Photo By Matthew Callahan | Army Spc. Keith Hardy, an electrical engineer and Angwin, Calif., native assigned to...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - Soldiers from 84th Engineer Battalion began construction Aug. 4 on the unknown distance precision rifle range at the Kaneohe Bay Range Training Facility aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
More than 100 soldiers with the 643rd Engineer Company and second platoon from 561st Horizontal Company of the 84th Engineer Battalion are currently working on the new range, which includes targets from distances ranging 50 to 500 yards.
The approximately $1.2 million project is also receiving support from multiple military entities including the Construction Plans Office, 142nd Survey and Design Detachment and Program Manager Training Systems.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ray Browne, range control officer in charge and Marine gunner, K-Bay RTF estimates construction to be completed by mid-November, with targets being inserted in December.
“This (new) range gives us enhanced capability for moving target engagement that we currently don’t have right now,” Browne said.
He said the units could potentially begin using the new range as early as January 2015. He said this range would be well suited for units that have automatic riflemen and snipers, among others. The Marines can use the new range to practice engaging targets moving in many directions from many origin points as the Marines themselves are positioned in various ways.
The new range will feature 13 mobile infantry target systems, 26 stationary infantry target systems, three 2-story towers at the 500-yard line and two 2-story facades, 26 single-story facades and seven alternate facade positions. Browne said the facades simulate storefront windows or buildings. He added that the facades are moveable to create different scenarios for the Marines when they train.
The SITS will consist of stationary targets designed to “pop up” in windows and on rooftops of the facades. The MITS will consist of tracks with running lengths ranging from 30 to 80 feet. Browne said the MITS would move behind each of the facades, which simulates a target running between structures such as housing or storefronts.
The exposure of each 20 x 40-inch target in the MITS can vary, potentially resulting in a more limited target area of 12 x 20 inches.
Browne said the targets will blade (turn), to simulate real people, who are visible from the side when fleeing. The shooters will get a more realistic target that only has 8 to 12 inches open to fire on.
“It actually better simulates someone running,” Browne said. “It also makes people deal with engaging targets that are running cover to cover, building to building.”
Marines can learn to shoot from two floors or a rooftop of each tower. Each of the three towers has a pitch with a different angle than the other two: a 22-degree angle, 30 to 35-degree angle and a flat rooftop.
This isn’t the first time 84th Engineer Bn. has worked with the Marines. The 561st Engineer Company (Horizontal) worked on a road project last year at K-Bay RTF.
“We’re moving at a steady pace,” said Army 1st Lt. Angela Smith, the project manager officer in charge of vertical construction with 643rd Engineer Company, 84th Engineer Bn. “There (are) a lot of moving pieces to it, (including) working with the horizontal (soldiers) to get the groundwork prepped. It is an extensive project.”
Smith said by utilizing an Army unit like 84th Engineers, the Marines will be receiving a well-built range and allows the soldiers to improve their skill in building.
“This is work that we don’t typically get if we were just training inside garrison,” Smith said.
Army Pvt. Corey Myers, a carpentry and masonry specialist working on the project, commented that K-Bay Range was a beautiful site by the water, and his unit doesn’t always get the opportunity to do work outside of Schofield Barracks.
“It’s a nice change of pace,” Myers said of working on the project aboard K-Bay RTF. “Here in Hawaii, we get a lot of missions, compared to a lot of duty assignments for my (military occupational specialty).”
One of the tools Marines currently have that simulates real-life shooters is the Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer, which provides moving computer-generated targets. However, Browne said the new range will provide outside factors that one cannot experience with the ISMT.
“(The ISMT is) a very good tool for working on fundamentals of rifle marksmanship, but it’s difficult to replicate true live fire.”
Practicing on an outdoor range can provide varied conditions in light, heat, changing weather and other stressors.
“It plays on some people’s fear of heights when engaging from the rooftop, as well as dealing with the stress of engaging quickly,” Browne said.
He explained that not all Marines have personal experience aiming at moving targets in an urban setting while remaining hidden and dealing with many external factors.
“There’s a constant effort right now to build and refine the requirements for moving target engagements,” Browne said. “Ranges like these meet (those) requirements (and) help us better refine training practices for future training and readiness events.”
| Date Taken: | 09.26.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2014 17:04 |
| Story ID: | 143441 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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