DESC:Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method for gunnery training by simulating tank fire in the combat simulation environment.
Background of the Invention
Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Before any person gets authorization to operate technical equipment or be on the battlefield, they must undergo basic training and advanced training. In the advanced training, military technology and equipment is taught. Also, there are various equipment and field training provided during the advanced training. In the field training, one of the 10 training includes gunnery training. The gunnery training includes simulated aiming and firing activities on targets. It is therefore desirable to have a system and method for gunnery training by simulating tank fire in the combat simulation environment.
Brief Summary of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for gunnery training by simulating tank fire in the combat simulation environment providing real time tank versus tank battle in a risk-free environment. This retrofittable user friendly system is easy to fit and remove and does not require any modifications to the existing tanks. All units of the system are independently powered by rechargeable batteries and wirelessly connected to each other.
In accordance with a first aspect of a present invention, a retrofit system for gunnery training by using a simulating tank fire in a combat simulation environment comprises a simulation tank equipped with retrofittable user friendly system to provide real time tank versus tank battle field training in a risk-free environment.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the retrofit system arranged on the simulation tank fire comprises several modules such as laser unit mounted inside the muzzle end of the tank to activate the simulation tank fire on detecting the target, a master IR sensor unit fitted externally to the body of the tank to cover 180 degree radius of the tank to detect the hit and transmits the acknowledgement to the laser beam and a slave IR sensor unit external to the body of the tank to communicate with the said Master IR sensor unit on the hits detected.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the retrofit system further includes a vehicle display unit arranged inside the tank which is operated by a trainee to simulate laser based ammunition code to perform firing exercises, a tank control interface unit arranged inside the tank to interface between actual tanks and the simulation tank to perform firing exercise.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the retrofit system further comprises a hull position detection unit placed on the hull of the tank to determine the position of the hull angle with respect to the direction, an exercise control unit which may be a laptop/desktop is operated by the instructor to monitor, control and evaluate the tactical training from the remote location and a base station in communication with the said exercise control unit receives data from plurality of tank units and communicates the data to the exercise control unit.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the retrofit system is provided with a laser unit that contain laser equipment which is used to simulate ammunition by involving plurality of sub-modules, wherein the sub-modules include a laser output, an IR receiver, a visual indicator and a battery. The laser output emits laser beam for scanning and firing the target tank upon activation. The IR receiver receives the reflected laser beam from the retro reflectors of the target tank to detect the position of the target tank. A visual indicator to illuminate light, when the tank is hit by a shooter tank and a battery for supplying power to the laser unit.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, further the data produced by the sub-modules in the laser unit are helpful in detecting the position of the target tank. On detecting the target tank, the shooter tank fires the target tank and displays the hit position to the trainee in a vehicle display unit which is mounted inside the simulation tank fire.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the retrofit system is further characterized to provide a master IR sensor unit to communicate in real time with the base station and other modules of the tank, for this communication a plurality of sub-modules are involved, wherein the sub-modules includes a retro reflector, a sensor, a visual indicator, an audio indicator, a GPS module, a master RF communicator and a local RF communicator.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the retro reflector reflects the received laser beam to the shooter tank back in the same direction. The sensor helps in detecting the simulated hit code of received pulsed laser from the shooter tank. A visual indicator illuminates light, when the target tank is hit by the shooter tank. An audio indicator is provided which produces sound when the target tank is hit or fired by the shooter tank. The GPS module determines the location coordinates.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the Master RF communicator is a trans-receiver module that communicates with the base station unit and detects the data of the target tank. The local RF communicator communicates with the base station and detects the data of the target tank.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the master IR sensor unit along with the sub-modules covers 1800 radius around the tank to detect the hit and responds back to the laser beam.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, the retrofit system is further characterized to provide a slave IR sensor unit that communicates with the master IR sensor unit and both together covers about 3600 radius around the tank to detect the hit and respond to the laser beam.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, further the system is provided with a vehicle display unit that is mounted inside the simulation fire tank to provide plurality of information and instructions to the trainee. The instructions and information includes in displaying the exercise details of the simulation tank unit, displaying operational status of the tank based on the extent of damage done by impact of hit done by the target tank and activating the laser unit to perform various functions include but not limited to: finding the target range, selecting the ammunition, firing the target and displaying the hit position on the target tank.