Ultra Nintendo

Today marks the beginning of BRM- Basic Rifle Marksmanship. Rather than give you an M-16 and a bunch of rounds right off, the Army has gone high-tech. They have a super-modern rifle range simulator called an ETS. It's set up inside a building with 15 shooting lanes. Each lane holds a working replica of an M-16, except that all kinds of sensors have been added. Each position comes complete with sandbags. The far wall is a giant projection screen - every gamer's dream. It depicts all of the shooting lanes, using images from our actual ranges, enhanced with some computer graphics. When you pull the trigger, it records where you hit - but it also records a whole lot more. It keeps track of how much the rifle moves just before you fire - a measure of how stable your firing position is. It also measures how stable you hold the rifle after you fire - something called follow-through. When firing, it is important not to jerk the trigger, but rather slowly increase pressure until the weapon discharges. The computer tracks trigger pressure as well. It even records canting - turning the rifle left or right about the barrel. The virtual range was fun and instructive. Tomorrow we get the real deal. Hopefully that will be just as fun. Sure would be great to get an ETS for Christmas! I wonder if it will run a flight simulator.