Fixed, deployable, scalable: TES takes training to the ... · PDF fileThe most effective...

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ihs.com Article 1 Page 1 of 17 © Copyright IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. All trademarks belong to IHS and its affiliated and subsidiary companies, all rights reserved. EQUIPMENT PROFILE, Denmark Date Posted: 30-Apr-2015 Jane's International Defence Review Fixed, deployable, scalable: TES takes training to the next level Live training using laser-based TES systems is becoming increasingly sophisticated and realistic. Giles Ebbutt looks at Saab's solution The most effective training is that which achieves the best balance between realism and the ability to analyse performance and provide feedback which can be used to improve it. The most realistic military ground training is that which takes place in real terrain and weather conditions using real equipment. This ensures that the physical demands of ground operations are mirrored in training. However, providing realistic weapons effects is a different matter. While blank ammunition and various explosive battlefield effects can demonstrate activity and provide atmosphere, without a realistic apportionment of personnel and vehicle casualties they cannot provide an accurate assessment of effect. Although nothing can quite beat the adrenaline rush provided by using live ammunition, for obvious reasons such evolutions can only be one-sided and are resource-intensive in terms of safety supervision. But substituting lasers and laser detectors for live ammunition enables realistic force-on-force training and if the actions of the players are tracked and monitored, you are then close to achieving that ideal recipe for effective training.

Transcript of Fixed, deployable, scalable: TES takes training to the ... · PDF fileThe most effective...

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EQUIPMENT PROFILE, Denmark

Date Posted: 30-Apr-2015

Jane's International Defence Review

Fixed, deployable, scalable: TES takestraining to the next level

Live training using laser-based TES systems is becoming increasingly sophisticatedand realistic. Giles Ebbutt looks at Saab's solution

The most effective training is that which achieves the best balance between realism and the abilityto analyse performance and provide feedback which can be used to improve it. The most realisticmilitary ground training is that which takes place in real terrain and weather conditions using realequipment. This ensures that the physical demands of ground operations are mirrored in training.However, providing realistic weapons effects is a different matter. While blank ammunition andvarious explosive battlefield effects can demonstrate activity and provide atmosphere, without arealistic apportionment of personnel and vehicle casualties they cannot provide an accurateassessment of effect.

Although nothing can quite beat the adrenaline rush provided by using live ammunition, forobvious reasons such evolutions can only be one-sided and are resource-intensive in terms ofsafety supervision. But substituting lasers and laser detectors for live ammunition enables realisticforce-on-force training and if the actions of the players are tracked and monitored, you are thenclose to achieving that ideal recipe for effective training.

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The Saab TES dismounted equipment consists of the BT 47 laser transmitter and the PDD. TheBT 47 is the small box mounted just behind the blank firing attachment. Note the simulatedgrenade. (Saab)

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Live laser training systems are known as Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) systems. Thereare two main elements to a TES system: the laser transmitter, detector, and weapon effectssystem, and the instrumentation and tracking system that provides detailed After Action Reports(AAR). Exercises can either be conducted within a fixed Combat Training Centre (CTC) area, witha permanent communications and instrumentation infrastructure, or by using mobile datacommunications systems that achieve the same result but in different areas.

The basic principle of TES is that a laser transmitter is fitted to the weapon which 'fires' an eye-safe laser beam. When this encounters a laser detector it triggers a response according to thetype of laser 'fired'. Within the laser is embedded a code which carries information about theammunition type the laser is simulating, which can be read by the laser detector, together withthe firer's identity.

There are two types of laser system: one-way and two-way. The one-way laser has a flattrajectory, goes at the speed of light, and effectively is used for tactical engagement pairing insimple force-on-force training. The two-way scanning laser accurately simulates the ballistictrajectory and speed of a projectile and transmits impact information to targets within its scanarea.

Target systems within the area evaluate the impact data and determine the battle damage or nearmiss, as the case may be, by using a detailed vulnerability model. Detector prisms mounted on thetarget provide a return to the laser transmitter, enabling range to target to be determined. Thisrange data is used in the simulation of tracer and burst-on-target visual simulation in the gunner's

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sight.

The main types of laser code are the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES), theoriginal version developed in the United States and still in use, and the Optical InterfaceDefinition, better known by its German name, Optische Schnittstelle für Agdus und Gefübz(OSAG). The most recent version of the latter, OSAG 2.0, has been developed in part to providemore common standards among users to enable interoperability between countries and permitmore effective international exercises.

