LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
A line of body armor-clad security forces Airmen stand at parade, peering anxiously through protective goggles. Across the field, colleagues prepare M4 assault rifles to fire. From behind the shooters, the signal is given.
"Fire!"
Rather than collapse to the ground, the once-apprehensive targets look down at the neon colored splotches spattered across their Kevlar vests and laugh.
The dye markings are from Ultimate Training Munitions rounds, non-lethal ammunition designed for security forces Airmen. Langley is the second Air Force installation to incorporate UTM training and did so Feb. 3 at Bethel Park.
Randy Knapp, UTM training manager, demonstrated the benefits of using the ammo as opposed to traditional "live fire" rounds, which provide a more realistic and flexible approach to marksmanship training, as it can be used with assault rifles and handguns.
"One of the things we incorporate is letting them think outside the box," he continued. "They're so used to being restricted with what they can do with live fire ammo. They can use UTM rounds with anyone, anyplace and at anytime, eliminating a lot of barriers live fire introduces."
Master Sgt. Paul Allison, 633 SFS training NCOIC, called UTM an "excellent training resource," citing the value of realism for the trainees.
"UTM allows us to see and feel rounds, to know what it's like having an actual weapon pointed at you and realize there will be a projectile fired at you," he said. "The adrenaline rush comes as you anticipate what happens next, and you can't simulate that."
In addition, UTM rounds allow combat arms trainers to "get in front of the weapon," to observe operator mechanics such as trigger pull, weapon handling and clearing malfunction drills. They are then able to immediately provide feedback to the shooters, said Mr. Knapp.
Further, UTM ammunition allows SFS Airmen to fulfill multiple training qualifications, like 'shoot-move-communicate,' and proficiency firing, which is typically accomplished five to seven months after weapon qualification firing. Upon completion of the training, all SFS trainees become certified UTM trainers, said Sergeant Allison.
"By combining the two, we can train like we would fight," he added.
Finally, UTM modifications and ammunition preserve the operational integrity of SFS weaponry, as it limits wear and tear.
"There's no heat transfer, no blank firing adapters, no fouling and no powder used. No heat transfer equals no wear and tear on the barrel, prolonging the life of the weapon while keeping accuracy," Mr. Knapp said. "Also, the cosmetic wax can assist force on force training by identifying who fired any given shot."