LAKE MARY, Fla.—Oct. 26, 2022—Digimation, an innovator in 3D virtual training and simulation, today announced it has received a purchase order from the U.S. Army for 28 of its highly portable and versatile DART firearm training simulators. The Army intends to use the systems at several bases including Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Bliss, Texas; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, to train soldiers in firearms handling, marksmanship, and safety.
The DART system, at just six inches wide by four inches tall by five inches deep, is the most portable firearms simulator available and can be set up and used in virtually any location. The system’s portability keeps training within easy reach of soldiers making it convenient to train often. Yet, despite its small size, DART is feature-rich and includes capabilities not found on any other platform.
“The Army is moving away from large, expensive firearms training systems because they don’t provide the accessibility and throughput of DART and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more,” said David Avgikos, president of Digimation. “The fact that they evaluated virtually every similar system out there and purchased ours speaks for itself.”
The Army added DART Studio authoring software for each system it purchased underlining its need for enhanced tools that allow every aspect of a course or drill to be customized.
“DART Studio is another significant advantage of the DART system”, said Brian Gaynor, director of training for Digimation. “Gone are the days of practicing with static targets. DART Studio allows the creation of courseware and drills with intelligent, moving targets capable of interacting with the shooter without intervention from the instructor.”
One of the reasons the Army purchased the DART system is its need to train soldiers with no firearm experience, said Avgikos. DART Trace rifles, which were also part of the order, are able to track a trainee’s aim through all phases of a shot: target acquisition, trigger pull, and follow through. Once a shot is made, the aim point can be replayed in real-time and used to diagnose possible technique problems for each trainee.
“Our team has been in close contact with personnel at the Army bases that will be implementing DART, and we’re excited to be a part of their firearms training initiative,” said Avgikos. “We think this will be the first of many orders from the Army, and we look forward to the possibility of working with other branches of the military as well.”
About DART
DART is a highly portable and customizable firearm training simulator that promotes readiness and situational awareness through frequent and enhanced tactical training. DART achieves these results through a combination of leading simulation technology and practical instruction conducted in a realistic setting. DART systems are used by the U.S. Army, more than 300 police departments and various commercial organizations across the nation. To learn more, please visit dartrange.com.
