The Bullets Are Real. The Targets Are Not.
Live-Fire Navy SEAL Training Facility Opens
July 5, 2012
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The instructor’s point of view from the catwalk in the Navy SEALs Small Arms Range.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy.
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VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia – The U.S. Navy marked the opening of a new live-fire range
training facility at Fort Story on June 25. The Small Arms Range, designed by Burgess
& Niple (B&N), will better prepare Navy SEALs for enemy engagement in real world
situations.
The $11.5 million Fort Story Small Arms Range will be used to improve in-depth,
close quarters combat training by simulating scenarios encountered on past SEAL
raids. The new 28,000-square-foot facility is expected to save the Navy $1.6 million
annually in training and travel costs. It also will allow special operations members
more time at home between deployments. Previously, SEAL teams traveled between deployments
to take part in similar training at private facilities or U.S. Army bases.
At the only indoor, live-fire range facility of its type in the U.S., the bullets
are real, but the targets are not. Steel walls covered with layers of specialized
rubber contain the bullets and prevent ricochet, while paper targets move along
built-in tracks. Instructors observe training from catwalks and use iPads to adjust
lighting, odor and moving targets, adding to the realism of the surroundings.
Continuing a successful design/build partnership on military projects with Tesoro
Corporation, B&N provided:
- Architectural design
- Site/Civil engineering
- Structural engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Mechanical engineering and fire protection
- Landscape architecture
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