MRAP rollover simulator saves lives in Afghanistan

By Spc. Elisebet Freeburg, Joint Sustainment Command-AfghanistanJuly 7, 2009

Tracy G. Watkins, a government contracted senior trainer, instructs Soldiers of the 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion on the dangers of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle rollovers. Soldiers of the 57th ESB practiced rollover drills in an MRAP...
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Tracy G. Watkins, a government contracted senior trainer, instructs Soldiers of the 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion on the dangers of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle rollovers. Soldiers of the 57th ESB practiced rollover drills in an MRAP... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - According to Army statistics, 144 non-hostile related Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle rollover incidents were reported from Nov. 1 2007, through March 31, 2008. U.S. servicemembers increasingly use the MRAP in combat because of its ability to withstand improvised explosive devices. However, because of growing concern about the MRAP's susceptibility to roll, the MRAP Egress Trainer was designed and is currently being fielded in Afghanistan.

"The MET gives the gunners an 80 percent better survivability rate in a rollover," said Tracy G. Watkins, a government contracted senior trainer for the MET here.

With 12 years of Army experience behind him as an infantry officer, Watkins was involved in several military vehicle rollovers.

"In the past, we were woefully unprepared for events like rollovers to happen," said Watkins. "Although, they did happen pretty frequently, we didn't have any formal training for it."

As thousands of troops arrive in Afghanistan during the troop expansion, they are processed through the Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan's Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration system before moving out to their final locations. Most Soldiers process at Kandahar Airfield and are required through RSOI to experience the MET, said Watkins.

"Normally, the second day in country is when they do the MET," said Watkins.

The MET simulator consists of an interchangeable MRAP cab on a special frame high enough to allow the cab to rotate 360 degrees, much like an amusement park ride.

There are four basic scenarios Watkins simulates with the MET. In each simulation, the gunner jumps down into the cab, while his crewmembers grasp a tight hold on him to make certain he does not move around the vehicle.

"I was the gunner," said Pvt. Kristin L. Rodriguez, a human resources specialist for the 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion who trained here June 18. "So I had to get down. It's a little rough, but it was fun."

In the first simulation, Watkins rolls the vehicle to a point where the occupants feel as if the driver is about to lose control of the vehicle.

During the second scenario, he directs the machine to rotate 360 degrees to familiarize them with sensations they would feel in an actual rollover.

The third setting forces the crew to egress through the gunner's hatch, as the vehicle is turned 90 degrees onto its side.

Watkins turns the vehicle over several times in the final simulation before ending with the vehicle completely upside down. MET trainers lock all doors but one from the outside, simulating jammed doors and forcing troops to find the single open door. After exiting the MET, the Soldiers simulate standard operating procedures such as securing the area, assessing injuries and counting weapons.

"I went twice," said Sgt. Rodney E. Bertrand, a multi-channel transmission systems operator for the 57th ESB. "Practice makes perfect in case we go outside the wire. [In case of] real world events, you need to have training like this."

The MET cabs are interchangeable to accommodate the specific needs of Soldiers.

"We'll have a copy, a version, of every MRAP that is out in the field in strategic locations throughout the theater," said Watkins. "So that the Soldiers can actually train on the vehicle that they are most likely to operate in."

When a unit requests a certain MRAP type, Watkins and his team can switch the MET cab to that specific type before the requesting unit comes through the training site.

Although current cabs are being designed and manufactured distinctively for the simulator, initially, damaged MRAPs from the field were used.

Designers gave the simulator many power options. The MET runs on a multi-power source. For example, it has an electrical motor and could run on batteries, generators or be plugged into a power outlet.

There are two simulators at KAF, one at Bagram Airfield, and many on their way to forward operating bases, said Watkins, making a total of 12 or 13 METs in Afghanistan.

"These guys learn a lot while they are in here," said Watkins. "Everybody leaves smiling. They all enjoy it. They all recognize the training value of it once they've been in it."

The MET puts crews into physically and mentally stressful situations in which they must egress the vehicle. Despite disorientation, Soldiers must unfasten seatbelts and unlock door combat locks all while hanging sideways or upside down. As greater numbers of troops continue to arrive here, the MET helps combat accidents resulting in injury or death due to MRAP rollovers.