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the system is characterized to provide a smoke indicator which is placed on the hull of the tank to produce smoke in different colours, when the target tank is hit by the shooter tank and also during firing the target tank.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, further the system is provided with a base station that receives data from all the simulation tank units and transmits the same to exercise control unit. The exercise control unit provides the visual information of the exercises done by the trainee along with captured data.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of simulation fire tanks are wirelessly connected to each other and communicated through exercise control unit to perform plurality of operations by the instructor include but not limited to conduct, monitor, control and evaluate tactical training from remote locations.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, a method involved in gunnery training by using a simulating tank fire in a combat simulation environment using a retrofit system is disclosed. The method comprises steps of activating the laser unit to trigger the shooter tank through tank interface unit or vehicle display unit by the trainee to simulate laser based ammunition code to perform firing exercise, scanning target tank by emitting the laser beam from the laser output of the shooter tank’s laser unit and reflecting emitted laser beam from the target tank to the shooter tank by the retro reflectors of the target tank master IR and slave IR sensor units.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, further the method comprises steps of receiving reflected laser beam from the retro reflector of the target tank to detect the position of the target tank, firing the target tank based on the gathered data from the shooter tank and displaying the hit position of the target tank in the vehicle display unit of the shooter tank, firing the target tank based on the gathered data from the shooter tank and displaying the hit position of the target tank in the vehicle display unit of the shooter tank.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, method further comprises steps of detecting the simulated hit code by incoming pulsed laser from the shooter tank by the sensors of the target tanks and illuminating light, producing sound and producing smoke when the target tank is hit by the shooter tank.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the simulated tank fire arranged with a retrofit system provides gunnery training exercise to the tank crew members under combat simulation environment to provide real time tank versus battle tank in a risk-free environment.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
Brief Description of Drawings
FIG.1 illustrates a block diagram of the System according to the present invention.
FIG.2 illustrates a Laser unit according to the present invention.
FIG.3 illustrates a Master IR sensor unit according to the present invention
FIG.4 illustrates a Slave IR sensor unit according to the present invention
FIG.5 illustrates a Tank along with the Laser unit, Master IR sensor unit and Slave IR unit according to the present invention
Detailed Description of the Invention
It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in many ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for description and should not be regarded as limiting.
On the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Various modifications to the present invention will be clear to a person skilled in the art, and can be made to the present invention within the spirit and scope of the invention.
The present invention relates to a system and method for gunnery training by simulating tank fire in the combat simulation environment providing real time tank versus tank battle in a risk-free environment. This retrofittable user friendly system is easy to fit and remove and does not require any modifications to the existing tanks. All units of the system are independently powered by rechargeable batteries and wirelessly connected to each other.
The system developed is used for live tactical training for a squadron or more number of tanks. The retrofit system provides training of tank crews in battle craft/tactics and gunnery and also enables trainees to observe, control and evaluate the training through an Exercise Control unit from a remote location.
The retrofit system mainly comprises several modules such as Master IR sensor unit, slave IR sensor unit, tank control Interface Unit, laser unit, Exercise Control unit, Base Station, Vehicle display unit and Umpire Gun which are embedded inside and outside the simulation tank fire to trainee plurality of trainees in a combat simulation environment. Each module is explained in detail below.
The master IR sensor unit is fitted externally to the body of the tank and primarily communicates in real time with the base station using Main RF module. The RF module communicates the required data like trainee ID, hit region, GPS data, health status, modules connection status, battery level and battery tampering. The master IR sensor unit also communicates internally with other modules in the tank and acts as a bridge between tank modules and exercise control unit through Base station.
When the Sensor Units detects any destroy or damage due to laser hit from an opposing tank the flash indicator and siren gets activated for 10 se. If the simulation tank fire gets destroyed the complete system will be disabled and gets activated when the instructions are received by the Umpire Gun or Exercise control unit.
The slave IR sensor unit is fitted externally to the body of the tank and primarily communicates in real time with the base station using Main RF module. The functional description of modules is common for both the master and slave Sensor units. The only function that they differ on is that the Slave can only communicate with the Master sensor unit and has no external communication and GPS.
The tank control interface unit is basically an interfacing module between actual tank signals and retrofit system. This is used to communicate with both GMS and FCC units in the Tank. The laser range finder (LRF) range will be injected from simulator to FCC. The Azimuth and elevation corrections from FCC will be directly feed in to GMS. The Trigger button, LRF button signals are tapped from tank and respected actions will be initiated from retrofit system modules based on events received from Trigger and LRF button signals. Emergency stab and engine off signals are simulated from retrofit system modules to disable the tank actions on the destroy event occurred from the opposite tank.
