October 25, 2007:
The U.S. Army is equipping some
of its PROTECTOR Remote Weapon Stations (RWS) with a $31,000 thermal site. The
RWS is used on Stryker, M-1 and hummer vehicles. RWS is the key component of
the CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations). This idea has been around
for nearly half a century, but years of tinkering, and better technology, have
made the remote control gun turret finally work effectively, dependably and
affordably.
CROWS is a real life saver, not to mention anxiety
reducer, for troops who drive through bandit country a lot, and man the turret
gun. You're a target up there, and too often, the bad guys get you. Not with
CROWS. The gunner is inside the vehicle, checking out the surroundings (with
night vision and telephoto capabilities). CROWS also has a laser rangefinder
built in, as well as a stabilizer mechanism to allow more accurate fire while
the vehicle is moving. The CROWS systems cost about $260,000 each (including
the weapon), and can mount a variety of weapons (M2 .50 caliber machine-gun,
MK19 40-mm automatic grenade launcher, M240B 7.62mm machine-gun and M249 5.56mm
squad automatic weapon).
Since many troops have years of experience with
video games, they take to CROWS quickly, and very effectively. That's one reason,
not often talked about, for the success of CROWS. The guys operating these
systems grew up playing video games. They developed skills in operating systems
(video games) very similar to the CROWS controls. This was important, because
viewing the world around the vehicle via a vidcam is not as enlightening
(although a lot safer) than having your head and chest exposed to the elements,
and any firepower the enemy sends your way. But experienced video gamers are
skilled at whipping that screen view around, and picking up any signs of
danger. The army even has a CROWS trainer built into its America's Army online
game.
Iraqis are amazed at how observant CROWS is. The
night vision and telephoto lens on the CROWS camera, controlled by an
experienced video gamer, is basically more effective than having a soldier
standing up with head and shoulders exposed to enemy fire. The thermal sight
makes CROWS even more effective. Some CROWS users have been recording some of
what they see, for training purposes, for later examination (to check for any
enemy activity they missed), or just because it was funny as hell. Some stuff
that shows up on the web is from CROWS operators.
Many Iraqis, especially the bad guys, get
distressed while watching a CROWS turret being exercised by some video game
addict inside the vehicle. That's because the most noticeable part of CROWS, as
it swivels and "looks" around, is the machine-gun. Many Iraqis don't even
recognize the vidcam and other sensors. They think the machine-gun is, well,
sort of R2D2 with a bad attitude and a license to kill. Other Iraqis just write
this off as another example of American "magic." But the troops know betters.
Video games can save your life, and CROWS proves it every day.
