WE take you inside one of the world’s top
military simulation
centres, where incredible advances have been made to prepare soldiers for war.
HEFTING my full size Carl Gustavo 84mm anti-armour weapon on my shoulder, I narrow my sights on a distant window. The trigger is pulled and with a ‘whoosh-roar-bang’ a room full of bad guys is ‘eliminated.’
In another corner of the training space a digita firing range serves up a variety of simulated targets for the shooter and an M4 assault rifle.
Target in sight, another deep breath and ‘bang’, the simulated round takes out an enemy fighter. The recoil is realistic and the targets respond as if hit by a real bullet.
We are at the Saab training and simulation centre in the pretty lakeside town of Huskvarna in central Sweden.
The Swedish arms maker is at the cutting edge of simulation technology and the realism that can be achieved these days in the classroom is truly astonishing.
Gone are the days when soldiers and police had to beg, borrow or steal to get enough ammunition to stay current.
With simulation this good the need to actually fire a live round against a target range is all but eliminated.
The Australian Army aims to have about 25 per cent of its total training regime conducted under simulation or “non-live” activities during the next decade.
The head of the army’s office of modernisation and strategic planning, Major General Jeff Sengelman, says the modern-day army has no option but to boost its use of simulation.
“I personally believe that an aspirational target of 25 per cent delivery of competencies through non-live means within a decade is both achievable, and given the escalating demands of joint and collective training, essential,” General Sengelman said.
“We also need to reduce the amount of movement of fleets and people across Australia and therefore favour solutions which maximise local solutions, including improved usability and development of local major training areas such as Cultana, High Range and Shoalwater Bay.”
One of the biggest advances in simulation technology is portability.
Today’s advanced simulation and live instrumentation systems can be transported in trailers to units at their home locations with a minimum of fuss and at a greatly reduced cost. With shrinking budgets across all areas of government, including the military, the sheer cost of moving hundreds of soldiers and equipment long distances to conduct live training has become so prohibitive that portable and fixed simulation will take over many traditional training roles.
Just one example of the huge potential for savings that simulation brings is the training of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers or JTAC’s. These highly trained soldiers are the eyes and ears on the ground to call in close-air support for infantry troops in the form of fast jets or attack helicopters. The cost of training just one JTAC is estimated at $19 million when you tally up aircraft and ammunition costs. Modern simulation technology means you can take a JTAC to the same skill level for a fraction of that cost.
Swedish giant Saab is a global leader in military simulation technology.
During a media tour of the firm’s facilities across Sweden in early April, News Corp Australia witnessed first-hand the incredible advances in simulation technology from digital weapons ranges to an entire village fully instrumented to simulate any number of scenarios from hostage rescue to a full-blown live fire assault.
The company’s training and simulation headquarters is in the picturesque lakeside town of Huskvarna (home to the Husqvarna motor cycle, lawnmower and chainsaw company).
Saab employs about 700 people in its training systems and simulation division including about 350 engineers and according to company spokesman Anders Jonzon the philosophy of simulation is simple — to allow soldiers or police to train as they will fight.
