Sophisticated facility at Tze'elim base will test the fitness of reservists in armor • Soldier who fails - may be fired from service • Head of armor branch: "It will not replace training"
Simulator in action // Photos: Report
For the first time in the history of the Armored Corps, the reservists began to be tested regarding their professional competence using the Kochav facility - a sophisticated simulator that allows training with the help of augmented reality and the creation of a kind of "standard mark" for all fighters.
Last week, the fighters of the 121st Reserve Battalion inaugurated the facility based in Tze'elim.
The ambition of the Armored Corps is that every fighter in the reserve will be tested on the new tool, will receive tools for self-improvement, and if necessary - will also be dismissed due to inadequacy.
Lt. Col. Ofer Takhoresh, head of the armor branch at the ASH training center, explains that the Elbit simulator was created primarily to train reservists for training.
He is supposed to simulate, on the one hand, all the armor operations, and on the other hand he will not require them to go out into the field and waste a lot of time.
Or in his words: "Chief Armored Officer defined it this way - a reservist will come in to us when he is in first grade and leave after three days when he is in eighth grade."
The Kochav facility is divided into several different trainings, depending on the crew. The drivers perform the training in a fixed simulator where they feel exactly like in the tank, including the displacements. Tukrush says: "The scenario, north or south depending on the unit, the driver sees in virtual reality."
The gunners train using a simulator that connects to a real tank.
"We are able to attach any tank that is in reserve service today. The gunner looks intently and sees a real enemy."
The charges, compared to the other two professions, are not practiced using a simulator, as shelling cannot be simulated.
Therefore, they do their training in tanks, using physical loading.
"Using live fire"
"We have built a scenario where a company goes through a sequence of combat techniques in front of an enemy," says Lt. Col. Takhoresh.
This allows us to conduct an in-depth investigation and see where the commander works more and less well, also from the enemy's point of view, "he explains.
Will there come a day when this device will replace field training?
"The intention is not for the facility to replace the real thing, but the goal is to produce a uniform standard mark that seals that the entire SDK (Order of Forces, HG) is above the red line. It is clear that training accompanied by fire and the like is also needed, but if "Because of the corona, for example, training will be canceled, the eligibility threshold will not fall below the red line."
The fighters of the commander of the 121st Battalion of the 8th Brigade, Lt. Col. (Res.) Shauli Shenkar, are expected to arrive in the near future for training in the Golan Heights.