Most companies that make products for law enforcement firearms training focus either on digital simulators or live fire target systems. They rarely make both. InVeris Training Solutions is one of the exceptions to rule. The reason is the company was created from the marriage of Caswell International and Firearms Training Systems Inc. (FATS).

The live-fire training systems side of InVeris began as Caswell International. Founded nearly a century ago, Caswell produced a number of major training innovations, including the world’s first moving target system for live fire shooting ranges. The digital side of the company is FATS, which started making computer-based simulator systems for law enforcement training back in 1984. In 2006, FATS was acquired by Meggitt PLC. Two years later FATS and Caswell were merged into Meggitt Training Systems. In 2020 Meggitt Training Systems was acquired by Pine Island Capital Partners and renamed InVeris Training Solutions.

InVeris is continuing Meggitt’s dual focus on digital simulators and live fire training products. The digital side of the company is adapting virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for simulators, and the live-fire side is developing more sophisticated target systems and more comprehensive range services.

Jon Read, InVeris’ vice president of live-fire systems, says the company believes in a “crawl, walk, run” philosophy of firearms training. The crawl phase is simulator training in basic firearms skills. The walk phase is VR and AR training in simulators. And the run phase is shooting live ammo on the range.

“There is never going to be a replacement for going out and shooting your actual service weapon,” Read says. “You can’t simulate the blast of the weapon. You can’t simulate that smell. You can’t simulate that you are holding something in your hand that is deadly. So at some point you have to go out and shoot real weapons.”

InVeris’ latest live-fire products for law enforcement—the QuikTurn 360 and QuikTurn 90—are designed to help law enforcement instructors work more closely with their students who are learning to shoot their duty weapons. For example, the turning target systems offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

“They can be operated off of a handheld tablet or iPhone. That allows the instructor to stand with the trainee, talk to them, and coach them about techniques while activating the target,” Read says.

The  QuikTurn 90 is built for expose/conceal training. It offers a presentation time of less than half of a second.QuikTurn 360 enables target identification threat/non-threat judgment training. Instructors can use the system for qualifications and even for scenarios that can be authored, stored, and accessed using InVeris RangeMaster software and a wireless tablet. “Designed for random and concealed placements throughout an indoor or outdoor shooting range, the QuikTurn 360 and QuikTurn 90 can be configured to fully enhance the live-fire training experience,” Read says.

InVeris produces a wide range of products for indoor and outdoor law enforcement ranges. In addition, the company provides services for live-fire ranges, including design, product installation and maintenance, and toxic lead abatement. Read says the InVeris live-fire team has hundreds of years of combined experience involving thousands of ranges.

The InVeris live-fire teams and digital teams have been working on ways to combine the company’s two areas of expertise for years. Some customers use their simulator systems to project scenarios onto bullet safe walls for live-fire scenario training. Read says the company is working on taking the integration of digital and live-fire to the next level. He says augmented reality tools are in development for live-fire training.

www.inveristraining.com