The tank control interface unit is placed inside the trainee’s cabin. When the LRF button is pressed the LRF ascertains the range of the target and sends the data to master IR sensor unit and from there to the tank control interface unit, this range is fed to the FCC. The trainee follows his firing procedures and accordingly selects ammunition type, lays the LASER UNIT on the target and fires on command.
The laser unit laser unit is mounted inside the barrel of the tank and contains laser equipment. The laser beam is used to simulate ammunition. When laser unit receives the range from the LRF or master IR sensor unit it scans the target area. After the laser scan has detected the target (through reflection from opposing tanks) and locked on it, the laser fires a data package, which is received by the opposing tank and converted into X,Y coordinates of hit on the detected target. This will then be indicated on the trainees display unit as an undershot, overshot, or hit in rear, front and centre. This is also fed to the master IR sensor unit which is further communicated to the exercise control unit.
A vehicle display unit mounted inside the cabin to keep the trainee in the loop and communicates about the activities of the gunner as well as status of all modules of the retrofit system. It displays battery levels, health status and the aiming region on graphical LCD and also indication of hit by blinking and buzzer.
The base station receives data packets from Master IR sensor unit of the Main RF module and through serial to Ethernet convertor sends the data to Exercise control unit where visual information appears about progress of the exercise done by the trainee.
The exercise control unit monitor the activities of each tank in the exercise area and session details. It will receive and transmit data to each tank from the base station. The exercise control unit is capable to reset, destroy, damage and assign ammunition rounds per tank individually and collectively, it is also capable of recording the session, it can do after action review – Assessment of session conducted in detail and generates session reports of the trainees.
Each of the tanks in the combat simulation environment is equipped with retrofittable system for gunnery training. Referring to the drawings, FIG.1 illustrates a block diagram of the system (100) for gunnery training according to the present invention. System (100) comprises of a laser unit (200), a vehicle display unit (600), a hull position detection unit (500), a tank control interface unit (700), a slave IR sensor unit (400), a Master IR sensor unit (300) and an Exercise control unit (800). FIG.5 illustrates a Tank equipped with retrofittable system for gunnery training showing Laser unit (200), Master and IR sensor (300) unit and Slave IR unit (400). Master IR sensor unit (300) communicates with all the units and sends/receive information to/from base station.
System and method for gunnery training by simulating tank fire in the combat simulation environment is explained below in detail.
FIG.2 illustrates a Laser unit (200) according to the present invention. Laser unit (200) either strapped or placed into the muzzle end of the tank for performing plurality of operations upon tank trigger activation comprising: target scanning, target range finding, simulation of ammunition code, firing the target and detection of hit position on the target tank.
Laser unit (200) comprises of laser output (202) to emit laser beam for scanning and firing target tank upon activation by the Tank control interface unit (700) or Vehicle Display Unit (600), IR receiver (206) for receiving reflected laser beam from retro reflectors of the target tank, fire visual indicator (204) illuminates light when the tank fires the ammunition and battery (208) for power supply to laser unit (200).
Laser output (202) emits laser beam upon trigger activation of the shooter tank fire button by the Tank control interface unit (700) or Vehicle Display Unit (600), then Laser unit (200) will scan the target, this beam is reflected back to shooter tank by the retro reflectors of the target tank, IR receiver (206) of the laser unit of the shooter tank receives this reflected beam from retro reflectors of the target tank, based on this data Laser unit (200) will detect the position of aim on the target tank thereby shooter tank will fire the target tank and display the hit position in the vehicle display unit of the shooter tank. Laser unit (200) also detects the elevation angle of the barrel of the tank.
FIG.3 illustrates a Master IR sensor unit (300) according to the present invention. Master IR sensor unit (300) comprises of retro reflectors (302) to reflect received laser beam back in the same direction to shooter tank, sensors (304) for detection of simulated hit code of incoming pulsed laser from the shooter tank, visual indicators (306) to illuminate light when the tank is hitted by the shooter tank, audio indicator (310) to produce sound when the tank is hitted by the shooter tank and when firing the target tank, GPS module (308) to determine tank location coordinates and battery (316) for power supply to Master IR sensor unit (300), Master RF communicator (312) to communicate with base station, Local RF communicator (314) to communicate with all the units within the tank. Master IR sensor unit (300) placed on the turret of the tank as shown in FIG.5 to cover 1800 radius of the tank so as to detect the hit and respond to laser beam.
