Both desktop and installation-based simulated combat training exploit a range of technologies, including motion-tracking, supercomputers, high-speed networking and sophisticated 3D graphics.
Set up in 1992, the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD's) High Performance Computing Modernization Program created a supercomputer simulation of an urban warfare environment. This virtual Baghdad was populated with about 100 DOD personnel and 2 million unique entities such as buildings, vehicles and people. The simulation helped the military prepare for improvised explosive devices, communication glitches and environmental challenges, such as sand, smoke and dust.
Virtual Warrior Interactive furnishes virtual battlefields with a 360-degree field of view and replicates the exact terrain where U.S. troops are stationed abroad. Motion-tracking sensors follow an infantry soldier's head and weapon movements and help to improve his use and aim of weapons.
The U.S. Army Flight School XXI program has upgraded its combat simulation technology to include the Advanced Helmet Mounted Display, which provides a systems symbology and a 360-degree field of view of out-the-window images. Pilots also have a more realistic view of cockpit controls.