VIRTUAL APACHE “Incoming!” A


The Longbow Crew Trainer Article By Chief Jones Photos by Lyn Burks


AS AN AH-64 APACHE orbits overhead, the radio crackles to life as someone shouts,


half


second later, a rocket-propelled grenade impacts within yards of a military convoy. Fortunately, personnel on the ground have just enough time to dive for cover. The majority of shrapnel hits sand, with the rest spraying into rocks scattered along the far side of the road.


“Found ‘em,” announces the Apache front-seater. The Target Acquisition Designation Sight crosshairs target a prone insurgent,


the launcher still


resting on his right shoulder. He is partially concealed by a number of large boulders, and among those rocks are more insurgents with weapons.


1


Adrenalin courses through the veins of everyone in the cockpit. A well-trained aviator doesn’t panic in


the heat of


battle; his focus hones and his mind sharpens. Suddenly, the controls lock up and the monitor freezes. The instructor-operator (IO) just paused the scenario. We’ve been flying in a virtual Afghanistan. In reality, we are sitting in a high-tech training device in West Jordan, Utah.


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