FIG.4 illustrates a Slave IR sensor unit (400) according to the present invention. Slave IR sensor unit (400) comprises of retro reflectors (402) to reflect received laser beam back in the same direction to shooter tank, sensors (404) for detection of simulated hit code of incoming pulsed laser from the shooter tank, visual indicators (406) to illuminate light when the tank is hitted by the shooter tank, Local RF communicator (410) to communicate with Master IR sensor unit (300), turret angle measurement module (408) to measure turret angle with respect to north direction and battery (412) for power supply to Slave IR sensor unit (400). Slave IR sensor unit (400) placed on the turret of the tank as shown in FIG.5 to cover 1800 radius of the tank so as to detect the hit and respond to laser beam.
Master IR sensor unit (300) and Slave IR sensor unit (400) together cover 3600 radius of the tank so as to detect the hit and respond to laser beam.
Vehicle display unit (600) is placed inside the tank and operated by the trainee to perform following operations:
- to display exercise details of the tank simulation units,
- to display operational status of the tank based on the extent of damage done by impact of hit,
- to display battery levels of all units and
- to activate the laser unit (200) for performing plurality of operations comprising: target range finding, selection of ammunition, firing the target and displaying hit position on the target tank.
Tank control interface unit (700) is placed inside the tank turret to interface with the original tank controls, e.g., trigger button, LRF button, ammunition selection, tank engine off, and disable firing, etc. Tank control interface Unit (700) activates laser unit (200) upon trigger activation by the trainee to simulate laser based ammunition code to perform firing exercise comprising: target range finding, selection of ammunition, firing the target and deactivating tank operations if the tank is in destroy state.
Hull position detection unit (500) placed on the hull of the tank to determine the position of hull angle with respect to north direction. Barrel azimuth angle of the tank can be determined by the combination of hull position direction and turret position direction. Smoke indicator (not shown) placed on the hull of the tank to produce smoke in different colours when the tank is hitted by the shooter tank and when firing the target tank.
Exercise control unit (800) as shown in FIG.1 is operated by an instructor to setup, conduct, monitor, control and evaluate tactical training from remote locations. Exercise control unit can be any computing display device (e.g., laptop, etc). Base Station receives data from all tank Units and sends the same to Exercise control unit, where visual information of the progress of the exercise appears along with data. Exercise control unit is loaded with customised user-friendly software. It is menu driven and displays live movements, operational status and other parameters of the participating tanks and other Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs). It allows commander to change status of the Tanks, allot ammunition, initiate/pause/conclude/replay exercise, conduct After Action Review, record and generate reports.
Exercise control unit (800) performs atleast one of the below operations:
• Allow authorized users to access the system;
• Feed Tank details such as Tank type (e.g., T90, T72 and ARJUN), Force colour etc;
• Able to load a required terrain with required Tanks;
• Auto allotment of ammunition to each tank based on Tank type. Remotely allot additional ammunition during the exercise;
• Assignment of Soldiers (Commander, Gunner and Driver) to Tanks;
• Track tanks and trainees on 2D maps. Maps are scalable and selectable; it can switch between different maps (i.e. vector and scalar). Instructor can select maps based on the training area;
• Displaying the Tank information such as Tank type, Force to which it belongs, ammunition remaining, current ammunition being used etc;
• Displaying Health status of Tank on map M-KILL, K-KILL or ACTIVE in 2D and 3D;
• Provision for instructor to measure distance between Tanks or distance between any two points on map;
• Provision for enabling and disabling Tank event alert sound before starting the session;
• Record and store the hit event with firer information, type of ammunition used, firing distance;
• Record and store Overshot and undershot events with Target information;
• Indicates tank hit with K Kill, M Kill, hit, miss with Overshot, Undershot and position of hit on the tank;
• Display the damage and destroy effects of tank in 2D and 3D after an explosion;
• Has a provision of 3D to track the required tank, create a view point, shifting camera view to a selected tank;
• Updating the scenario regularly i.e. tank position, tank movements, tank barrel elevation, tank turret position etc;
• Area-weapons simulation on Tanks such as Artillery, IED etc;
• Displays real time information about status of tanks and ammunition in each tank, etc;
• Has a provision for Panning of map, Zoom in and Zoom out for a clear view of selected object;
• Path traversed by each tank can be viewed real time or later;
• Able to view communication signal strength, firing indication of the tank on the map;
• Post exercise report, in terms of final status of each tank and number of tanks remaining in each unit along with final locations can be viewed or printed;
• Show session runtime summary;
• Record the training session for replays. Post exercise, the session can be reviewed with After Action Review or Replay feature;
Base station (900) is a wireless interface between exercise control unit (800) and trainee tanks to read and send various data, e.g., status of the tank, hit events, ammunition count/status, to simulate damage/destroy/minefield simulation by the instructor, to activate trainee tanks, to read GPS position of the tank, etc.
