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STANDARD, W.Va. (AP) Afghanistan-bound military personnel from across the nation will learn to operate Mine Resistant Ambush Protected troop carrier vehicles, or MRAPs buy plat for, on reclaimed surface mine land adjacent to the West Virginia National Guards Memorial Tunnel training complex.
The heavily armored 23-ton MRAPs, which can hold up to eight soldiers, were developed in response to heavy losses being suffered by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan from improvised explosive devices.
While the official opening for the new Advanced Mobility Training Area was held on Monday, the idea for creating a West Virginia National Guard-managed training range for MRAPs began to take shape nearly nine years ago.
It was then that former Adjutant General Allen Tackett began discussions with the state Office of Coalfield Development and officials from Pardee Resources Group Son of Pooky, which owned the coal land, and Tyler-Morgan Coal Co., which was mining it.
Mountaintop removal mining lets us work with the operator to build the kinds of training ranges we need, at no expense to the government Elemental Re, as part of the coal operators post mining rection plans for MTR sites, Tackett said.
Pardee and Tyler-Morgan were quick to sign on to the concept plat guide f, Tackett said, while regulatory and legal hurdles took longer to clear.
But the eight-and-a-half-year journey to get where we are today was worth it, Tackett said … It saves the government money and it brings people to West Virginia to train and operate these vehicles.
The new training range shows that professional surface mining can be coordinated with the Department of Defense to provide real-life training scenarios that can save lives when soldiers get to the battlefield, said Bill Raney, buying runescape gold president of the West Virginia Coal Association and a retired Army National Guard officer.
Military personnel coming to the site begin developing their MRAP driving skills on the worlds only MRAP simulator, now in operation at the Center for National Responses housing and dining complex near the Memorial Tunnel at Standard.
Among other things, the simulator is capable of making 360-degree rollovers, recreating the sound of small arms fire striking the vehicles armor, and directing simulated machine gun and grenade launcher fire at computer-generated ambushers.
From there, trainees will move on to a 13-acre site where Tyler-Morgans heavy equipment operators built a driving course involving a series of hills, embankments, boulder-pile obstacles and uneven terrain for beginning crews to gain hands-on experience.
A West Virginia Army National Guard team that included soldiers who manned MRAPs while stationed in Afghanistan designed the course.
Once crews have become familiarized with the vehicles at the former mine site, they move on to a 20-mile network of narrow, mountainous roads on coal company property. There, they will practice driving in formation over difficult terrain with limited visibility. A two-week training course is currently offered.
We hope to add ranges in the future where the MRAPs weapons systems can be engaged, said Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, who recently replaced Tackett as West Virginias adjutant general. We are also looking at building water obstacles and a place to practice medevac training with MRAP crews and helicopter-borne medical personnel.
Hoyer said the new Advanced Mobility Training Area has already been used for Humvee and military ATV training, and may eventually add training for Stryker armored fighting vehicle crews.
MRAPs come equipped with a variety of weapons packages. The MRAPs used by West Virginia Army National Guard Special Forces units in Afghanistan were equipped with .50 caliber machine guns and 40mm automatic grenade launchers.
The roof-mounted MRAP weapons system is operated remotely from inside the vehicle, using a fighter aircraft-like array of instrumentation and computer displays. Rooftop night vision cameras linked to an interior display screen allow the vehicle to be driven without headlights at night.
The MRAPs heavily armored, V-shaped undercarriage deflects the blast wave of detonated explosives, directing most of the released energy away from the vehicle.
One West Virginia Army National Guard soldier helping design the training facility can attest to the MRAPs bomb-deflecting ability.
During one of his three deployments to eastern Afghanistan, 1st Sgt. Charlie Withers was riding in an MRAP when it was struck by an improvised explosive device.
We were part of a quick reaction force that was responding to some of our people who were under attack and needed assistance, he said. When we hit the IED buy wow gold , the front end jumped up at a 45-degree angle and fell back into a hole. It disabled the weapons and the communications, but all four of us were OK. A lighter-skinned vehicle wouldnt have survived.
Master Sgt. Cleon Humphrey, who is working with Withers on the training range, was riding in a vehicle passing through Gardez, Afghanistan, when an MRAP directly in front of it tripped an IED.
It blew the front wheels and the engine off, and when the dust cleared,The Orphanag. I expected to see nothing left, Humphrey said. But the passenger compartment was OK, and our guys walked away from it.
Withers said he received his MRAP training in the flatlands of Indiana before his deployment to Afghanistan. The terrain here is a lot more similar to eastern Afghanistan, although there are less trees over theremaster carrier, he said. Since MRAPs are top heavy, training on slopes and embankments is essential to prevent rollovers, he added.
This Advanced Mobility Training facility is the first in a series of public-private projects called Fort West Virginia that will involve other reclaimed mine sites, acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said during Mondays ceremony. This is yet another example of how the West Virginia National Guard provides outstanding service to the country.
There are going to be tremendous cutbacks in defense spending, said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., runescape gold sale so we need to look to look to the National Guard to meet our needs in the years to come.
But the National Guard needs a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff to help make that happen, he said.
This shows that when coal people and government get together, things will happen — mountains will be moved, said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va.
This tunnel is one of the nations best kept secrets, Rahall said. But its important that West Virginians know whats being done in West Virginia for national security.
Training in mountainous West Virginia, rather than Indiana, makes sense, since these arent easy vehicles to maneuver, said Rep. Shelley Capito, R-W.Va., who rode in an MRAP in Kabul during a visit to troops in Afghanistan.
The new training area demonstrates viable post-mining uses for MTR sites, she said, as well as the value of public-private partnerships.
While cooperation between members of West Virginias Congressional delegation may have waned in recent years, Capito said, one place partisanship has had no place is in support of our National Guard and our troops.
___
Information from: The Charleston Gazette,buy cheapest.
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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Bob Ferris, VirTra Systems' president (Pink Sheets:VTSI), today announced that VirTra Systems has received multiple international orders for their top tier firearm training system.
While awaiting final clearance, Mr. Ferris was able to disclose that the initial simulator sold was the technologically advanced IVR-360TM HD, procured by a Central American country. This particular firearm training system will be utilized as a police training simulator and will include a full 360 degree simulation environment, VirTra's Threat-Fire(TM) return fire system and tetherless recoil kits.
VirTra received an additional order from its Mexico distributor for the immediate delivery of an IVR-300 firearm training system. The sale in Mexico not only marks a record year in VirTra simulator sales for the Mexico distributor, but this sale also demonstrates a solid and increasing growth trend for international distributors of VirTra's superior firearm training systems after the first system is installed.
The aggregate value of both sales is estimated at approximately $325,000.
About VirTra Systems
For over 15 years VirTra Systems has been an industry leader in the simulation and virtual reality marketplace. The company produces the best-in-class firearm simulators for both law enforcement and military customers throughout the world. VirTra is the higher standard in simulation: from exceptional customer service to unparalleled technology like 360 degree HD training platforms and the Threat-fire safe return fire system (both patent pending). When training realism matters, military and law enforcement professionals consistently select VirTra's simulators to help save lives. For more information, visit www.virtra.com.
One of our most important responsibilities is to communicate with shareholders in an open and direct manner. Comments are based on current management expectations, and are considered "forward-looking statements," generally preceded by words such as "plans," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," or "intends." We cannot promise future returns. Our statements reflect our best judgment at the time they are issued, and we disclaim any obligation to update or alter forward-looking statements as the result of new information or future events. VirTra Systems urges investors to review the risks and uncertainties contained within its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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