BBN Technologies Helps to Launch 'DARWARS Ambush!' New PC-Based Combat Team Trainer for U.S. Soldiers in Iraq.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- BBN Technologies, a leading provider of advanced technology and research and development (R&D), today announced that a PC-based convoy team trainer developed in cooperation with Total Immersion Software for the Department of Defense, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Training Superiority Program, is now being deployed in Iraq after extensive testing with troops at Ft. Lewis, Washington. Called "DARWARS Ambush!" this networked, multi-player PC-based convoy trainer is designed to save lives and improve soldiers' effectiveness in Iraq, Afghanistan, and future conflicts. It will be on display at the DARWARS booth (#3102) at the I/ITSEC 2004 show (December 6-9, Orlando, FL).

"To deal with a new kind of warfare, a new kind of training is required," said Bruce Roberts, division scientist, BBN Technologies. "Ambush! allows Army soldiers and Marines to both experience lessons that others have learned in Afghanistan and Iraq and to construct their own scenarios based on actual experiences all without going into battle, and to better understand the Rules of Engagement."

BBN serves as the architect and integration contractor for DARPA's Training Superiority Program known as DARWARS, and is the developer of the core infrastructure to support instructors, students, and training system developers in deploying a new generation of low-cost, web-centric, simulation-based training systems to increase troop readiness.

"Ambush! is as close to real-life as you can get without being in the battlefield," said Lt. Colonel Tony Schmitz (USA), Chief, Mission Training Support Facility in Ft. Lewis, WA. "We were able to continually learn by replaying scenarios, honing our skills and ultimately better preparing us for many combat situations."

The DARWARS Training Superiority Program aims to revolutionize training and increase readiness by deploying a new generation of low-cost, web-centric, simulation-based trainers. These systems take advantage of the ubiquity of the PC and of new software technologies to create immersive practice environments with on-target feedback for each student. They increase readiness by giving individuals and groups realistic practice across a wide range of skills, making appropriate training available instantly to anyone, anywhere.

Technology Tested with Soldiers Heading to Battle

Before they fired a single shot in combat in Iraq, the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Ft. Lewis, Washington was busy preparing for battle by using DARWARS Ambush!. The brigade was the first to use this technology and now they're in Iraq benefiting from the training they underwent at Fort Lewis. They are continuing to train and feedback lessons learned to units waiting to deploy. During the testing, they noticed that when moving from countryside to an urban environment, they had to change their perspective on how to operative effectively. Some became complacent in the countryside, and were subsequently "killed" when entering urban combat areas. With the program, they were, in effect, able to go to Iraq before going to Iraq.

Development History

BBN Technologies acted as the "executive producer" connection between the gaming community and the military training world. BBN's deep experience in simulation and training was essential in creating something affordable, useful and realistic. BBN was able to take software that was designed for entertainment and add the layer that allows it to be used for training.

BBN teamed with Total Immersion Software to oversee the development and produce the right combination of weapons, vehicles, car bombs, IEDs, terrain and cultural features that users wanted it to have.

How the Game is Played

A typical DARWARS Ambush! installation consists of up to 24 networked PC workstations connected via a LAN or WAN. It comes with a complete set of documentation, including hardware setup instructions, trainee guide, and instructor materials. An initial set of training missions can be extended using authoring tools provided as part of the system.

Individual trainees move about in a shared, immersive, first-person perspective where they carry out mounted and dismounted operations, operating vehicles, small arms, and vehicle-mounted weapons with keyboard and mouse. Those playing the role of troops in combat learn to anticipate and respond to ambush situations, practicing existing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), and experimenting with new TTPs. The role of opposition forces (OPFOR) is also played by those using Ambush! to provide the opportunity to see the conflict from your opponent's point of view.

Current Status of Ambush!

The first two Version 1.0 systems were delivered to the Stryker Brigade Combat Team in mid-September 2004 as the Brigade was deploying to Iraq. Delivery included two hardware suites ready for shipping; the DARWARS Ambush! software, documentation, and training. Four Brigade Non-Commissioned Officers were trained as facilitators in less than two days, at the end of which they were creating and editing their own missions. Additional software systems are scheduled for delivery to various Army and Marine units throughout the fall and early winter of 2004.

A website serving the community of DARWARS Ambush! users is accessible to military personnel. Additional discussion forums and repositories are maintained as part of the Battle Command Knowledge System being run out of Ft. Leavenworth. In addition to providing sources of ongoing support and additional content, these websites create opportunities for discussing user experiences within DARWARS Ambush!, real-life experiences that could be captured within the trainer, and related issues such as Rules of Engagement.

About BBN

BBN Technologies, an advanced technology and research and development firm, is focused on solving some of the world's most pressing problems. From national security, information security, speech recognition and language translation, to integrating disparate systems and networks, BBN has been at the forefront of technological change for over 50 years.

Known for pioneering the development of the ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, BBN continues to create advances in Internet and networking technologies through its work on ad-hoc networking, the semantic web, quantum communications, and advanced protocols. Building on its substantial list of firsts, BBN operates the first metro quantum cryptography network, the first real-time foreign broadcast monitoring system, and has developed the world's first stereoscopic digital mammography system. For more information, visit BBN.com