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https://inveristraining.com/.
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02 Feb 21. Virtual to live-fire: InVeris Training Solutions invites IDEX 2021 attendees to experience its unrivalled military training portfolio. InVeris Training Solutions, the leading provider of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training products and services for armed forces and law enforcement, will display a broad range of innovative solutions on two stands during the biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in the UAE, Feb. 21-25, 2021. IDEX will be InVeris’ first major international trade show following its rebranding in October 2020 from Meggitt Training Systems.
“Thanks to new, dynamic ownership, InVeris Training Solutions is now better positioned than ever to deliver superior in-house military and law enforcement expertise, combined with local support across our portfolio,” said Andrea Czop, vice president of strategy, sales and marketing. “Our advanced virtual, live-fire and integrated solutions can help Middle Eastern and other military forces better prepare to act at a moment’s notice to counter emerging and evolving threats.”
The company will have a dual presence at IDEX again for 2021. At stand #02-A01, InVeris will showcase its extensive live-fire portfolio, including models of three key products: The GranTrap™ granulated rubber bullet trap, Shoot House Optimized for Tactical Training (SHOTT™) tactical environment for critical skills training, and Road Range™ self-contained, transportable weapons training facility. Targeting systems will also feature prominently, including the XWT, the industry’s first wireless, 360-degree turning target retrieval system, as well as the Multi-Function Stationary Infantry Target (MF-SIT) that can respond to hits or a pre-programmed scenario, ensuring trainees do not anticipate target actions. Finally, the LOMAH (location of miss and hit) system provides the information needed to accurately display shot grouping and zeroing of weapons more effectively, resulting in improved marksmanship skills. Combined with a variety of shooting lanes and control systems, no other company can provide a comparable total firing range solution.
On the International Golden Group stand (#04-C20), InVeris will display the FATS® 180MIL simulation training system that puts users in the action, facing realistic pressures while maintaining situational awareness. The system utilizes the same high-fidelity ballistic engine validated by the US Army, Marine Corps and other military customers. The FATS 180MIL at IDEX will be complemented by a selection of simulated weapons, including the wireless M249 BlueFire®, M24 Sniper Rifle (Remington 700), M4 BlueFire, Glock 17 BlueFire and AK-47. For more than three decades, FATS has been the leader in virtual training, serving as the system of record for NATO military forces and other allies, along with law enforcement departments around the world. The FATS 180MIL and 300MIL are InVeris’ latest offerings in this market.
To speak with an InVeris representative during IDEX 2021, visit one of the stands above or schedule an appointment at https://inveristraining.com/about-inveris-training-solutions/request-a-meeting-with-inveris/.
About InVeris Training Solutions
InVeris Training Solutions combines an agile approach with an unmatched expertise in training technology to design and deliver customized, cutting-edge, first-rate training solutions that keep military, law enforcement, private and commercial range clients safe, prepared and ready to serve – Because Seconds Matter™. With a portfolio of technology-enabled training solutions, and a team of 400 employees driven to innovate, InVeris Training Solutions is the global leader in integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training solutions. With its legacy companies, FATS® and Caswell, InVeris Training Solutions has fielded over 15,000 live-fire ranges and 7,500 virtual systems globally during its 90-year history. The company is headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia and partners with clients in the US and around the world from facilities on five continents.
04 Feb 21. Townsville to host state-of-the-art Army warfighting simulation centre. Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has announced a $31m investment in the delivery of a new, three-storey Armoured Vehicle Simulation Centre in Townsville.
Townsville region businesses are set to play a major role in delivering the state-of-the-art facility, which is due to start this month and be finished in mid-2022.
Its construction workforce is expected to peak at about 110 people per day.
The facility will support the training of 3rd Brigade soldiers at Lavarack Barracks for the upgraded M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank and incoming LAND 400 and LAND 8160 armoured vehicle capabilities.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price announced St Hilliers had been awarded the head contract to deliver the $31m package as part of the $235m Armoured Fighting Vehicle Facilities Program Stage 1 works.
“The construction at Townsville will benefit the North Queensland economy by providing local businesses and subcontractors the opportunity to be involved on the project. St Hilliers has pledged to source 98 per cent of the workforce from the local area, which is an excellent result for the local economy,” Minister Price said.
“The LAND 400 Phase 2 Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles and the Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles will represent a generational leap in the Australian Army’s warfighting capability.”
The contract also includes a high voltage substation and preparatory works for subsequent stages of the program.
Other Stage 1 works, including those at Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria, and Edinburgh Defence Precinct, South Australia, will be delivered under separate contracts.
Member for Herbert, and former Australian Army soldier, Phillip Thompson said the project would not only be a valuable asset for training available to Defence members at Lavarack Barracks, but would also be a significant boost to the local economy.
