Photo By Staff Sgt. Wheeler Brunschmid | U.S. Army Forward Observer Sgt. Christopher Dixon, assigned to 2nd battalion 3rd Field...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT BLISS, Texas - Forward observers (FOs) assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team conducted fire support certifications on Feb. 28.
This rigorous technical and tactical training across the sprawling desert training area ensured FOs maintain their proficiency with the latest Fire Support Team (FiST) equipment. The training added varies elements to the training approach to apply additional stress to FiST qualification certification including being timed and scored.
There are several pieces of equipment each FO uses to provide fire support during missions. The two most revolutionary pieces of equipment are the new lightweight laser designator rangefinder (LLDR) and the lightweight forward entry device (LFED). These two pieces of equipment are crucial for FOs to provide accurate and lethal fires.
The U.S. Army partnered with Northrop Grumman to unveil the new LLDR 2H system with improved digital sensor capabilities, which helps increase the lethality and precision of a FO's fire support.
"The LLDR 2H system uses advanced sensor technology, which measures the target's distance up to nearly 20,000 meters." said Staff Sgt. Vence Salinas, Fire Support non commissioned officer with 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment.
The LLDR 2H was crafted with airborne units in mind and can withstand the rigors of harsh environments. FOs can jump out of aircraft and occupy an observation point and begin scanning the terrain. The LLDR 2H has an updated signal button so FOs can communicate with an LFED in joint and multi-domain environments. This upgrade allows partner nations to receive calls for fire support, which is extremely important when working with NATO allies.
"During a recent exercise, our battalion was able to call for fires with countries like Australia, South Korea, and Great Britain," Salinas said.
This is part of the ongoing modernization efforts to build the Army of 2030 and beyond focusing investment in our soldiers, the development of new equipment, and the adoption of new concepts on how to fight that allow the Army to maintain superiority over any potential adversary.
As the growing concern for conflict with near peer threats looms on the horizon, the need for reliable encrypted communications with other nations is critical. The ability to call for fires with NATO partners greatly improves our lethality on the battlefield.
The LFED, although not a new device, is relatively efficient in communicating the digital message sent from the LLDR 2H to the higher chain of command, which then goes to the designated gunner to provide fire support. This makes it highly user-friendly for an FO to press a fire button and expedite the digital kill chain.
Newer smaller devices like the pocket sized forward entry device are being utilized in larger units like the 82nd Airborne Division.
However, fire support training non-commissioned officer in charge with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd FA Regiment, Staff Sgt. Michael Brady said, "The LFED is a reliable and proficient piece of equipment that our FO's need to be trained on."
Brady recalls how effective the new LLDR 2H was when combined with the LFED.
"During a recent deployment, our entire battalion qualified in just five days," Brady said. "That doesn't happen. We were able to get rounds on target within three minutes."
Brady stressed that the expeditious live-fire certification used during his deployment was successful because of the equipment but even more so because of how proficient the operators were in using the equipment.
A soldier must meet the criteria to show they are proficient within two attempts to be given a go, or they must conduct a retraining. FOs train around the clock to ensure they can provide the most effective fire support possible.
"If the operator knows what they are doing from range finder to the gun and every operator is proficient at their ability, the process to call for fires digitally is very fast," Brady proclaimed.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2023 20:20 |
| Story ID: | 439692 |
| Location: | FT. BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 725 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Forward observers, Iron Soldiers at 1AD Division Artillery conduct fire support certification training, by SSG Wheeler Brunschmid, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