OSAG 2.0 is an open standard which has been developed by an international user communitywhich includes members of the armed forces from Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, theNetherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, but the driving force behind the initiativehas been Saab. The main aims have been to establish agreed ammunition tables, ammunitionpenetration capability data, and target vulnerability guidelines.

The new standard provides an increased number of simulated ammunition types for more realistictarget engagement effects; uses engagement distance to the target, enabling lethality to becalculated according to the effective range of the ammunition; and supports indoor positioningsystems where GPS is unavailable (achieved withinfrared diode transmitters). Laser pulse wavelengths and laser detector characteristics and geometry are standardised, and the codes aretransmitted by modulating the laser pulse intervals.

Saab is a major provider of TES systems and supplies its equipment on a large scale to the USArmy, US Marine Corps (USMC), and British Army as well as to a number of other armiesworldwide.

The BT 46 Mk II target detection system, showing the laser detectors and the reflecting prisms.(Giles Ebbutt)

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The Saab laser transmitters are the BT 46 system for crew-served and large calibre platform-mounted weapons, and the BT 47 system for small arms. The BT 47 Small Arms Transmitter(SAT), which weighs around 320 g including the bracket, is fitted to any SA weapon system up to0.50 calibre by using different clamp brackets. It is not aligned with the barrel of the weapon butwith the sight, so it is effectively zeroed to the weapon. Through the use of shaping prisms in thetransmitter the laser beam retains its shape at long ranges, with a cross-section about the size of

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a large dinner plate, resulting in greater accuracy from close-quarter engagements out to themaximum effective range.

The SAT is initiated by the shock and flash of the weapon firing a blank round but the mode canbe changed to accommodate the use of SIMUNITION rounds where there is effectively no muzzleflash. Some specific law enforcement customers who need to train in circumstances where the useof blank rounds is undesirable have opted for a dry fire switch.

The SAT is programmed to fire the correct code for the weapon and ammunition type being usedwith a device, which configures the laser according to the specific weapon. This is a simple userprocess. The SAT can fire either OSAG 2.0 or MILES codes, enabling it to be used with otherMILES devices, but has to be configured for one or the other.

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The rear view of the latest generation of PDD in its Advanced form. Note the zip on element whichadds the instrumentation capability. (Saab)

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The individual soldier wears a Personal Detection Device (PDD) which consists of vest and helmet-mounted detectors. A control module with a display and loudspeaker provides different alertsaccording to the effect, such as kill, wound, near miss, or artillery fire. There is a wireless linkbetween the PDD and the SAT, and if the latter detects that the former is 'alive' or the wearer hasonly been 'injured' below a certain threshold it will allow the weapon to be fired. In general theseare only one-way systems and no fall of shot feedback is provided, but if a customer requireshigher fidelity a two-way reflector is mounted on the helmet.

The BT 46 system is modular and scalable according to the weapon system and platform on whichit is mounted. On an armoured vehicle the laser transmitter is mounted on or in the mainarmament and integrated into the platform fire-control system (FCS), so that all relevantinformation such as laser designation and ammunition selection is recorded.

For crew-served weapons, the laser transmitter mountings vary, either being mounted in theweapon, such as in an anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW), or alongside the barrel, such as with the0.50 calibre Heavy Machine Gun (HMG). The latter is an interesting example of different levels ofcapability, as it can either be fitted with a BT 47 SAT or with a BT 46. The BT 46 provides thegunner with tracer, fall of shot and splash on target visual feedback through the Trace BurstObscuration Device (TBOS).

Vehicle or bunker target systems simulate the effect of a laser engagement through the use ofeither a precision Universal Target System (UTS) or a simpler Wireless Target System (WTS). TheUTS has a detailed vulnerability model for both turret and hull and can simulate the effect ofmultiple engagement angles and hull-down mode. When damaged or killed, the UTS built-instrobe lights flash to indicate the damage level. The UTS can also initiate pyrotechnic charges togive a visual indication of a kill with smoke. The UTS is configurable and the vulnerability modelcan be adjusted so that any vehicle can be used to simulate a particular form of platform: forexample a lorry can be used to simulate an armoured vehicle by adjusting the protection levels.

