JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO - RANDOLPH, Texas –
Upgrades at the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph indoor firing range, including LED lighting and a remote target retrieval system, are improving shooters’ efficiency while decreasing the time they spend at the facility.
They are also saving the Air Force money.
The process to improve the six-point firing range began in the fall, after Tech. Sgt. James Parent assumed the position of 902nd Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of combat arms.
“When I was assigned to the combat arms section in October, one of the biggest feedbacks from the shooters was that it was hard to see the targets and the sighting system,” he said.
Following an assessment of the firing range, Parent and Staff Sgt. Benjamin Dunning, 902nd SFS combat arms instructor, used the self-help method to initiate several upgrades, including the replacement of strip lighting mounted on the target line’s barricades and backdrop lighting at the far end of the range.
“We replaced 70 of the halogen lights with LED lighting and we also replaced 70 red lights used for low light levels,” Parent said. “That increased students’ visibility and improved their overall scores by 30 percent. It’s easier on their eyes and they don’t have to squint as much.”
Halogen lights are yellow while LED lighting is a more natural color, Parent said.
“You get a lot of shadowing with halogen lights, so it’s hard to see anything,” he said. “In addition, shooters can turn the LED lights up or down, whatever suits them the best.”
LED lighting has other benefits because it saves on energy costs and on ammunition costs by reducing the number of re-fires because of improved visibility, Parent said.
Lighting improvements also include a shooter/instructor power switch for immediate lighting within 12 feet to cover or add low-light spots for advanced shooter drills, he said.
“The possibilities are endless just for the simple lighting upgrades,” Parent said.
The range accommodates 1,500 to 2,000 shooters annually, from beginners to experienced marksmen like security forces members, Air Force Office of Special Investigation personnel and Air Force Tactical Air Control Party specialists.
The installation of a wireless target retrieval system reduces overall range time by 20 percent, Parent said. Each target carrier moves back and forth remotely on a rail.
“It’s automated and can be operated by the shooter or by the instructor,” he said. “Shooters are grateful about the retrieval system; the target comes to them.”
The retrieval system has other advantages, said Dunning, who was responsible for programming the computer used to operate the lighting and target retrieval system.
“Because the carrier does not have to be pushed manually, this system prevents the shooter from being exposed to the hazardous residue associated with shooting,” he said. “The carrier also has a steel plate that protects the electronics from being damaged during shooting.”
The system’s automation aids the student and the instructor, Parent said.
“The system’s remote so we can do multiple things with the target,” he said. “It can also lock out the shooter so the instructor has control.”
Another improvement to the range is the replacement of cardboard target backers with foam backers, which have several advantages, Parent said.
“Each foam backer can take more than 100,000 rounds before being replaced,” he said. “A cardboard backer can only handle about 1,500 rounds.”
Due to the foam backers’ density and size, they can be moved back and forth more easily during shooting.
“We’re able to move the targets as they’re shooting,” Dunning said. “Targets with the cardboard backers move all over the place.”
The key to the foam backers, Parent said, “is their density and thickness.”
Because of the foam backers’ size, targets can also be mounted lower, preventing students from shooting rounds upward, Dunning said.
More range upgrades are forthcoming, including a new public address system, noise-canceling headphones for shooters and a collapsible wall between shooter points for brass deflection and movement drills.
The self-help project has resulted in $70,000 in savings, Parent said, but his aim was to enhance the shooting environment for civilians and service members alike.
“A focus of mine was to advance shooter accuracy,” he said. “I’m passionate about marksmanship and seeing improvement in shooters’ ability. It’s satisfying to take civilians with no shooting experience and have them hitting targets in a four-hour period.”