Security forces personnel at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are using a firearms training simulator, dubbed FATS, that lets them fire virtual bullets—actually beams of light—out of modified versions of real pistols, rifles, and light machine guns to help them prepare for qualification testing and deployments. Since most security forces “rarely get the chance to practice firing or even handle their weapon,” said SrA. Caleb Loposser, a trainer with the base’s 88th Security Forces Squadron, “this system gives us a cost-effective and safe way to work on the basics and help airmen successfully qualify the first time.” With FATS, airmen shoot the modified weapons at computer-aided video projectors that offer a wide range of training scenarios. Loposser said the FATS weapons even use compressed air “to simulate weapon recoil and give a completely realistic experience.” (Wright-Patterson report by Daryl Mayer)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.