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C45, this is C71, SEAD [suppression of enemy air defenses] Polar, over. Suppression, Direction 1820, Distance 3000; Mark, Direction 1860, Distance 3500, over. SA-6 dug-in, Q, illumination mark continuous.
CAS [close air support] TOT [timeon target] 1011, over.
Viper 7, this is C71; are you prepared to copy 9-line?
This commo cut was captured during training in the Army's newest and most state-of-the-art simulator, the call-for-fire trainer (CFFT). The CFFT is a leap ahead of the old training set fire observation (TSFO) and guard unit armory device, full-crew interactive simulation trainer (GUARDFIST). Instead of using pictures, it uses high-resolution terrain databases accurate to better than one meter on the ground.
The CFFT trains all the required tasks of the joint fires observer (JFO), including FA, mortar, naval gunfire and CAS. Units can tailor it to train against a variety of opposing forces (OPFORs), from "technicals" in pick-up trucks to a massive attack that one might see in the mountains of Korea. Observers can pick their observation points (OPs) to best cover their zones or sectors from anywhere in the terrain database.
This gives the field a cutting-edge trainer to teach and maintain observer skills throughout the force and, because of the pressing need, fielding has been pushed to the right. In fact, Fort Sill teamed with the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO-STRI) to push this program through, from writing the requirements document to first production models, in less than two years-a tremendous success story.
The first CFFT pre-production models are on the ground now and being used in training at Fort Sill for the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 13F Fire Support Specialist NCO Education System (NCOES) courses, the captain's career course (CCC) and officer basic course (OBC) plus the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Special Operations Terminal Attack Controller (SOTAC) course. Forty percent of SOTAC training is conducted on the CFFT simulator.
CFFT represents a major advance in capabilities, technological fidelity and interoperability in the joint training arena. As Operations Iraq Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF) continue to shape defense requirements, the Department of the Army recognized the CFFT as a Tier 0 (must fund) Army priority.
CFFT Capabilities. The CFFT incorporates the Army's new one semi-automated force...