Urban warfare is considered one of, if not the most challenging and difficult type of warfare. A multitude of factors impacts the course and the outcome of the fighting in the cities.
Terrain Structure
Streets, sewers, subways, suburb houses, multi-story buildings, shopping malls, shacks and shelters, narrow passages, parks, industrial zones…
Multi-dimentional positioning
The adversaries may be around you, on top of you, or below you. They may hide behind walls, over the corners, on the roof tops, down at the parking lots, subway lines or other underground structures, or at any level of a multi-story building.
Familiarity with the terrain
If the adversaries fight in their cities, they inevitably know the terrain better than you. Even considering all the intelligence information, navigation maps, and real-time situational data provided by drones, there will still be passages, tunnels, corridors, shelters, where the adversary can hide and use them to gain tactical advantage.
People
There is always a danger of civilian casualties. Moreover, the adversaries often use civilians as human shields or take them hostages. In such situations, the success or failure of the mission relies heavily on the ability to evaluate the situation quickly and correctly. Cohesion and coordination are pivotal for the outcome.
Adversaries may also disguise themselves as civilians, and there is only a split second to evaluate the situation, decide who is standing in front of you, and act.
Dynamics
There are no large-scale battles in the cities. Every operation is a war in itself, with its own unique tactics, environmental peculiarities, multiple engagement possibilities…
Urban warfare is more personal. It’s not an “army-against-army” setup, with a defined battlefield, but rather “human being-against-human being.” It’s a war of split-second decisions. Often face-to-face with PEOPLE: civilians, militants, terrorists, children, families, adversaries, elderly…
You turn a corner and see a man. Is he a friend? Or a foe? Is he holding a gun or an umbrella? Should you shoot him before he shoots you or should you protect him?
These are only a few of the urban combat challenges.
To succeed in urban warfare and effectively address the challenges posed by it, the most important thing is “to be as well prepared and trained as possible. […] Soldiers must be well educated and trained in urban warfare tactics.”
(Advanced Land Warfare: Tactics and Operations, Mikael Weissmann, Niklas Nilsson.)
TRAINING
Imagine you can prepare your units for most of these different scenarios in advance. Try different tactics, evaluate the response to different adversaries/citizens positions, find the best solution for every challenge. To do so, you need not just modular structures, but such structures that can be easily and quickly transformed to reflect different structural scenarios. Add to this different placement of furniture items, enemy or civilians’ positions. Situate them within the room or around the corner and polish up your units’ tactical skills, response times, situations awareness.
Trango Systems’ shoot houses are highly customizable, allowing for the simulation of diverse urban environments and scenarios. These modular structures can be reconfigured to match different architectural layouts. The inclusion of furniture kits and life-like Friend & Foe targets further enriches the training environment, providing a realistic backdrop for practicing room clearing, navigation, and engagement strategies.
The modular design of Trango’s training infrastructure supports rapid reconfiguration, catering to the dynamic nature of urban and subterranean combat. This flexibility is key to adapting to the ever-changing scenarios of modern warfare. Additionally, the training equipment is designed to be safe, durable, and cost-effective, with materials that can withstand extensive use and extreme weather conditions without risking safety through ricochets.
