SAN DIEGO, March 12 (UPI) -- An upcoming U.S.-Australian military exercise will for the first time link the electronic training systems of both nations.
Talisman Sabre 2007 will involve 27,000 troops from both nations who will be linked together in a way that will allow them to move seamlessly from live maneuvers into a simulated environment while being monitored live in the United States and Australia.
San Diego's Cubic Corp. is installing the equipment at Australia's Shoalwater Bay Training Area that will make Talisman Sabre work. CEO Jerry Dinkel last week told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the May-June maneuvers would "be a first in terms of the extent of the air, land...and naval forces that are involved."
The simulations will include a menu of urban settings that include rubble, tunnels and the ability of soldiers to shoot through walls.
The newspaper said the exercise would also feature a unique air component in which Australian F-18s would "drop" simulated ordnance while U.S. controllers in Florida ran simulated AC-130 gun ship attacks.
A major goal of Talisman is to make Australian troops more familiar with the protocols used for U.S. air support.
