Individual Squad Weapon–Fire Control Testbed Development and Evaluation of Trigger Activation Zone Size and Dwell Time Effects on Shooting Performance

Author(s):

Patrick Wiley, William Harper, Jennifer Swoboda, Sam Ortega, William Maslin, Richard Diego, and Andrew Tweedell

Abstract:

A live-fire evaluation was conducted on trigger-release criteria combinations composed of two target activation zone (TAZ) dwell times and two TAZ sizes for the Individual Squad Weapon–Fire Control Testbed (ISW-FCT) assist mode in comparison with two shooting paradigms for legacy technology (M4 with rifle combat optic [RCO]) for midrange (100–300 m) targets. Results showed that the ISW-FCT with fire control (FC) criteria of a 5-inch radius TAZ size with 0.5-s TAZ dwell time performed equal to baseline (M4 with RCO) with the instructional paradigm “well-aimed shot” for expert shooters. This comes with a time penalty of approximately 1 s. The US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Analysis Center provided FC technology design guidelines for optimal trigger-release criteria for midrange targets. This system could greatly benefit novice shooters, but the potential time penalty needs to be explored. The system could train shooters how to get on target quicker and stabilize the weapon for optimal accuracy of the first shot.