The Squad Performance Test Bed

ARDEC seeks to provide devices to improve Squad lethality, survivability, and mobility, in order to improve Squad-level function. It is well recognized that these three functions can be mutually exclusive in that devices that increase lethality may also decrease survivability alternatively situational awareness or decrease mobility. However, there exists no method to conduct critical trade-off analyses of candidate solutions to optimize Squad level performance. The Squad Performance Test Bed consists of both an outdoor and indoor test bed. The outdoor Squad Performance Test Bed consists of a large geographic area that will be instrumented to capture behaviors of collectives Fire Teams, Squads, Platoons, etc during outdoor Warfighter Battle Drills. The outdoor SPTB is approximately 700 x 500 meters, over hilly, grassy, and wooded terrain, including roads and a helipad. The outdoor test bed is configured for future data capture during the Battle Drill scenario React to Contact. In this scenario, the Squad receives enemy fire and must react e.g., seek cover and return fire. The indoor SPTB is configured to simulate the environment appropriate to Close Quarters Battle CQB consisting of several rooms in order to conduct testing of the room entry and clearing scenarios. A reconfigurable room was built in order to conduct the task, Room Entry and Clearing. In this scenario, the Squad must come from outside the building, enter a room, shoot enemy found in the room, spare others, and move through other rooms in the same way, without being killed. At this point in time, both the outdoor and indoor Squad Performance Test Beds have undergone preliminary building and testing, under the supervision of Subject Matter Experts in Soldier training. When completed and tested, the Squad Performance Test Bed will give ARDEC and others a unique capability for testing and evaluating materiel and personnel solutions in order to enhance Squad lethality, survivability, and mobility.