Paint rounds make mark in training

Published July 8, 2016
By John Parker
Staff Writer

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 72nd Security Forces Squadron recently added a valuable new tool to its arsenal of training options - dye-marker cartridges.

When fired, the rounds mark where they landed like paint ball ammo, but they can be fired from Air Force service weapons such as the M4 carbine and M9 handgun.

"It's going to improve our results immensely because it allows us to have more realistic training," said Tech. Sgt. Sean Stanton, instructor supervisor with the 72nd SFS. "It is 99 percent the same thing as the real event."

Security Forces traditionally use blank rounds during training scenarios, such as responding to an active shooter. Unlike blanks, paint rounds deliver a considerable sting when they hit unprotected body parts.

Sergeant Stanton said the added punch packs a kind of "pain compliance" effect for Airmen who forget their training or make a mistake.

"They're going to get hit with a paint round, it's going to leave a bruise and they'll know what happened," the sergeant said. "That's going to help them remember that mistake and it takes out some of the 'I shot you first' debates if they were shooting blanks at each other."

The Defenders began using dye-marker cartridges on a limited basis in April. More extensive use at Tinker AFB will begin in October after a large shipment of the rounds arrives.

Conversion kits turn otherwise lethal weapons into paint-round guns that cannot fire normal rounds. Active training with service weapons helps security personnel and Airmen get used to the feel and weight of the firearms they may be using for real.

"It allows them to remember the fundamentals they learned when they learned how to fire," Sergeant Stanton said. "I have to aim. I have to pull the trigger. You can't just spray rounds down the hallway, especially for an active shooter. There are going to be innocent people around, and you have to be accurate in what you're hitting."

Getting hit on an unprotected part of the body with a dye-marker cartridge feels a little bit harder than a paint ball strike, he said.

"It will leave about cigarette-burn size little welts, so you'll have bruises," Sergeant Stanton said.

The system also allows trainers to give each shooter different colored rounds. Tracing who shot who, or what, is no longer up for dispute. With blanks "you can sit there all day and tell them, 'No, you weren't behind the wall and you would have got shot,'" the sergeant said.

Shooters in training or undergoing recertification are equipped with protective gear, especially for the head and groin area. Body armor absorbs the shock of the rounds and mostly can't be felt, Sergeant Stanton said.

The gel-like marker paint is water soluble. When fired, the propellant (not gunpowder) makes a noise similar to a CO2 pistol. The bullets have an accurate range of about 75 feet.

Sergeant Stanton said the paint rounds will be used in proficiency certifications and active shooter and sustainment firing training. Sustainment firing involves competency with shooting while moving and communicating.