A method for gunnery training by simulating an exchange of fire between a shooter tank and a target tank comprises:
- activation of laser unit upon shooter tank trigger activation through Tank control interface unit or Vehicle Display Unit by the trainee to simulate laser based ammunition code to perform firing exercise;
- scanning the target through emitted laser beam from Laser output of the shooter tank’s Laser unit;
- reflecting this laser beam back in the same direction to shooter tank by the retro reflectors of the target tank’s Master IR sensor unit or Slave IR sensor unit, Master IR sensor unit and Slave IR sensor unit together cover 3600 radius of the tank so as to detect the hit and respond to laser beam;
- receiving reflected laser beam from retro reflectors of the target tank by the IR receiver of the shooter tank’s laser unit thereby shooter tank will detect the position of aim on the target tank by the shooter tank’s Laser unit, based on the collected data shooter tank will fire the target tank and display the hit position in the vehicle display unit of the shooter tank, Laser unit also detects elevation angle of the barrel of the tank;
- detection of simulated hit code of incoming pulsed laser from the shooter tank by the sensors of target tank’s Master IR sensor unit or Slave IR sensor unit;
- illuminating light by the visual indicators when the tank is hitted by the shooter tank, producing sound by the audio indicator when the tank is hitted by the shooter tank and when firing the target tank, producing smoke by the smoke indicator when the tank is hitted by the shooter tank and when firing the target tank.
A method for gunnery training further comprises:
- determining tank location coordinates by GPS module, communicating with all the units within the tank by Local RF communicator and communicating with the base station by Master RF communicator;
- measuring turret angle with respect to north direction by turret angle measurement module, measuring hull angle with respect to north direction by Hull position detection unit, Barrel azimuth angle of the tank can be determined by the combination of hull position direction and turret position direction;
- placing Vehicle display unit inside the tank and operating by the trainee to perform following operations:
- displaying exercise details of the tank simulation units,
- displaying operational status of the tank based on the extent of damage done by impact of hit,
- displaying battery levels of all units and
- activating laser unit for performing plurality of operations comprising: target range finding, selection of ammunition, firing the target and displaying hit position on the target tank;
- placing Tank control interface unit inside the tank turret to interface with the original tank controls, e.g., trigger button, LRF button, ammunition selection, tank engine off, and disable firing, etc;
- operating Exercise control unit by an instructor to setup, conduct, monitor, control and evaluate tactical training from remote locations, establishing wireless communication between exercise control unit and trainee tanks to read and send various data through Base station.
,CLAIMS:1. A retrofit system (100) for gunnery training by using a simulating tank fire in a combat simulation environment comprises:
a simulation tank equipped with retrofittable user friendly system to provide real time tank versus tank battle field training in a risk-free environment, wherein the retrofit system includes:
a laser unit (200) mounted inside the muzzle end of the tank to activate the simulation tank fire on detecting the target;
a master IR sensor unit (300) fitted externally to the body of the tank to cover 180 degree radius of the tank (500) to detect the hit and transmits the acknowledgement to the laser beam;
a slave IR sensor unit (400) fitted external to the body of the tank to communicate with the said Master IR sensor unit (300) based on the hits detected;
a vehicle display unit (600) arranged inside the tank is operated by a trainee to simulate laser based ammunition code to perform firing exercises;
a tank control interface unit (700) arranged inside the tank to interface between actual tanks and the simulation tank to perform firing exercise;
a hull position detection unit (500) placed on the hull of the tank to determine the position of the hull angle with respect to the direction;
an exercise control unit (800) is operated by the instructor to monitor, control and evaluate the tactical training from the remote location; and
a base station (900) in communication with the said exercise control unit (800) receives data from plurality of tank units and communicates the data to the exercise control unit (800).

