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15 Apr 19. Singapore and Indian armies conduct joint exercise Bold Kurukshetra. The Singapore and Indian armies have conducted the bilateral armour joint exercise Bold Kurukshetra in India. Held from 2 to 13 April at Babina Field Firing Range in Central India, this exercise is the 12th edition in the series and involved approximately 270 soldiers from the armies. Exercise Bold Kurukshetra involved the participation of the two armies in integrated manoeuvres, exercise planning and training.
The integrated live-firing exercise involved the Singapore Army’s infantry fighting vehicles and the Indian Army’s main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
The live-firing was witnessed by senior commanders from Singapore and India. They also interacted with participating troops from both countries.
Singapore 8th Armoured Brigade commander senior lieutenant colonel Dean Yik said: “The training here has allowed our armour units to hone their operational skills and competencies in a realistic live-firing environment.
“More importantly, the opportunity to work together with the Indian Army in professional exchanges and joint training has enhanced our mutual understanding and cooperation.”
Bold Kurukshetra was conducted under the ambit of the bilateral agreement for joint army training and exercises between the Singapore and Indian armies.
The exercise underscores the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between both countries, as well as improves cooperation between the two armies.
The joint exercise focused on developing interoperability and conducting joint tactical operations in mechanised warfare.
During Bold Kurukshetra 2019, troops learnt about each other’s organisations and best practices that are being followed in combat.
Both countries also interact regularly through high-level visits and policy dialogues. (Source: army-technology.com)
15 Apr 19. US Army seeks virtual reality to faster produce helicopter pilots. Key Points:
- The US Army is looking to use virtual reality to faster develop helicopter pilots
- The US Air Force is also working on a similar effort
The US Army is taking a page from the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) pilot training playbook by infusing virtual reality (VR) into its helicopter pilot training to faster develop pilots, according to a key officer.
Major General William Gayler, US Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general, said on 15 April during a presentation at the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) Summit that Fort Rucker is receiving 30 VR simulators for its Aviator Training Next (ATN) effort thanks to money received from Army Futures Command (AFC). (Source: IHS Jane’s)
15 Apr 19. The U.S. Army has completed its New Equipment Training (NET) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky for the MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle Extended Range. The training covered new maintenance procedures, manuals and ground support equipment associated with the MQ-1C ER, which is a new Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI). The training not only prepared the current Army Company – 160th Foxtrot – to operate MQ-1C ER, it also prepared Echo Company to become the Army’s second Company to be trained to operate the Gray Eagle Extended Range.
“Adding a second Company to operate the MQ-1C ER is a testament to the confidence the Army has in the performance of this UAS,” said David R. Alexander, president, GA-ASI. “The MQ-1C ER provides significant enhancements in capability over the MQ-1C, delivering increased reliability, range and capacity for our Army customer over the previous version.”
15 Apr 19. DE&S sign €180m deal to upgrade NATO’s electronic warfare training equipment. A DE&S team has secured a €180m contract with Leonardo that will help NATO forces train against the ever-evolving threat of electronic warfare. The UK, as the host nation for the NATO Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (NATO JEWCS) based at RNAS Yeovilton, is procuring a complex, cross domain electronic warfare training system and an anti-ship missile defence evaluation facility for use by the NATO nations, for which DE&S had the responsibility of managing the procurement, following NATO procurement policy and procedures. The remit of NATO JEWCS, is to provide Electronic Warfare (EW) advice to the NATO Command staff, as well as provide realistic EW training to the NATO member nations through their participation in NATO and national exercises, allowing armed forces to practice their skills in areas such as electronic surveillance and electronic countermeasures in a realistic hostile electronic environment. Leonardo was selected using the NATO international competitive bidding procedure and, with their principle sub-contractors Cobham and Elettronica, will provide the new system, which will comprise vehicles and ruggedized shelters equipped with modular and flexible EW simulators, stimulators and jamming equipment for use on land, with the shelters being capable of being deployed on ships. The airborne system will consist of a set of highly capable and flexible pod-based electronic warfare systems, as well as the NATO Anti-Ship Missile Defence Evaluation Facility pods. Daren Collis, Air Platform Systems team leader, said: “The small team at DE&S that had to deliver this programme worked extremely hard to overcome the complexity of this procurement, working to a different set of rules, managing an international bid evaluation team of 40 provided by NATO Communications and Information Agency, NATO Support and Procurement Agency and Dstl, and an incredibly diverse set of international stakeholders, including the national representatives from the 29 NATO member nations and numerous NATO Committees.” “However, the dedication shown has resulted in a contract that ensures that NATO forces will be able to train against, and stay one step ahead of, the threat of electronic warfare.” Director NATO JEWCS Cdr Jason Leach USN said: “This Capability Package will help to ensure NATO is properly equipped for modern scenarios, being able to meet the needs of complex electronic warfare challenges, moving NATO’s capabilities in to the 21st century. Working with the Project Team has forged a great relationship between JEWCS and DE&S. (Source: U.K. MoD desider)
12 Apr 19. BAE begins construction of training facility for Qatar Armed Forces. BAE Systems has started the construction of a technical institute to provide specialist training for Qatar Armed Forces technicians.
