The New Zealand Army is going hi-tech to train Kiwi troops for the field, as it unveils multimillion-dollar plans to build three weapons-training simulators to foster soldiers' weapon handling and shooting skills.
The army is looking for a company to build three indoor simulators, one each at its bases in Waiouru, Linton near Palmerston North and Burnham near Christchurch.
Captain Gordon Morris says the simulators are part of a wider strategy to introduce more simulation into army training.
The simulator in Waiouru will be 24 "lanes", while Linton and Burnham will be 12 lanes each. A lane operates in the same way as a conventional shooting gallery, with a soldier shooting at targets generated from a computer and appearing on a screen.
The simulator combines a gun, a projector and screen, and a computer console which allows a software programme to track the soldiers' accuracy. The army says it will need the guns to be sophisticated replicas of its actual combat weapons, complete with noise and recoil.
Bookmarks