Effectiveness of the AH-1 Flight and Weapons Simulator for Sustaining Aerial Gunnery Skills PDF Download

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Languages : en
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Book Description
This report evaluates the effectiveness of the AH-1 Flight and Weapons Simulator (FWS) for sustaining crew gunnery proficiency in the AH-1F helicopter. Following an initial live-fire exercise, the participating AH-1 crews were assigned to one of three groups. The control group continued normal unit training but was restricted from gunnery practice in the FWS. Both experimental groups were restricted in gunnery practice in the aircraft but were required to receive either quarterly or monthly gunnery training in the FWS. The gunnery performance of the participating crews was evaluated at a final live- fire exercise 15 months after the initial exercise. The results indicate that the FWS is moderately effective in sustaining crew gunnery proficiency: Compared with the control group crews during the final exercise, the experimental group crews exhibited improved first-run performance and required fewer runs, engagements, and rockets to qualify. The results are very similar for the 20-mm gun, 2.75-inch rocket, and tube-launched, optically sighted, wire-guided (TOW) missile weapon systems. The results indicate that quarterly training is as effective as monthly training for sustaining aerial gunnery skills, but questions remain about the effect of recency of training. Finally, the data were used to estimate ammunition requirements and to evaluate established standards for AH-1 crew qualifications.