The development was marked by a foundation laying ceremony held in Doha. The event was attended by Qatar Armed Forces chief of staff lieutenant general Ghanem bin Shaheen Al Ghanim and BAE Systems CEO Charles Woodburn. The company is building the training facility on behalf of the Qatar Armed Forces. The development is expected to strengthen the relationship between the UK and the state of Qatar.
In December 2017, the countries reached an agreement for the sale of Typhoon aircraft and a bespoke training solution. BAE announced in September that it finalised a £5bn contract to sell 24 Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar. The deal also includes the supply of nine Hawk trainer aircraft and in-service support and initial training.
Woodburn said: “We are proud to play a part in developing Qatar’s future workforce. With the establishment of the technical institute, we will deliver the highest standard of technical training and critical skills to the Qatar Armed Forces.
“This important milestone in our relationship with Qatar underlines BAE Systems’ commitment to working in partnership with our customers as they deliver their national priorities.”
At the new institute, Qatari students will undergo engineering, technical and English language training.
The training facility in Qatar will be equipped with advanced technology and training techniques and will leverage BAE Systems’ global expertise in combat air training solutions.
Students graduating from the training institute will gain internationally recognised qualifications and will be able to support technologically advanced Qatar Armed Forces platforms in the future, BAE noted.
Last month, the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) received the first of 24 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters from Boeing. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
12 Apr 19. RAF A330 Voyager crew participate in multinational refuelling exercise. British Royal Air Force’s (RAF) air-to-air refuelling (AAR) tanker A330 Voyager and crews have taken part in a multinational refuelling exercise at the Eindhoven airbase in the Netherlands.
The two-week-long European Air Refuelling Training (EART) 19 event involved tankers and crews from several nations, including the UK, the US, Germany, France and the Netherlands. EART is designed to improve interoperability between the participating nations. It allows tanker crews from the nations to become familiar with each other’s tactics and aircraft. The RAF sent crews from 10 Squadron and 101 Squadron to participate in the event with the A330 Voyager.
Squadron leader Craig Gibson said: “The opportunity to train with our partner nations has been fantastic. By operating alongside Dutch, French or German tankers in one formation, we have been able to practise tactics and techniques that we can only do on an exercise like EART, refuelling French Mirage 2000 and German Typhoon fighters throughout the two weeks.”
Germany and The Netherlands respectively sent an A310 and a KDC-10, while France and the US were represented by their KC-135 aircraft.
During the exercise, the RAF Voyager tanker performed refuelling for a range of aircraft, including Typhoons from the German Luftwaffe.
The RAF noted that EART 19 allowed air and ground crews to train away from their home base.
The service also stated that multinational exercises allow airforces to become familiar with partner countries and their aircraft types.
Mission Systems officer flight sergeant Paul Riley said: “Fuel keeps the fast jets such as our Typhoons in the fight. A big part of what this exercise was about was understanding their needs in order to be so much more than an airborne petrol station.
“For example, we synchronise our plans with their missions so that once refuelled we have managed to place them in the best location for the next part of their sortie.” (Source: airforce-technology.com)
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Meggitt Training Systems, makers of FATS® and Caswell technologies, a division of Meggitt PLC, is the leading supplier of integrated live-fire and virtual weapons training systems. Following the acquisition of FATS® virtual training systems and Caswell International’s live-fire ranges and services, Meggitt Training Systems continues to grow its capabilities based on the legacy of these two industry leaders. Over 13,600 Meggitt live-fire ranges and 5,100 virtual systems are fielded internationally, providing judgmental, situational awareness and marksmanship training to the armed forces, law enforcement and security organizations. Meggitt Training Systems employs more than 400 people at its headquarters in Atlanta and at facilities in Orlando, Canada, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, UAE, Australia and Singapore. It can deploy service personnel anywhere in the world for instructor training, system installation and maintenance. Learn more at https://meggitttrainingsystems.com/
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