Mr Thompson said, “At the peak of the construction we are going to have 110 local people on site. That’s a lot of local jobs being supported, so I would encourage any businesses who could contribute to this project to put their hands up.”
Townsville-based senator Susan McDonald said she knew of many North Queensland businesses that had the expertise and capability to contribute to this project.
“The Morrison government has shown once again that it is committed to delivering the benefits of our investment in defence capability to regional communities here in North Queensland,” Ms McDonald said.
The Armoured Fighting Vehicle Facilities Program brings to life innovative adaptable facilities and infrastructure to support, sustain and train Army personnel on the next generation of armoured fighting vehicles capability being procured for the Australian Defence Force.
Existing facilities and infrastructure at multiple defence sites were originally designed to support the current fleet of armoured fighting vehicles in operation. The incoming vehicles are more advanced.
The new facilities at Puckapunyal Military Area, Lavarack Barracks and Edinburgh Defence Precinct will support the first stage of a broader facilities program as part of LAND 400, LAND 907 Phase 2 and LAND 8160 Phase 1.
The facilities have been designed flexibly to cater to the ambiguity of future vehicle requirements:
- LAND 400 – Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles and manoeuvre support vehicles.
- LAND 907 Phase 2 – M1A2 main battle tank, M88A2 armoured recovery vehicle and tank supporting systems.
- LAND 8160 Phase 1 – Combat engineering vehicles and M88A2 recovery vehicles.
The phased acquisition of the fleet over the coming decades means that vehicle specifications may change. Therefore, the vehicle bays at each Defence site are modular construction so that modules can be added or removed according to need. Both the electrical and mechanical systems are also flexibly designed to change in size or location according to vehicle specifications. (Source: Defence Connect)
03 Feb 21. Airbus to partner Flytech to train drone pilots in India. The MoU was inked at Aero India 2021, the country’s premier defence and aerospace show, which began here on Wednesday. Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Flytech Aviation Academy, a leading Indian aviation training academy, to explore collaboration opportunities in Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) training. The MoU was inked at Aero India 2021, the country’s premier defence and aerospace show, which began here on Wednesday.
Airbus said in a statement that it brings a wealth of experience in aviation training, courseware development, safety and quality standards, while Flytech excels in aviation training services, including the training of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).
The two will look for synergies.
“The drone technology is being rapidly adopted as its potential and applicability in multiple industries and domains, including commercial entities, individuals, armed forces and government organisations is being recognised,” said Captain Mamatha, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Flying Instructor at Flytech Aviation Academy.
According to the statement, the government estimates that there are 40,000 drones in the country and expects the number to reach one million in five years.
That will require some 500,000 drone pilots.
“The drone and remotely piloted aircraft industry is evolving rapidly. This increases the demand for drone pilots equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge of safety and flying regulations along with technical proficiency,” said Remi Maillard, President and Managing Director Airbus India & South Asia.
“As part of the MoU, Airbus andFlytech will work toward providing best-in-class training to budding drone pilots, ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality”, the statement said. (Source: Google/https://www.newindianexpress.com/)
02 Feb 21. US Navy flight tests TCTS II air combat training system on F/A-18F. The US Naval Aviation Training System and Ranges programme office (PMA-205) has flight tested the Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS II) on an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
The US Naval Aviation Training System and Ranges programme office (PMA-205) has flight tested the Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS II) on an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
Developed and built by Collins Aerospace Systems, TCTS II is the US Navy’s next-generation air combat training system.
TCTS II features an open systems architecture. It is a certified encrypted, multi-level security, air combat instrumentation system.
PMA-205 programme manager captain Lisa Sullivan said: “Our team faced software, Covid, and platform challenges but worked with urgency to stay on track for low rate initial production decision in April.
“The fact that the date has not changed since contract award in 2017 speaks volumes of not only our team but also the level of support from the navy to field this capability.”
Conducted by the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23, the testing was carried out at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Maryland, US.
The TCTS II pod first flew on a single aircraft on 11 December and then on two aircraft on 15 December.
PMA-205 TCTS II lead test engineer Jake Kiehlmeier said: “This is the first time the team has been able to see the system in use in a real-world environment using an operational platform.
“These tests provide valuable insight into system performance, including pod-to-pod and pod-to-ground datalink performance, positional accuracy, and weapon simulations.”
In November last year, PMA-205 completed the initial hardware qualification testing of TCTS II.
The US Air Force has also joined the TCTS II programme to leverage the capabilities offered by the system. (Source: naval-technology.com)
03 Feb 21. UK Royal Marines deploy to Arctic for ‘intensive training.’ UK Royal Marines from 45 Commando and specialist units from around 3 Commando Brigade are set to begin their 2021 winter deployment.
UK Royal Marines from 45 Commando and specialist units from around 3 Commando Brigade are set to begin their 2021 winter deployment.