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A Wireless Target System detector (left) and a Room Association Device (right) used in the BritishArmy MOUT training complex at Copehill Down on Salisbury Plain. (Giles Ebbutt)

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A basic fighting vehicle system typically consists of the BT 46 transmitter, a Modular VehicleInterface (MVI), a UTS, and a control panel for the user interface and simulated ammunitionselection.

The configuration can be tailored according to customer need. For example, the latest version ofthe system - which is being supplied to Norway for the CV9040 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV)under a contract worth SEK142 million (USD16.4 million) awarded in August 2014 - includes twoindependent laser systems, one for the main armament and one for the RCWS, and an improvedTBOS, which provides text messages in the optical sight.

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Abrams and Bradley vehicles fitted with CV TESS equipment. (Saab)1426074

When a dismount enters a vehicle or bunker wearing a PDD, the wearer is 'associated' so that thelevel of protection afforded is recognised; the dismount is also visualised in the communicationssystem to exercise control (EXCON) as being inside. Should the host vehicle or bunker be seriouslydamaged by an engagement or improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the blast effect is transmittedto the PDD, resulting in a simulated wound or kill. This capability provides even greater battlefieldrealism: if a PDD wearer is next to an armoured vehicle which is hit, the PDD will react to reflectthe likely effect of being near to the impact.

A key part of the TES ensemble is the Controller Gun (CG) or 'God-gun', the device used byObserver/Controllers (O/C) to kill, resurrect or time-tag exercise players. The gun can also be usedto configure the vulnerability of PDD and vehicle/bunker target systems.

Another capability is a medical treatment simulator that medical personnel can use to discover thetype of 'injury' that has been sustained by a casualty. If the right treatment procedure is carriedout an O/C can then 'stabilise' the casualty with his control gun, giving the time for survivalcommensurate with the injury, all of which is recorded. There is a sophisticated version whichincludes the monitoring of supplies used by medical personnel.

While the laser transmitter and detector system is fundamental to establishing the outcome offorce-on-force engagements, it is the ability to track, record, and analyse every aspect of theseengagements that provides the most training value from the system. This is achieved by providingevery player and vehicle with a data communications terminal and tracking their movements andactivity using GPS and the communications network.

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The BT 46 on a 0.50 calibre HMG. The BT 46 is located on the left of the weapon, with the TBOSon the top at the back. (Giles Ebbutt)

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The most recent version of Saab's PDD includes different instrumentation configuration levels.First shown publicly at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference(I/ITSEC) in late 2012, it has selectable configurations to provide different levels of tracking andresponse. All have new detectors with a wider field of detection, thus removing the need for theharness shoulder sections, and there is a single 360° detector mounted on the top of the helmet,removing the need for the earlier 'halo' design.

The basic PDD configuration provides a simple detector harness with a single electronic controlbox powered by one AA battery. Its integrated GPS provides only time synchronisation but nopositional data and there is no real-time tracking. The medium configuration includes locationalinformation, which can be subsequently extracted for AAR.

A zip-on instrumentation kit has been developed which can either be added to the basicconfiguration or used on its own. This provides communications for use in instrumented trainingareas and improved GPS, which provides accurate real-time locational data. This kit can be usedon its own for tracking during live-fire exercises, or combined with the basic set to form theadvanced configuration, which provides capabilities for use on a fully instrumented training areawith 3-D AAR facilities.

Like earlier versions, the PDD records all the user's activity and transmits it via EXCON. Thecommunications system, which can either be fixed or mobile, is a network operating with a 5.4-5.7GHz microwave link. Each instrumented entity - vehicle, individual, or structure - is linked to thenetwork. If communications are lost the entity retains track and activity data until contact isregained, when it uploads the backlog.

The instrumentation can also include a streaming video system with cameras mounted on masts,trees, or in buildings that transmit live imagery of activity back to EXCON, and this can besupplemented by GPS time-stamped handheld video footage from O/Cs who accompany theplayers. This is particularly valuable for the AAR, notably for events such as interaction with localcivilians where attitude and body language can be important.

Saab has standardised its instrumentation into different levels of capability under its GAMERbrand. GAMER fixed systems are specific to individual CTCs. The GAMER Mobile system is ISO-shelter based. Covering an area up to 800 km², it can handle at least 5,000 instrumented playersand can include remote training sites via 3G or satellite communications bridges, as well as can beintegrated with operational battle management systems (BMS).

