Field Trials of the MK60 Tank Gunnery Simulator in Armor Institutional Training Courses. Volume 1

摘要

Training simulators, developed to ease the burden on resources and to provide low-cost alternatives, must be field tested prior to their use. This report describes the field trials of the Perceptronics MK60, a part-task tank gunnery simulator which through computer control (1) presents target engagements recorded on a videodisc, (2) enables students to operate switches and controls, track and fire, and (3) provides feedback about their performance. The purpose of the field trials was to assess, in an institutional setting (1) the training effectiveness of the MK60 for teaching gunnery skills, (2) the transfer of that training to M60A1 tank performance, (3) the validity of the MK60 for predicting M60A1 performance of individual soldiers, and (4) the opinions of students and instructors. Field trials were conducted with Armor Officer Basic students and with enlisted students in basic Armor Training. Two intensities of simulator training were compared to the normal programs of instruction. Results indicated that (1) performance on the simulator increased as a direct function of practice time, with improvements in speed of achieving target hits and in consistency of gunner verbal respones; (2) transfer of training from the MK60 to dry fire and live fire on the M60A1 tank appeared equal to that of the devices currently used in gunnery training; (3) the MK60 was not predictive of individual soldiers' M60A1 performance; and (4) students and instructors found the simulator challenging, realistic and they were very favorable toward its use. (Author)