A Preliminary Assessment of the Effectiveness of Training Using a Virtual Reality Simulator of the Anti-aircraft Missile Launcher

Abstract

Training an anti-aircraft soldier is expensive, complicated, and time-consuming. As a result, many countries, weighing the cost-effectiveness, opt to introduce solutions aimed at minimizing this trend. One of them is incorporating modern training devices such as simulators and trainers into the training. However, to make this happen, it is worth analyzing the effectiveness of training with their use by comparing it to that conducted in a traditional way. With this in mind, the purpose of this article is to present the results of research on the effectiveness of using a Virtual Reality (VR) simulator developed at the Military University of Technology in teaching the construction and basic activities of combat work in the area of conducting a selected check of the functioning of the SA6 Gainful missile launcher system. The theoretical foundation for the empirical research was provided by a method of analyzing literary content. By using the method of comparison and generalization, knowledge was obtained about the general construction and use of training devices in the training of the anti-aircraft defense forces of the Polish Armed Forces, and the features of the VR simulator were described. As regards the empirical methods, a study was conducted using a research sample which was conducted using a parallel triangulation strategy scheme involving the simultaneous use of quantitative and qualitative methods. The synthesis served in formulating the final conclusions and in determining the relationships between theoretical and empirical studies. The results obtained in this way can provide valuable information about the effectiveness of using training devices in training anti-aircraft defense forces and serve as a basis for further work on their development and application.