Vismod

Vismod is also sometimes used in filmmaking and television production to simulate real-world military equipment required for a scene that cannot be procured due to financial or other complications.

The United States Navy and Air Force were the first branches of the military to use vismods effectively for training purposes in response to appalling air-to-air combat performance of their pilots during the Vietnam War, taking A-4 Skyhawks and F-5 Freedom Fighters and painting them in the colors of Soviet and Warsaw Pact aircraft, complete with red star insignia.

Following the example set by the Navy and Air Force, the United States Army developed the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

Due to the complex and intricate nature of modern mechanized warfare, the vismods used here cover a wide range of ground vehicles and even helicopters (UH-1 Hueys made to resemble the Mil Mi-8, for example), fitted with MILES gear.

As the Sheridans aged and grew harder and more inefficient to maintain, they were eventually replaced with M113 armored personnel carriers and M1 Abrams tanks.