NEWPORT NEWS – IEDs are a constant danger for American servicemembers on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At Fort Eustis, the Army’s simulating conditions soldiers will face during convoys in Afghanistan.
A M-1151 Humvee with surround-sound, Hollywood-like animation and video and hydraulics make the simulated danger feel very real.
The IED battle drill simulator is the only one in the world.
It’s a lot more than looking on a computer screen, it’s 3-dimensional.
"The more senses we can involve in a particular scenario, the more we're able to immerse him in that area and the more real it is, from sights and sounds and smells and actions and reaction, it helps get them finely tuned without having them in the field for six months before they develop this sense of awareness," says Don Simon with Technifex Concept/Engineering.
Deputy program manager and retired Army Colonel Don Brzozowski firmly believes this training will save lives.
"The youngest soldiers come out with eyes about this big. The NCSs come out shaking their heads saying, ‘Yeah, that's real, this is good.’ This is powerful stuff that I can use as I train my soldiers to prepare them before they go down-range," he stresses.
The IED battle drill simulator has been in use since November and more than 200 deploying soldiers have gone through the program.
