The BBC's Newsbeat site is reporting today that UK troops are being trained up on fire missions using a specially developed iPad app. Fire missions are when artillery is launched at enemy troops from many miles away. The app is currently undergoing trials at the Royal School of Artillery in Wiltshire, where it has been found that the soldiers have picked up the training jargon and procedures much faster by using the iPad than they would have done if they had been attending lessons given by instructors.
Lance Bombardier Jason Markham from 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, who has already been to Afghanistan once and is currently training for a second round, told Newsbeat that the iPad app enables him to practice the procedure that occurs when troops on the ground ask him to provide fire support from his location back at HQ. He said that using the iPad is a lot more fun than simply sitting in a classroom. "If you're on a course, you can take this back to the block and practise with it, even have little competitions with it."
Army training officer Major Rich Gill told Newsbeat that using the iPad helps cut training time, as well as saving on printing costs, adding that the device is "the best bit of hardware on the market."
According to Newsbeat, the same team is also working on developing a 3D app for army pilots to help train them up to recognise different vehicles from the air.
Source: BBC Newsbeat
