UK Troops Use iPads to Train for Fire Missions

UK troops are using a special iPad app to learn how to handle a fire mission in which artillery is being fired at the enemy from several miles away, according to BBC News.

The Royal School of Artillery in Wiltshire has found that troops learn the jargon and procedures more quickly than when taught by instructors.

Lance Bombardier Jason Markham from 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery explained to Newsbeat how it works.


"I'd be at the HQ - the troops on the ground would call me for fire support and they'd give me the target location and a description of the target. If we can use this sort of technology, we can probably shorten the amount of training and that is pretty key nowadays when people are so committed to operations in Afghanistan. We'd use all of that information to come up with a solution. This has been designed to let us practice, so that when we get out there into theatre we're a lot slicker."

Major Rich Gill, an army training officer involved in rolling out the app said,

"If we can use this sort of technology, we can probably shorten the amount of training and that is pretty key nowadays when people are so committed to operations in Afghanistan. There's so much they need to do before they go there and when they come back. If we can use this to reduce the amount of training it'll be fantastic."

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