Page 18 - ADT JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

“We have got to make every round In Phase 3b, Maxar will focus Investing in SE Platforms
fired count, whether it is live, vir- on enhanced conflation with The global synthetic and digital
tual or constructive, train as many open-source geospatial data and training solution market size is
echelons as possible,” said Brig. enhanced training areas using estimated to reach about US$18
Gen. Charles Lombardo, Deputy multi-source collection, high-reso- billion by 2026. Defence companies
Commanding General of the lution insets. The OWT prototype in the industry are expanding their
Army’s Combined Arms Center- will evaluate the use of small investment research and develop-
Training (CAC-T). “What the STE unmanned aerial collections and the ment to guarantee that militaries
will provide us and what you can geo-registration of existing US Army get the finest possible solution
help deliver is a natural persistent terrain datasets. environment.
environment where we can do that
every month.” OWT is expected to reach full oper- Leonardo, which is part of the tri-na-

Maxar Technologies, provider ational capability this year. tion Global Combat Air Programme
of space solutions, was recently Recently, the US army also (GCAP) is building
awarded the Phase 3b of the OWT awarded a contract to Cole
prototype contract by the US Army. Engineering Services (CESI) to A “battle lab” for the study and
The OWT programme delivers 3D build a RVCT prototype. CESI has evaluation of the future sixth-gener-
global terrain capability and asso- subcontracted Bohemia Interactive ation air combat system. To support
ciated information services that Simulations (BISim), a developer this, Leonardo has created an
support a fully accessible virtual of advanced military simulation and environment that combines physical
representation of the physical Earth training software, to deliver signifi- systems, synthetic and immersive
through the Army network. cant components of the US Army’s reality. The aim is to validate new
“The evolution of OWT shows how next generation of collective training operational concepts well before
3D terrain and information services technology. a demonstrator or flying proto-
are becoming essential tools for type will become available. The
planning and decision-making not CESI is also building a Soldier digital simulator reproduces what
just for the US Army but for a wide Virtual Trainer (SVT). This prototype a sixth-generation fighter cockpit
range of military, civil and com- project will extend upon the STE could look like, where only the stick
mercial institutions,” Tony Frazier, modular open systems architec- and throttle of an aircraft are phys-
Maxar’s Executive Vice President ture to deliver an immersive SVT ical and everything is virtual/using
and General Manager, Public capability that empowers soldier-led augmented reality. This interface
Sector Earth Intelligence said. training at the point of need. will provide the pilot with an immer-
In 2022, Maxar’s Phase 3a work sive experience when operating the
focused on improving 3D terrain The SVT combines and integrates fighter of the future.
dataset fidelity and refining the several individual soldier training
automation processes to gener- capabilities such as weapon skills “Live training will always be the final
ate realistic terrain derived from development, joint fires training, and test before the Army sends units into
Maxar’s satellite imagery for high-fi- use of force. Each SVT capability combat; it’s graduate-level training,”
delity modelling and simulation is integrated and delivered through Buhl said. “But before live train-
systems, as well as terrain data the SVT Core, which provides ing, they’ll do their undergraduate
export capability for operational common hardware and biometrics training in synthetic-virtual and
mission command information powered by the STE-Information constructive worlds. Soldiers can
systems. System (STE-IS) software. rehearse a mission dozens of
times without risking life or limb.
© Thyssenkrupp They can practice battle drills,
emergency situations and mis-
sion-critical tasks – what is known
as high-consequence training –
that can’t be replicated safely in
live training, like having an engine
fail on a real aircraft.”

With the likes of the US and UK
making continual advances in their
pursuit of a fully-fledged collective
training environment, the future of
armed forces training looks to be on
the cusp of a major revolution..

18 | JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/ADT