2. The retrofit system (100) according to the claim 1, characterized to provide a laser unit (200) that contain laser equipment that are used to simulate ammunition by involving a plurality of sub-modules, wherein the sub-modules include:
a laser output (202) to emit laser beam for scanning and firing the target tank upon activation;
an IR receiver (206) for receiving the reflected laser beam from the retro reflectors of the target tank to detect the position of the target tank;
a visual indicator (204) to illuminate light when the tank is hit by the shooter tank;
a battery (208) to supply power to the laser unit (200); and
wherein, the data produced by the sub-modules helps the laser unit to detect the position of the target tank and fire through the shooter tank and displays the hit position to the trainee in the vehicle display unit (600).

3. The retrofit system (100) according to the claim 1, characterized to provide a master IR sensor unit (300) to communicate in real time with the base station and other modules of the tank by involving plurality of sub-modules, wherein the sub-modules include:
a retro reflector (302) for reflecting the received laser beam to the shooter tank back in the same direction;
a sensor (304) for detecting the simulated hit code of receiving pulsed laser from the shooter tank;
a visual indicator (306) to illuminate light when the target tank is hit by the shooter tank;
an audio indicator (310) to produce sound when the target tank hit or fired by the shooter tank;
a GPS module (308) to determine the location coordinates;
a master RF communicator (312) to communicate with the base station (900) to detect the data of the target tank;
a local RF communicator (314) communicates with all the units within the tank; and
wherein, the sub-modules involved helps the master IR sensor unit (300) to cover 1800 radius around the tank to detect the hit and responds back to the laser beam.

4. The retrofit system (100) according to claim 1, characterized to provide a slave IR sensor unit (400) that communicates with the master IR sensor unit and together covers 3600 radius around the tank and detects the hit and respond to the laser beam.

5. The retrofit system (100) according to the claim 1, wherein a vehicle display unit is arranged inside the tank to provide plurality of information and instructions to the trainee, wherein the information and instructions involves:
displaying the exercise details of the simulation tank unit;
displaying operational status of the tank based on the extent of damage done by impact of hit done by the target tank; and
activating the laser unit (200) to perform various functions include but not limited to: finding the target range, selecting the ammunition, firing the target and displaying the hit position on the target tank.

6. The retrofit system (100) according to the claim 1, characterized to provide a smoke indicator placed on the hull of the tank to produce smoke in different colours, when the target tank is hit by the shooter tank and also during firing the target tank.

7. The retrofit system (100) according to the claim 1, characterized to provide a base station (900) that receives data from all the simulation tank units and transmits the same to exercise control unit (800), where the visual information of the progress of the exercise of the trainee appears along with data.

8. The retrofit system (100) according to the claim 1, wherein plurality of simulation fire tanks are wirelessly connected to each other and communicated through exercise control unit (800) to perform plurality of operations by the instructor include but not limited to: conduct, monitor, control and evaluate tactical training from remote locations.

9. A method for gunnery training by connecting retrofit system to a simulating tank fire, comprising steps of:
activating, the laser unit (200) to trigger the shooter tank through tank interface unit (700) or vehicle display unit (600) by the trainee to simulate laser based ammunition code to perform firing exercise;
scanning, target tank by emitting the laser beam from the laser output (202) of the shooter tank’s laser unit;
reflecting, emitted laser beam from the target tank to the shooter tank by the retro reflectors of the target tank master IR (300) and slave IR (400) sensor units;
receiving, reflected laser beam from the retro reflector of the target tank to detect the position of the target tank;
firing, target tank based on the gathered data from the shooter tank and displaying the hit position of the target tank in the vehicle display unit (600) of the shooter tank;
detecting, simulated hit code by incoming pulsed laser from the shooter tank by the sensors of the target tanks; and
illuminating light, producing sound and producing smoke when the target tank is hit by the shooter tank.

10. The method according to the claim 9, wherein the simulated tank fire arranged with a retrofit system provides gunnery training exercise to the tank crew members under combat simulation environment to provide real time tank versus battle tank in a risk-free environment.