The intensive Arctic training is being conducted after all deployed warriors went through a strict quarantine period.
The training aligns with the Covid-19 guidelines of host nation Norway.
According to the UK Royal Navy, the Norwegians cancelled exercises with Norway, the US, the Netherlands and Germany due to the increasing coronavirus cases.
However, crucial training has been resumed for those who underwent quarantine.
45 Commando commanding officer lieutenant colonel Innes Catton said: “45 Commando is currently deployed in Norway conducting essential training as the Lead Commando Unit.
“As Cold Weather Warfare specialists held at very high readiness, this training is vital to retaining capability to deploy anywhere in the world in the event of crisis and to support our Nato allies in the region.
“Stringent control measures and quarantine procedures are in place to protect the local population and our people in Norway, as well as our families upon return to the UK.”
The ‘Cold Weather Warfare Course’ comprises of three phases, namely survival, mobility and warfare.
Initially, new participants to the Arctic environment will be put through a series of intensive trials to make sure they develop their surviving capability.
These trials include building shelters and living away from the land and dealing with cold shock during the ice breaking drills and more.
In May last year, the Royal Navy joined US forces to practise training in the icy waters of the Arctic to ensure that the armed forces are prepared for future global threats. (Source: naval-technology.com)
02 Feb 21. Every Soldier a Drone Fighter: Plan Would Make Counter-UAS Training an Army Requirement. The head of the Pentagon’s counter-drone effort wants every soldier — from cooks to riflemen — trained to fight off swarms of enemy unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, capable of inflicting casualties on combat units.
The Army-led Joint Counter Small UAS Office, or JCO, completed its strategy in early January to combat the growing threat of small UAS being deployed against U.S. forces.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, JCO Director Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey outlined a plan to demonstrate new counter-UAS weapon systems under development by the defense industry beginning in April. The effort involves creating a joint counter-UAS training program designed to teach soldiers and other service members how to operate the systems once they are fielded.
“There is a prevalent threat out there,” Gainey said. “The threat continues to use UAS as [reconnaissance] platforms and are using them more as a capacity that can inflict casualties and damage.
“We are seeing a lot of hazards where UAS are flying near installations [in the U.S.] and could be conceived as a threat because you don’t really know the intent of some of these UASs and you don’t want to wait until something actually happens,” he added.
The Army’s air and missile defense community will be responsible for employing larger weapon systems such as high-energy lasers and microwave systems to defend large formations on the battlefield. But there will not be enough air and missile defense units to protect everyone, so “ideally, we want everybody in the force to have the ability to defeat this threat because it can go down to every level and impact every level,” Gainey said.
The JCO is currently working with the Army’s Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to create a Joint Counter UAS Center of Excellence to oversee counter-UAS training for all the services by fiscal 2024.
The effort would create a joint program of instruction; individual services would then adjust it to meet their specific requirements.
The Army, however, wants to expand the concept to ensure all soldiers get some counter-UAS training.
“I think inherently the Army is really looking hard at making counter-UAS [a military occupational specialty] agnostic platform. Anyone from a cook to a medic to an infantryman [or] tanker can operate the system, so we are trying to make the requirements and the material solutions very intuitive,” said Col. Marc Pelini, division chief for Capabilities and Requirements at the JCO.
Smaller units will need smaller counter-UAS systems that will likely rely on electronic warfare, or EW, technology that jams or disrupts enemy drones, Gainey said.
“We are looking across the [gamut] of how can we get a capability all the way down to the user level, and some of that may be an EW-type system. It may be a munition within the current [brigade combat team] that they can use against this type of threat,” he said. “There is no concept set in stone right now. We are creating that as we move forward.”
For now, the JCO is working with the Air Force to hold its first demonstration event at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, for industry to test the latest weapons prototypes — such as Low Collateral Effects Interceptors, which could consist of a wide range of kinetic technologies designed to defeat enemy drones while causing minimal collateral damage to civilian areas or sensitive installations, according to Army officials.
If all goes well, the JCO could select an interceptor capability by early fiscal 2022 for fielding, Gainey said.
The JCO has also begun testing “high-energy laser” technology for counter-UAS, he added.
“We have high-energy lasers that have proven successful … and we are building off of that capability to where you will see high-energy lasers integrated into our architecture,” Gainey said, adding that some systems are entering into an operational test environment.
The JCO is also working with the Air Force to develop high-powered microwave counter UAS systems, Gainey said.
“As we continue to assess these capabilities and move forward, they could potentially be enduring systems as technology continues to improve,” he said. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Military.com)
29 Jan 21. Top Aces Welcomes 1st F-16s to Mesa, AZ. Top Aces Corp. is pleased to announce the arrival of its first batch of F-16 fighters to the company’s F-16 Center of Excellence in Mesa, Arizona. Under the U.S. Air Force IDIQ contract, Top Aces will begin providing its unmatched adversary training for the USAF, U.S. Navy and DoD in 2021.