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The GAMER DITS PBS. (Giles Ebbutt)1630194

The GAMER Deployable Instrumented Training System (DITS) supports up to 1,500 players(depending on software licence level). The data communications network is provided by Portable

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Base Stations (PBS) that have a typical propagation radius of 8 km, although 20 km can beachieved in perfect conditions. A number of PBSs can be linked to provide greater coverage, butthe limit of player entities remains the same.

At the lowest level is the GAMER Manpack, which is a small-scale version with a ruggedised laptopused to provide EXCON, intended for small-scale training. Earlier versions supported up to 60instrumented entities with a communications radius of 1-3 km to personnel and 3-4 km tovehicles. However, in late 2014 Saab launched a new version, the GAMER ManPack 300, whichcan accommodate up to 300 entities.

The system consists of a single small basestation in a transit case, weighing less than 13 kgincluding batteries, and controlled by a ruggedised laptop. When stationary and connected to aportable mast it can provide coverage of a training area 6 km in diameter. If installed in a vehiclewith an integral antenna this is reduced to 4 km diameter. The basestation has a battery life ofabout eight hours, but it can also be powered from vehicle batteries or the mains.

The system operates in the 320-380 MHz frequency band with a normal update rate of player orentity position and status of typically less than five seconds. The system can be used as anextension node within an existing static CTC using a variety of communications modes includingsatellite or 3G, enabling training to take place detached from the CTC but remain part of anoverall exercise. Several ManPack 300 systems can be networked to form a larger system.

The first customer for the GAMER ManPack 300 will be the Finnish Army, which awarded acontract worth SEK360 million to Saab in March 2014 for an upgrade and expansion to its existingmobile Kaksipuolisen Taistelun Simulointijärjestelmän (KASI) system. Six ManPack 300 systemswill be delivered by 2016. The upgrade also includes the new PDD and conversion to the OSAG2.0 laser code.

The EXCON analysis provides a detailed record - which can be displayed in 3-D - of the movementand actions of every instrumented entity, including shots fired and the results of those actions. Allactivity is time-stamped. This can be supplemented by imagery and timed recordings of tacticalcommunications traffic where this is available.

The result is that the analysts can produce a graphically illustrated account of exactly whathappened in any phase of activity: exactly where everyone was at any moment; who fired what atwhom and to what effect; what orders were given and what reports received; and what casualtylevels were sustained and, if being exercised, how long it took for them to be evacuated. It iseven possible to instrument ammunition or equipment resupply in order to track its progress,analyse performance, and identify delays and bottlenecks in this mundane but vital area.

This can be presented not only to commanders at all levels but also to individual exerciseparticipants; it removes all argument as to what happened and provides an unequivocal basis foridentifying areas of strength and weakness. Mistakes are there for all to see, but the British Army'sexperience is that honest acknowledgement of these tends to strengthen team spirit rather thandetract from it. It also heightens competition among soldiers to navigate and shoot accurately.

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A screen shot from the Saab EXCON software showing the integrated CBRN capability usingArgon PlumeSim with 2-D hazard and individual personnel state. (Saab)

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Instrumentation also permits the realistic introduction of other battlefield effects. A recentdevelopment has been the addition of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN)capabilities. Using the data communications system, EXCON can designate a specific area assubject to a particular CBRN environment and the system tracks personnel as they enter this area.

The latest version of the PDD is designed to interface with a simulated protective mask filter andalso to react to simulated medical treatment delivered by a handheld simulator. If the protectivemask is fitted correctly in response to a simulated chemical attack, a sensor detects the user'sbreathing and transmits this to the PDD to maintain the 'alive' status. If not, the PDD will react tothe range of possible agents according to a predetermined vulnerability list.

The protective clothing worn by a player is also electronically assigned to the PDD, so thatdecontamination actions can be registered using an O/C's control gun. Saab has worked closelywith Argon Electronics, the CBRN training company, in developing the capability. It is integratedwith Argon's PlumeSim wide area CBRN field training system, and can also be used with Argon'ssimulated detection equipment.

Beyond this, the detection of and defence against IEDs is now an important element in livetraining. Saab has developed its Multi Detector Simulator (MDS), a programmable device that canbe clipped to a detector such as the Vallon used by the British Army and others. This has awireless link to the PDD in the same fashion as the SAT. The MDS monitors the actions of thedetector user, recording sweep (speed), swoop (the angle of the detector head), and height offthe ground. The MDS can be programmed according to the required parameters.

