A Live fire exercise is any exercise in which a realistic scenario for the use of specific equipment is simulated. In the popular lexicon this is applied primarily to tests of weapons or weapon systems that are associated with the various branches of a nations armed forces, although the term can be applied in the civilian arena as well.
The Armed Services
The armed services usually use live fire exercises as an opertunity to use real ammunition in a realistically created combat situation. The area in which these tests are conducted wil be deviod of people to avoid unnessecary causalties, and will likely be owned by the government which authorized the test in the first place. Most live fire tests are conducted either against derelict eqipment, such as tanks and ships, or against remotly controlled drones.
The purpose of this type of exercise is two fold: First, it offeres recruits the chance to get accustom to their weapons so that they will know how to properly operate them. Secondly, this provides soldiers with an opurtunity to fire live ammunition without having to worry about an actual enemy returning fire. This allows soldiers to get reaquainted with the feel and time of actually using and expending ammuntion rather than simply simulating the experince. Live fire exercises of this type can be observed either by remotely controlled cameras or by long range telescopic devices, such as binoculars.
The Army
The army, being the main branch responsible for land combat, is perhaps the best known group that conducts live fire exercises. Most live fire exercises occur within forts where the units conducting the exercise are located. In some cases one fort wil host units from another fort for a larger live fire exercise. Equipment tested under these circumstances range from small arms and assault rifle fire all the way up to missile systems and artillery fire. In the case of the former the tests are usually proficiency based and aimed at ensuring a soldier can fire the weapon issued to him. In the case of the latter missile systems such as the patriot may be test-fired at remotely controlled drones to simulate a situation in which enemy missiles or aircraft are launched at allied or friendly forces, while artillery units can take the opertunity to test new shells or to fire under adverse weather conditions for a chance to see how the artillery pieces will perform.
The Marine Corps
For the most part marine corps live fire exercises are similar to the military's live fire exercises. One notable difference stems from the amphibous nature of the marine corps duty, which can lead the corp to incorporate Amphibious assault ships when they conduct live fire exercises.
The Air Force
The Air Force, due to its nature, usually limits live fire exercises to the air, although bombing exercises can be conducted as well.
During live fire exercises dealing with air-to-air combat remotely controlled drones are frequently used to simulate enemy planes. In modern times the drones are fired on by planes loaded with some type of air-to-air missile, with the objective of the exercise being to destroy the drone. These test are usually done to ensure that guidance packages within the missiles will work, although they can be done to test other factors such as a missiles suseptability to jamming or to see if a new type of dodging technique will work against the missiles fired.
Live fire exercises involving air to surface work are usually centered around precision-guided munition. In some cases tests involving bombs will make use of derelict buildings or vehicals, more frequently the latter than the former. Live fire bombing exercises are usually conducted with prescion guided munitions to ensure that they work correctly, but are also used to test new and experimental weapons to ensure that they work as they were originally designed to. These test are usually monitered by chase planes and by cameras to determine if everything worked as it was orignially intended to.
The Navy
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Naval live fire exercises are almost exlusivly concerned with missiles and torpedos, although tests involving air-to-air and Air-to-surface missile and bombs are not uncommon. Usually the Navy conducts live fire exercises to test elements of the Aegis combat system, namely its ability to track and destroy enemy anti-ship missiles. Tests can also include Aegis's compatibility to fire new missiles or newer versions of the same missile. Live fire tests are also conducted with the Phalanx CIWS system, which is designed as the last line of defense for a ship. Surface ships also frequently testfire the various guns kept and maintained aboard the vessel, these can range from side arms and rifles up to the 16" 50-caliber artillery rifles of the mothballed Iowa-class battleships. These are done to maintain the skill and knowlage needed to operate the weapon. In the case of aircraft carriers the pilots assigned to the carrier may conduct air-to-air and air-to-surface missile exercises similar to what the air force would do; additionally, these pilots may also conduct live fire exercises against derelict ships. Recent aircraft carriers have incorprated missile launching systems, and have taken part in live fire exercies involving missiles.
For submarines, both fast attack and ballistic missile (or "boomers"), live fire tests may include firing sea-to-land missiles at targets on shore or launching dummy ballistic missiles; however, the most frequent live fire exercises conducted by submarines involve firing torpedos at a target. The most well known tests of torpedoes are those conducted against a derelict ship, typically on ships from the Navy's own mothball fleet that has become to old or obsolete to warrant maintaining. The purpose of these tests is to ensure that the torpedo will work under combat conditions, and such tests can be used to determine whether or not noisemakers or other decoys will have any effect against the unit when launched.
The Civilian Arena
Weapons tests are not usually conducted by civilian agencies; however, some civilian groups do conduct live fire tests of equipment to ensure that they work properly or to test new methodes. Examples here would include law enforcement agencies (shooting ranges) and demolition experts (explosives use). Sometimes historical recreations, such as those done for the Battle of Gettysburg, will include live fire demonstrations so the general public can observe historical equipment in action.
Unique live fire exercises
Some live fire exercises are so unique that they cannot be easily described in the aformention areas. Among these are the various nuclear tests conducted by the worlds nuclear powers. Also in this group are the live fire tests of new and exoctic weaponry like the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or "Mother of all Bombs". Also numbered among the unique weapons tests are test fires of Intercontenental Ballistic Missiles and Multiple Idependent Re-entry Vehicals (MIRV's). Recently, a new addition was made to this area when live fire tests of the U.S. ballistic missile defense system, better known as star wars, began. These live fire tests are aimed at intercepting incoming ballistic missiles before they can detonate over there designated target.
Dangers of Live Fire Exercises
One cannot address live fire exercises without addressing the dangers of live fire exercises. In any situation in which Hazardous materials are involved there exists the potential for a mishap to occur, and when these mishaps occur the results can be as spectalular as they are deadly. All forms of ordinance contain some type of explosive charge to launch and, in most cases, detonate, a weapon. If these charges are inapropreitly stored or handled the result can be serious injury or death to the person and anyone in the immediate vicinity. Other dangers include faulty guidance and sensory information, which can cause guided ordinance to inadvertently target friendly or neutral units. Advances in technology have helped to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, problems with these materials, none-the-less extreme care must be given when using or implimenting them, for example, the handling of gunpowder demands the use of gloves and an area free of static electricity and other potential sparks which could ignite the powder.