#Miles

Hello everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Behind The Gun podcast. Last week we spoke with two of TFB’s editors, Matt and Hrachya. This week we get a rare chance to nail down long-time TFB and TFBtv contibutor Miles Vining. Miles is a man-of-the-world who is highly knowledgeable in firearms found in Middle East and South East Asia conflicts. When he’s not dropping videos at TFBTV, Miles is active in humanitarian relief efforts overseas and publishing nerdy (but interesting) content at the Silah Report.

Marine Systems Command is currently testing and looking to put out a solicitation for a next-generation “Miles-like” system that will replace current training simulators that allow Infantry Marines to train more realistically by being able to engage each other with laser designators that activate alarms on other individuals when set. MILES gear currently is outdated and is known to not be the most effective training tool in the world when it comes to ground combat operations in the field. Early versions could be completely switched off, were unreliable at times, and operated on VHF frequencies.

Earlier on TFB we reported on the transition from MILES to DISE within EUCOM. However, it must be noted that the MILES system is still in use, even if sparingly. In fact, during Swift Response ’16, a multi-national airborne training operation, we have seen some of the most recent usages of the updated versions of the MILES gear. Most of the upgrades appear to be in weight reduction, with soldiers carrying less cumbersome and bulky versions of the personally worn vest. However there is another introduction that has the MILES Small Arms Transmitter taking advantage of the picatinny rail installed on most of the U.S. Army’s weapon systems. From a distance the Small Arms Transmitter could easily be mistaken for a black PEQ15 ATPIAL instead of the training device that it is. Since the 1980s MILES has gone through a number of manufacturers throughout its design phases, however most recently Cubic Global Defense is providing the latest iterations of the design, to include the picatinny mounted Small Arms Transmitter. From Cubic Global Defense-

The Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) has been in service with a number of militaries the world over, beginning in the 1980s. MILES has gone through a number of different design iterations over the years, to include making the system more compact and light weight. For those unfamiliar with the system essentially it is a training simulation Laser Tag Pro, being able to be outfitted to individual soldiers, vehicles, even aircraft. When using blanks in small arms or larger caliber weapons, the system shoots out a laser when the blank is fired. If the laser impacts the MILES gear on an opposing force, the system of that force shuts down, thus registering a “Kill”. The concept for the program is a brilliant one, but it saw a number of issues that retarded its potential. From the gear causing neck problems, to being unreliable at times, and most importantly cost. Throughout my time in the infantry, I never once utilized or even saw MILES gear in use at all.

Here is a video posted on Facebook. It shows a 5 level course.

From Bryan Jones’s blog …

The US Naval Air Warfare Center funded a patent application, published two weeks ago, with the innocuous title of “Military Training Device”. The device turns out to be a suicide vest simulator for the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) training system.