SIMNET Combat Vehicles

Simulation vehicles include a crew compartment with various controls and displays, vehicle dynamics software that models the vehicle’s dynamics and kinematics in response to control inputs and the terrain over which it is moving, the state of its hydraulic, electrical and fuel systems, and an image generation system that computes and displays what is visible “out the window” for each crew position. In addition, other software components model the ballistic trajectories of whatever weapons the vehicle fires, as well as its ammunition and fuel supplies, and the damage (if any) caused by a munition striking the vehicle. Damage resulting from such strikes, as well as deterministic and stochastic system failures as well as the results of any repair attempts are also modeled, using probability tables loaded at the time the simulator is initialized. The principal combat vehicles simulated in SIMNET:

M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. The M1 has been the Army’s primary heavy combat vehicle since entering service in 1980. It carries a crew of four: the driver, who reclines in a very tight space inside the forward hull compartment, plus the tank commander, the loader, and the gunner, who sit inside the turret compartment. The driver’s orientation is fixed, but the turret can rotate 360 degrees (quite rapidly), so the turret’s orientation can be independent of which direction the tank is moving. The tank commander’s role is to control and coordinate the tank’s overall operation, as well as to coordinate tactically with other commanders. He tells the driver where to go, designates targets for the gunner, and tells the loader what type of ammunition to pull from the rack behind the blast-proof doors and load into the breech of the 105 mm or 120 mm cannon. The crew communicates with each other over a local intercom, and the commander communicates over a multi-channel radio. Similar to the real vehicle, the M1 simulator has two separate compartments: one for the driver and one for the other three crew members, each with the most essential controls and displays (chosen in accordance with the “selective fidelity” principles previously noted). The commander sits above the gunner, with the loader located to their left between the ammunition rack and the gun breech. The driver has three “vision block” displays, the gunner has a stabilized gunsight with high/low magnification, the commander has three vision blocks plus an auxiliary sight that duplicates the gunner’s sight, and the loader has a periscope display. Both the commander’s and loader’s cupolas can rotate to simulate additional vision blocks in a closed-hatch M1.

M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. There are several Bradley variants, including the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M3 Bradley cavalry fighting vehicle. The M2 holds a crew of three: a commander, a gunner and a driver, as well as space for six fully equipped soldiers. The M3 mainly conducts scout missions and carries two scouts in addition to the regular crew of three. The M2/M3's armament includes a 25 mm cannon and a coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun, as well as twin missile launchers for TOW (Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wired-guided) antitank missiles. The M2/M3 simulator has three stations, for the driver, the gunner, and the commander. The driver’s controls include a steering yoke, gear selector, accelerator, and brake, along with four “vision block” displays. The gunner’s station has a control handle, palm switches and trigger, and an integrated sight unit (ISU) with high/low magnification. The sight unit display includes reticles for the 25-mm cannon and the TOW missile launcher. The commander’s station includes controls for rotating the turret and for aiming and firing both the 25-mm cannon and the TOW missile launcher. The turret includes three “vision block” displays and an ISU identical to the gunner’s display.

Rotary-Wing Aircraft (RWA). Generic scout/attack helicopter, similar to the AH-64 or OH-58. Includes pilot and copilot/gunner stations with flight controls and displays. Includes a slewable electrical-optical sensor for use in target acquisition and engagement. It is armed with HELLFIRE laser-guided anti-tank missiles and air-to-air STINGER missiles, in addition to a 30-mm chain gun. The pilot and co-pilot share visual access to eight out-the-window displays, arranged in a “three over five” configuration, plus a single sensor channel, switchable between a thermal image and a daylight TV image. The RWA uses typical helicopter cyclic and collective controls, along with a throttle, for flight maneuvers.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft (FWA) Close Air Support (CAS). Can be reconfigured to approximate an A-10 Thunderbolt II (“Warthog”) or a basic F-16 “Fighting Falcon”. The crew compartment accommodates a single pilot. The visual system is similar to that of the RWA, with a “three over five” display arrangement. The primary controls are a side-stick and throttle rather than the cyclic and collective controls used in the RWA.

http://simnet-history.org/vehicles.htm
8/13/15
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