an interface to the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES). Vehicle and dismount interfaces have been field tested for both basic MILES and MILES 2000. BACK TO TOP |
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