A Next Generation Audio and Visual Cueing System for Tactical Engagement Simulation

The firing of indirect fire weapons and the effect of incoming rounds have historically been simulated pyrotechnically. Weapon firing has been simulated by firing blank rounds and the effect of incoming rounds has been simulated by small explosive charges. Pyrotechnics have the advantage of being the simplest way to create the sound of an explosion, which is difficult to duplicate by other means. Moreover, the pyrotechnic mixture can be compounded to produce the desired levels of flash and smoke. Pyrotechnics also have several disadvantages. Being explosive devices, the charges present storage and handling hazards, and firing the charges carries the risk of igniting accidental fires. Spectra Researc (S*R) proposes to overcome these limitations with a non-pyrotechnic explosion simulator that is compact, reusable, and configurable for a range of effects. The proposed simulator uses a pneumatic shock tube to generate the sound, a non-toxic aerosol agent to generate the smoke, and a flash tube to generate the flash of an explosion.