Threat Dynamics/VirTra Systems Virtual Firearms Training

While in Oregon with Deliberate Dynamics last month, I had a chance to examine a state-of-the-art virtual training simulator, located in Hillsboro, Oregon at Threat Dynamics (which is unrelated to Deliberate Dynamics, by the way). I say “state of the art” because I found it to be incredibly advanced compared to the virtual simulators I used while in the military, such as FATS, or the silly compressed air “M9” and “870” weapons I used in basic training.

Manufactured by VirTra Systems, the simulators available at the Threat Dynamics facility included a 100 degree – one screen – system, and a 300 degree system, which utilized five screens and projectors. Hundreds of scenarios could be played out on either system, including responding to a school or workplace shooting, high-risk traffic stops, or simply a random encounter with bad guys in a dark place. In addition, virtual ranges can be set up – from single bullseye targets to a full duplicate of the Army’s rifle qualification course. Up to four shooters can use the program at once.

The weapons used are real and remain functional, although certain parts are changed out – the barrel of a Glock pistol, for example, or the bolt carrier of an AR-15. In other words, your own pistol or rifle could be used for this training, and they’d “shoot” laser beams instead of bullets. Magazines are supplied which have CO2 cartridges inside, providing about 100 “shots” before running out, while simulating the weight of a full magazine. To maintain realism, though, the program running the scenario can be set up to limit the number of shots that will be recognized before a magazine change is required.

Recoil was stated to be 90% of actual firearm recoil, but I found it to be somewhat less. Also, the slides/bolts don’t lock to the rear. Those are my only two complaints about the system, which was simply phenomenal.

In the FATS system I used, video scenarios could be played through, but the “bad guys” wouldn’t react when shot – the video just kept playing, and you’d find out afterwards if you scored any hits. With the VirTra setup, though, if a bad guy was hurt or killed, the program would seamlessly switch to a “death video” for him – while everything else continued on. So if you were facing three bad guys and killed two, they’d fall down while the third one kept shooting.

In addition, the shooter could yell verbal commands, and if the system operator thought they were sufficient/appropriate, he could make the bad guy comply with the command. Thus, the VirTra system is more than just shoot/no-shoot – it’s a full-spectrum training simulator for deadly force scenarios.

This brings me to my favorite part of the VirTra system – the belt. If the computer determined that a bad guy scored a hit on a human participant, a special belt would zap him or her with 5,000 volts – depending on the person, enough to make them shout in surprise while jumping around, or fall to the floor screaming and laughing. When I screwed up in an ambush scenario on the 300 degree range and was shot in the back, the zap was attention-getting.

After the scenario was complete, the whole thing could be played back, and each participant’s shots would show up on the screen at the appropriate times. The system was able to differentiate between the different firearms used by each shooter, leaving them with either bragging rights or shame.

The sheer number of scenarios, and the realism with which many were filmed, makes the VirTra Systems simulators an exceptionally valuable training tool. Being able to shoot at targets appearing anywhere along a 300 degree arc is more than just icing on the cake – unlike virtually all shooting ranges, deadly force encounters do not always elapse entirely in front of the shooter.

Law enforcement and military personnel, as well as armed citizens who are serious about personal defense, would find that even a little time on the VirTra range would sharpen observation and decision-making skills that are as important as actual marksmanship in terms of surviving a shootout.

Beyond the real-world applications, though, the program was simply fun. A competition between friends decided by hits or misses against a bad guy or a zap from the belt? Nothing short of a blast. Threat Dynamics wasn’t having any trouble filling its reservation book with requests for time from law enforcement and civilians alike, and after using both “ranges,” it was easy for me to see why.