EvanL
07-04-2005, 02:35 PM
More than 1,000 Canadian soldiers are expected to wage a month-long bloodless battle involving laser-rigged weapons in central Alberta next April.
Battlefield simulations at the Combat Maneuver Training Centre in Wainwright, Alta., 180 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, will begin taking shape this fall, with the arrival of 400-plus fighting vehicles.
"The actual planning for this system started about a decade ago," says Brig. Gen. Stuart Beare, who will oversee the system as the army's head of Land Force Doctrine and Training from his new headquarters in Kingston, Ont.
"In simple terms, it's the 'laser tag' system of the 21st century, which allows us to simulate direct fire such as rifle and tank fire, indirect fire such as mortars, artillery and hand grenades, plus chemical, biological and radiological threats."
Each infantry soldier will be issued a rifle equipped with a laser transmitter and a vest filled with electronic gear hooked up to a special helmet. The vest carries a satellite tracking unit so the data centre knows where soldiers are. An electronic receiver-transmitter unit will tell the centre's computers the soldiers' every move.
When a beam from an enemy's laser-rigged rifle touches a soldier, they may "die," or be wounded. It all depends on which of the 14 detectors on their helmet or battle vest the beam brushes.
"If the soldier is just injured, the speaker will tell him he is injured and how badly, " says Capt. Tom St. Denis, the CMTC's media relations officer.
Tanks, armoured personnel carriers, trucks and jeeps will be similarly equipped.
The vest-mounted soldier systems were tested at Wainwright last November. This November, there will be trials for the vehicle-borne systems.
The CMTC may also field up to 500 "environmental actors" to simulate different situations. Some actors -- usually full-time instructors -- will represent enemy soldiers. Some may play the part of terrorists or militia and dress in the civilian clothes of countries like Afghanistan. Others will represent civilian non-combatants, the kind of people soldiers are supposed to spare rather than kill.
A wide range of environments is being built to simulate areas where soldiers may be asked to fight or simply patrol and keep the peace. Tunnel and cave systems and even a terrorist village are being constructed.
Wainwright is also getting new barracks and mess halls for the increasing number of soldiers who will train there, as well as new married quarters for its expanded training staff. By 2011, the cost of all new equipment and infrastructure plus the cost of operating the system will amount to $500 million.
Edmonton Journal
Battlefield simulations at the Combat Maneuver Training Centre in Wainwright, Alta., 180 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, will begin taking shape this fall, with the arrival of 400-plus fighting vehicles.
"The actual planning for this system started about a decade ago," says Brig. Gen. Stuart Beare, who will oversee the system as the army's head of Land Force Doctrine and Training from his new headquarters in Kingston, Ont.
"In simple terms, it's the 'laser tag' system of the 21st century, which allows us to simulate direct fire such as rifle and tank fire, indirect fire such as mortars, artillery and hand grenades, plus chemical, biological and radiological threats."
Each infantry soldier will be issued a rifle equipped with a laser transmitter and a vest filled with electronic gear hooked up to a special helmet. The vest carries a satellite tracking unit so the data centre knows where soldiers are. An electronic receiver-transmitter unit will tell the centre's computers the soldiers' every move.
When a beam from an enemy's laser-rigged rifle touches a soldier, they may "die," or be wounded. It all depends on which of the 14 detectors on their helmet or battle vest the beam brushes.
"If the soldier is just injured, the speaker will tell him he is injured and how badly, " says Capt. Tom St. Denis, the CMTC's media relations officer.
Tanks, armoured personnel carriers, trucks and jeeps will be similarly equipped.
The vest-mounted soldier systems were tested at Wainwright last November. This November, there will be trials for the vehicle-borne systems.
The CMTC may also field up to 500 "environmental actors" to simulate different situations. Some actors -- usually full-time instructors -- will represent enemy soldiers. Some may play the part of terrorists or militia and dress in the civilian clothes of countries like Afghanistan. Others will represent civilian non-combatants, the kind of people soldiers are supposed to spare rather than kill.
A wide range of environments is being built to simulate areas where soldiers may be asked to fight or simply patrol and keep the peace. Tunnel and cave systems and even a terrorist village are being constructed.
Wainwright is also getting new barracks and mess halls for the increasing number of soldiers who will train there, as well as new married quarters for its expanded training staff. By 2011, the cost of all new equipment and infrastructure plus the cost of operating the system will amount to $500 million.
Edmonton Journal