Predicting Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship Performance With the Laser Marksmanship Training System

摘要

To develop an LMTS-based tool for predicting small arms, live-fire marksmanship qualification performance, Idaho Reserve Component (RC) soldiers fired for qualification on LMTS and on the live-fire range with either the M16A2 rifle (N =95) or M9 pistol (N =81). A statistically significant relation between LMTS and live-fire qualification scores was found and validated for both rifle (r = .55) and pistol (r = .47) and then used to develop weapon-specific tools for RC trainers to use in predicting the probability of individual soldier, first-run, live-fire, rifle and pistol qualification based on scores fired on LMTS. Use of these prediction tools will enable RC marksmanship trainers to schedule LMTS-based training more efficiently by targeting only those soldiers in need of remediation (i.e., those predicted to be unlikely live-fire qualifiers), as well as to identify when enough training has been provided (i.e. , when the predicted likelihood of live-fire qualification is good). These tools also provide the RC unit commander with a set of LMTS-based, empirically derived live-fire performance standards to support (a) implementation of a competency- based rifle, as well as pistol, sustainment training program of instruction using LMTS, and (b) use of LMTS-based qualification firing in place of live-fire qualification firing when outdoor range facilities are not readily available.