DFIRST™

SRI's Deployable Force-on-Force Instrumented Range System (DFIRST™) is a comprehensive instrumented training system for ground force maneuver and live fire training exercises. The system provides vehicle positioning, engagement simulation, and data collection and archiving for After Action Review and playback. It is designed as a deployable system so that it can be used at Home Station ranges and can accompany the force on deployments to provide continued training opportunities.

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 annual training in June 1996.
 
Since that original development, two systems have been built to support the Idaho National Guard at the Orchard Training Area and to support the California National Guard at Camp Roberts/Fort Hunter-Liggett. In addition, DFIRST™ has been successfully deployed to support the All-Service Combat Identification Evaluation Team (ASCIET—now the Joint CIET, or JCIET) exercises at Fort Stewart, Georgia. A new generation of DFIRST™ systems has also been developed. Several of these DFIRST™ 2.0 systems have been funded and are currently being built.

Instrumentation

DFIRST™ instrumentation provides 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. Virtual mine fields can be sown in the exercise area, and DFIRST™ can simulate artillery fire. DFIRST™ equipment includes a Base Station and After Action Review (AAR) theater providing a self-contained debriefing facility for the crews being trained. Instrumentation also includes a Participant Instrumentation Package (PIP) for each vehicle. The PIP contains Global Positioning System (GPS), communications, and processing equipment, along with associated cabling and antennas.

DFIRST Video (.avi) Tank Training (3 MB) Live Fire Demo (2 MB) System Replay (6 MB)

The nominal DFIRST™ system includes instrumentation for up to 45 vehicles and was originally designed for the M1A1 tank and M2 Bradley combat vehicles; however, during the initial ASCIET deployment, the system supported up to 150 vehicles covering 30 different vehicle types, including former Soviet OPFOR vehicles. Currently, DFIRST™ also supports dismounted troops and has expanded the RTCA capabilities via an interface to the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES).
 

Contact

For further information about DFIRST™ please contact
 
Instrumentation & Simulation Systems
Program Director
Michael Boldrick
333 Ravenswood Ave.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Phone (650) 859-4604