20 Mar 25. Elbit Systems UK showcases indirect fire simulators. Elbit Systems UK (ESUK) will field its Interim Indirect Fire Simulation (IIDFS) system for the British Army later in 2025 and showcased an 81 mm mortar variant for it at the 2025 Omega Joint Military Training & Simulation Conference held in Bristol in March. The IIDFS contract was awarded to ESUK in September 2023 to provide artillery and mortar simulators to the Royal School of Artillery (RSA) at Larkhill, the Combined Arms Manoeuvre School (CAMS) at Warminster, and the Collective Training Group (CTG) for use at training locations in the UK and abroad. This 81 mm mortar variant is a surrogate weapon that consists of a mortar barrel of exactly the same size and weight as the real weapon, but with a cutout and chute at the bottom to eject a bomb after it has been loaded into the barrel mouth. Inert ammunition of identical weight and size to live rounds is instrumented to allow sensors in the barrel to detect the ammunition’s nature (high-explosive, illuminating, or smoke), the fuze setting, and the charge. The barrel is instrumented to detect elevation and direction, and ESUK has developed an emulated sight that is identical to the real thing. The system allows a mortar crew to conduct the same mode of drills as for live firing. The instrumented weapon is connected via WiFi to an instructor’s tablet. All the weapon and ammunition settings are recorded, and if appropriate, the crew’s action can be filmed for after-action review (AAR). (Source: Janes)
19 Mar 25. Royal Navy makes synthetic progress with Project Spartan. The UK Royal Navy (RN) continues to develop its Maritime Operational Training Environment (MOTE), and in particular is progressing its plans for the synthetic element. The MOTE consists of Project Apollo, which is providing the enablers for live training such as air and surface threat representation, and Project Spartan, which will provide the synthetic element. Both these address the external battle, but eventually the intention is to develop a realistic facility for internal platform training as well, which will incorporate both live and synthetic aspects. Speaking at the 2025 Omega Joint Military Training & Simulation Conference held in Bristol in March, Captain Dan Vincent, senior responsible owner for Spartan, explained that the project consisted of four tranches. Tranche 1 (Tr1) is the Maritime Command and Staff Trainer (MCAST), which is a constructive simulation capability that will deliver battle staff training. The RN does not currently have a permanent staff training, mission rehearsal, and assurance capability at formation level. The MCAST contract is currently out to tender with a contract award expected in May and the contract commencing in September. The contract is for five years with the option to extend for a further two, after which MCAST will either fold into Spartan Tr3 or possibly become part of the future joint command and staff trainer (CAST). (Source: Janes)
11 Mar 25. Indra has implemented the most advanced version of its NH90 simulator at the Cuatro Vientos Air and Space Force base. This is a system that offers an exceptional degree of realism and huge capacity to interoperate with other simulators, thus facilitating joint training sessions and the preparation of missions of the utmost complexity. This is the third simulator (FMS, Full Mission Simulator) of its kind developed by Indra for the Spanish Armed Forces. It’s based on the same configuration as the two simulators it has previously delivered to the Army; these are currently in operation at the Helicopter Simulation Center (CESIHEL) of the Army Aviation Academy (ACAVIET) at the Agoncillo base in La Rioja, although they have been updated with the latest technological advances. This new simulator once again relies on the use of the aircraft’s avionics equipment to faithfully replicate the cockpit and ensure that the pilots become familiar with the actual navigation and mission equipment; in particular, it enables the crew to train with the mission helmet and night vision equipment, providing a high degree of realism. This is a feature that sets apart Indra’s systems and facilitates the evolution of the simulator in parallel to any improvements that may be made to the aircraft in the future. Moreover, the simulator has an improved visual system that replicates the scenarios in which the pilots fly even more faithfully. Its database also incorporates new scenarios enabling the Air and Space Force pilots to train for maritime rescue operations, responses to natural disasters and landings and take-offs at the bases and in the zones where they regularly operate, as well as areas of operation during international missions. This third NH90 simulator developed by Indra will be evaluated in accordance with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations to demonstrate that it guarantees a performance equivalent to that of an FFS level D simulator, the highest possible level of accuracy and realism according to the European CS-FSTD(H) specifications, which the two previous NH90 simulators currently incorporate.
José María Tapia, Indra’s Head of Simulation Programs, explained that “the simulator provides great capacity to interoperate with other simulators, as it can connect through the HLA architecture standard to facilitate joint training sessions with other bases and, in particular, the two NH90 simulators at Agoncillo. This is equivalent to having a real ‘virtual manoeuvring field’ in which highly complex operations can be prepared and repeated as many times as necessary until the desired degree of coordination and accuracy is achieved”.
Practising risky manoeuvres, responding to emergency situations such as engine and tail rotor failures, and preparing to fly in conflict zones are just some of the benefits of these systems. Simulators have therefore become an indispensable tool for any modern army. The fidelity of Indra’s systems also reduces the flight hours required to train pilots in real aircraft by up to 40%, significantly speeding up their training. At the forefront of simulator development: Indra has delivered more than 200 simulators to over fifty customers in 23 countries. It also leads the world in helicopter simulation, due to the number of different platforms for which it has developed training systems. With this new delivery, it will further enhance its standing as a manufacturer of the NH90 simulator, a highly complex platform due to its very advanced systems, with which a dozen armies now operate. In addition to eliminating risks for pilots and aircraft, Indra’s Full Mission Simulator eliminates huge operating costs, reduces maintenance work by over 33% and prevents unnecessary CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. (Source: joint-forces.com)