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The MDS provides a traffic light-based display of effective performance in EXCON, with the rate ofadvance calculated by GPS. It shows up as a 'snail trail' with green, amber and red elementsaccording to the effectiveness of the searching technique.

Simulated IEDs can be instrumented and triggered via the wireless signal from an entity - either avehicle or an individual - and will have an appropriate effect on that entity according to the natureof the IED and the protection level of the entity. Booby traps, suicide vests, and wire-initiatedIEDs will also have a similar effect, although they are not instrumented.

The effect of an IED jammer can also be simulated by EXCON designating the protective 'bubble'this provides, which prevents instrumented IEDs from initiating. The 'bubble' and the positions ofthose within it can be shown graphically in the AAR, illustrating where the correct positioning totake advantage of the jammer's protection is being adopted and where it is not.

Saab has developed specific accessories to support live training for Military Operations in UrbanTerrain (MOUT) and to enable a seamless translation from training in open country to urbanoperations. An important part of the process is constructing a 3-D representation of the buildingsto be instrumented for use by EXCON and to support vulnerability and effects calculations. All theequipment is easily deployable; constructing the 3-D representation is the most time-consumingelement.

The production version of Saab's ATES C-IED Vallon handheld mine detector training sensor, inuse with the British Army. (Saab)

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To overcome the loss of GPS tracking when individuals are inside buildings, Room AssociationDevices (RAD) are used. These can be easily fixed to walls with their location noted on the EXCONmodel. These provide a wireless association to the PDD, so that an individual's progress can betracked through the building. They are also installed at the likely entrances to a building to trackthe initial entry. The Structure Information Device (SID) transmits the building configurationdetails to the PDD.

The Structure Effects Simulator (SES) provides the 'shoot through wall' effect. When initiated bydirect fire from outside the building, it calculates and distributes casualties within, depending onthe wall structure and the type of ammunition. Casualties are evaluated according to their locationin relation to the impact, with primary effects in the immediate vicinity and secondary effects -with less serious casualties - in adjoining rooms. The SES is configurable for different types ofbuilding and construction, and can be interfaced for pyrotechnics or other battlefield effects.

The Building Effects Generator (BEG) provides a range of battlefield effects, including up to 50different audio cues, smells, explosions, flashing lights, and smoke.

Saab has also incorporated fragmentation and stun hand grenades using a 0.8 g Chemringpyrotechnic charge that is safe at a radius of 10 cm. When the grenade explodes it transmits asignal to the PDDs within the effective range. This has been supplied to the Swedish Army for itsUrban Operations Training System.

MOUT is manpower intensive and providing realistic levels of opposition for force-on-force trainingplaces a heavy demand for manpower resources as defenders. One solution to this is to providereactive targets, equipped with laser detectors to respond to 'fire'. These targets can also have ashoot-back system which will transmit laser fire.

Screenshot from the EXCON software during a British Army exercise using the DFWES in Kenya.Individual personnel and vehicles are tracked. Note the line denoting fire on the bunker in thebottom left of the screen. (Saab)

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The United States and the United Kingdom are Saab's biggest customers. The UK has been usingthe equipment on Salisbury Plain, at Sennelager in Germany, and at Suffield in Canada since 1994.In Kenya, Saab provides a fully managed service for the British Army to support seven exercises a

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year at light battlegroup level with the Deployable Tactical Engagement System (DTES), based onthe Gamer DITS. Saab provides and maintains the DTES to a contracted level of availability andalso provides all the EXCON staff and analysts.

Saab has been supplying the equipment to the US military since the late 1980s, and it has beensuccessful in securing several major contracts recently. In 2009 it won a USMC contract for thefirst phase of the Instrumented-Tactical Engagement Simulation System (I-TESS), consisting of 10DITS including EXCON, over 2,000 infantry systems, over 200 vehicle systems, 200 MOUTsystems, and 500 targets.

In early 2012 Saab was awarded a contract for the US Army Combat Vehicle Tactical EngagementSimulation System (CV TESS) to equip Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs), Bradley IFVs, andOPFOR vehicles. The contract is for up to 4,000 systems. CV TESS is a one-way system consistingof generic equipment including wireless detector units, a vehicle kill indicator, a long-range lasertransmitter, a vehicle interface, and a control module; and vehicle specific kit for the Abrams andBradley, including an additional transmitter for the Bradley TOW.