Top Aces is the first commercial provider in the world to offer the supersonic F-16. The upgraded fleet of F-16s are able to employ an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, helmet-mounted cueing system, tactical datalink and high off boresight missile capability to provide unparalleled adversary air training.
“Our vision is to be the most trusted provider of innovative combat training solutions in a highly specialized industry where experience matters,” said Top Aces Corp. President Russ Quinn, a 26-year USAF veteran and previous Aggressor pilot with over 3,300 F-16 flight hours. “We acquired our fleet of F-16s in order to fulfill our vision of training the next generation of combat leaders here in the U.S.”
“For the past fifteen years, Top Aces has effectively and affordably trained air force leaders throughout the world. We’re excited to join with the USAF and bring both professional and highly credible adversary air capability to the U.S.,” added Mr. Quinn. (Source: ASD Network)
29 Jan 21. US and partner nations conclude exercise Sea Dragon 2021. The US and partner nations have concluded the annual multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise Sea Dragon 2021. The US and partner nations have concluded the annual multi-lateral anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise Sea Dragon 2021. The exercise started two weeks ago in Guam and successfully completed on 27 January. Sea Dragon 2021 was conducted to improve interoperability among the participating forces to better respond to regional contingencies.
It has been conducted for the third time to demonstrate its commitment in safeguarding the security of the Pacific region. This year, members of the Royal Australian Air Force, the Canadian Air Force, the Indian Navy, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force participated in the exercise.
The US Navy’s Commander Task Force 72 had deployed two P-8A Poseidon Maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 5 and 8 to train with the participating forces.
VP-8 pilot lieutenant Joseph Moralesvargas said: “Sea Dragon 2021 has given VP-8 the chance to coordinate and be on station with other crews and other countries, which has proved invaluable.
“The opportunity to speak with other operators and hear their philosophy and insight on ASW has given me new perspective. I can’t think of any other exercise that would give us this chance.”
More than 190 personnel from the five nations performed ground and classroom training for over 250 hours.
The exercise also consisted of a tracking drill with a real-world US Navy Los Angeles-class submarine, USS Providence (SSN-719). The boat served as the enemy threat.
VP-5 pilot lieutenant Reed Arce said: “VP-5 was certainly looking forward to the opportunity to flex our ASW muscles and enjoy some friendly competition with our allied partners during Exercise Sea Dragon.
“We learned so much when comparing tactics between aircrews, and the ability to constantly improve our warfighting skills. We hope to leave Guam with all participants being at their peak performance in prosecuting sub-surface threats anywhere in the world.” (Source: naval-technology.com)
29 Jan 21. US Army ITN experiments to showcase JADC2 technologies. US Army leaders are planning to use the service’s upcoming round of joint field tests for its Integrated Tactical Network (ITN) to showcase technological developments on the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept, according to the head of Army Futures Command.
Army leaders, in conjunction with representatives from the US Air Force, navy, and marine corps, at the three-star general officer and flag officer level, have been involved in the planning process for the ground service’s experimentation plan for the Capability Set 21 (CS21) variant of the ITN, Army General John Murray said.
“We are focused on joint mission threads,” Gen Murray said of the field-testing strategy being drafted by service leaders for CS21, which will include development of the JADC2 concept and subsequent technological applications. Set to take place later in 2021 at army training ranges in Yuma, Arizona, and White Sands, New Mexico, the CS21 exercises will be a joint endeavour among US armed forces and not an Army-sponsored experimentation opportunity.
“This is not about bringing your equipment to play in an army experiment, this is about coming together from the very beginning to plan, execute, and solve joint problems … and really to inform the JADC2 effort,” Gen Murray said during a webinar sponsored by the Center for International and Strategic Studies. “I do think solutions that we can prove in the dirt [at Yuma] will work their way into that bottom up feed into what will eventually be decided” by joint staff leaders on JADC2, the four-star general added. (Source: Jane’s)
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About InVeris Training Solutions
InVeris Training Solutions combines an agile approach with an unmatched expertise in training technology to design and deliver customized, cutting-edge, first-rate training solutions that keep military, law enforcement, private and commercial range clients safe, prepared and ready to serve – Because Seconds Matter™. With a portfolio of technology-enabled training solutions, and a team of 400 employees driven to innovate, InVeris Training Solutions is the global leader in integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training solutions. With its legacy companies, FATS® and Caswell, InVeris Training Solutions has fielded over 15,000 live-fire ranges and 7,500 virtual systems globally during its 90-year history. The Company is headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia and partners with clients in the US and around the world from facilities on five continents.
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