U.S. Army's Procurements of Battle Effects Simulators

The Army uses battle effects simulators on training ranges to help prepare its soldiers for realistic combat conditions. The simulators fire pyrotechnic cartridges that simulate the sound, smoke, and flash of shells being fired from or striking targets, such as armored vehicles. Concerns have been raised about the safety of the simulators now being used by the Army and the possibility that U.S. companies may be excluded from full and open competition for new simulators. The Army's existing battle effects simulators have experienced more than 120 documented malfunctions, many of which caused serious injuries, such as third-degree burns, loss of appendages, and lacerations. The Army has tried to make the devices safer and has suspended their use many times. It is also assessing the safety and the effectiveness of a new system from a foreign source. However, it does not plan to assess a U.S. system due to funding limitations. The Army could rely on the Marine Corps' planned type classification of a U.S. produced device to certify another qualified source for future competition.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Allen Li Team: Government Accountability Office: Acquisition and Sourcing Management Phone: (202) 512-3600