The instrumentation and communications capability was used to meet a contract awarded in 2011by the US Army for the Live Training Transformation Interim Range System (LT2-IRS)programme. This consists of deployable communication trailers and player units that willinstrument legacy MILES soldier and vehicle simulators. Each system can cover a 400 km 2

training area, scalable up to 800 km 2 , and each communications trailer can handle up to 7,000entities.

While these may be the most significant customers, Saab's TES equipment is also widely used inEurope, as well in Brazil and Chile. The latter has two fixed GAMER systems.

INTEROPERABILITY: EXERCISE 'NOBLE LEDGER'Exercise 'Noble Ledger' was a NATOResponse Force (NRF) 2015 Land Component Command exercise designed to confirm theformation's interoperability and confirm its readiness. It consisted of a combined Command PostExercise in Germany and a Field Training Exercise (FTX) in Norway in the vicinity of Terningmoen,Rena Leir, and the surrounding area.The formation was commanded by Headquarters (HQ) 1 GE/NL Corps and six battlegroups fromNorway, the Netherlands (NL), Denmark and Germany participated. Over 2,500 personnel andvehicles were equipped with laser simulators and used the OSAG 2.0 code. Some, but not all ofthis was Saab equipment, either from participants' own holdings or leased for the exercise fromSaab. German troops used the Ausbildungsgerät Duellsimulator (AGDUS) equipment supplied byRheinmetall.Saab was contracted to provide the instrumentation and ensure the interoperability of theparticipants' TES systems. It provided the instrumentation communications network for the FTX,which required 1,600 km² coverage for soldier systems and 2,200 km² for vehicle systems. Thisneeded 10 radio basestations and was achieved by using the portable basestations from the NLMobile CTC, the Norwegian Army CTC fixed infrastructure including its fibre backbone, and anadditional PBS supplied by Saab. The system was configured for multiple EXCONs and AARfacilities in the field. The network and the EXCON software were able to handle up to 3,000players.For the force-on-force events, the common OSAG 2.0 code worked well, with effective interactionregardless of which TES equipment was in use. However, the German AGDUS equipment couldnot be tracked by the Saab instrumentation and was therefore not visible to EXCON. This was

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overcome by instrumenting German command-and-control vehicles and commanders with vestsfrom the MCTC, enabling forces to be aggregated and tracked in EXCON and for AAR. Althoughthis meant that for engagements between Saab-equipped and AGDUS-equipped troops AGDUSfirelines and individual soldiers were not visible, in the context of the exercise and the level ofcommand and AAR involved this was not significant.The value of integrating the TES equipment for such a large-scale exercise was summarised byColonel R de Jong, the exercise director: "The advantages with instrumented training werethreefold. First of all we had a 'real fight' between the parties without interference by referees.Secondly, it supported the OTE-personnel [Observer/Trainer/Evaluator] in the execution of theirjob by presenting and recording the fight on their laptop. Last, but certainly not least, since thearea-wide picture was presented on a big screen in our operations room, I had an outstandingSituational Awareness. I can't imagine an exercise on this scale without using integratedsimulation systems."

COMMENT

Saab is not the only manufacturer producing TES equipment. In the US, Lockheed Martin, andparticularly Cubic Defense Applications are the major players, with substantial domestic andoverseas contracts. Most recently Cubic seems to have emerged as Saab's major competitor in theUS, winning the second phase of the USMC I-TESS programme. However, the two work togetherin the UK where both sets of equipment are in use on the Salisbury Plain Training Area.Rheinmetall is the main supplier for the German Army and has recently rebranded its entire TESequipment range under the Legatus name. It won the contract for the provision of CTC equipmentin the UAE, which includes fixed, mobile, and MOUT facilities. It had also been in the middle ofdeveloping a major facility for the Russian Army at Mulino, which could have led to contracts forfurther similar CTCs elsewhere in Russia, when the situation in the Crimea and Eastern Ukrainebrought the programme to an abrupt halt.Switzerland's RUAG has been its main domestic supplier for some time for both fixed CTC andMOUT equipment. It has recently developed a new version, Gladiator, as well as a mobile CTCwith different ranges and capacities. There are also a number of other smaller players in themarket, both in the US and Europe.There is likely to be fierce competition in India soon, where Zen Technologies is the domesticincumbent but which lacks the experience of some of the international competition. And acompetition for an additional major MOUT facility in the UAE is still in progress.

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