The US Army is launching a new gaming system to help soldiers test virtual versions of equipment and future operation concepts.
The new Operation Overmatch is being developed by the Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center's Software Engineering Directorate's Army Game Studio and Army Capabilities Integration Center, under the Early Synthetic Prototyping (ESP) programme.
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The ESP tools assists soldiers with technology development and acquisition decisions by designing and assessing emerging technologies in a game environment, the army stated.
US Army Capabilities Integration Center lieutenant colonel Brian Vogt said: "Gaming is a tremendous medium to connect soldiers to the concept.
"Gaming is not just for entertainment anymore, now it is for experimenting."
The army has partnered with academia and industry, since it started research on the development of Operation Overmatch in 2013.
The first 100 participants were hand-selected for system testing, which is currently underway, while the beta test is expected to begin in October.
The game is expected to be made available to the armed services, as well as international partners and allies.
Army Game Studio Mike Barnett said: "For Operation Overmatch to succeed we invite the participation and feedback of soldiers, engineers, scientists, and other acquisition personnel.
Image: The US Army is rolling out a gaming system, Operation Overmatch, which soldiers can use to test virtual versions of gear and operation concepts that could be implemented in the future. Photo: courtesy of US Army.
