Enhancing education: How CAE is embracing new technology to boost military training

This In Conversation interview is brought to you by Shephard in partnership with CAE.

NATO militaries and their allies are facing significant readiness gaps and staffing shortfalls, even as the modern battlespace grows increasingly complex and demanding. Accelerated training built on technological innovation will form a key part of the solution, according to Marc-Olivier Sabourin, Division President at CAE Defense & Security, International, a training and simulation specialist.

Canada-headquartered CAE provides a wide range of training and support services, educating more than 220,000 personnel every year in both the defence and civilian sectors. 

Its major contracts include pilot training for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF’s) Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) and working with Leonardo to deliver comprehensive lead-in fighter training to trainees from Italy and other allied nations as part of the International Flight Training School (IFTS) for the Italian Air Force. The company was also recently identified by Canada as a strategic partner for its Future Fighter Lead-in Training (FFLIT) programme.

On average, Canada and its allies’ armed forces are understaffed by 17-20%, noted Sabourin, even while most Western militaries look to boost defence investment and equip themselves with new weapons and systems.

For example, it is one thing to invest in new fifth- or sixth-generation aircraft, but the increased demand for fighter pilots – who take about five years to train – can generate significant bottlenecks.

“The solution is to outsource a significant portion of the problem to industry so that we can solve the demand issue,” Sabourin said. “Industry can introduce innovation that allows militaries to reduce the time it takes to get individuals qualified.”

Digitalisation and AI

For CAE, there are two primary areas of current technological focus, Sabourin explained. On one level, the company is investing in digitalisation. This will be achieved through enhanced synthetic environments, which create highly immersive experiences for students to exercise their skills in a close representation of the battlefield.

“If we look at weapon systems like hypersonic missiles and drones – technology is changing rapidly. At this pace, how can military forces maintain operational readiness? It would take far too long to incorporate each innovation into battlefield exercises – the most effective solution is through the digital battlespace.”

The second major focus is artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). AI-based “instructors” could follow students through every step of the learning journey and enable “self-paced” training.

AI could handle much of a basic training syllabus, Sabourin noted, allowing students and their human instructors to work on higher-level tasks, saving time and money.

CAE has utilised AI in pilot training for its air force customers, Sabourin said, and is now deploying the technology in the navy and army arenas: “AI was once a bit of a buzzword, but customers now demand it.”

CAE is in a strong position to accelerate the use of AI in training, he added, both through its own systems and by adopting generative AI packages “off the shelf.” AI is built on data, Sabourin noted; so, the more of that data, the more sophisticated the AI.

Because CAE essentially digitalised its training systems from the beginning, it can “leverage petabytes of data on pilot training and more, drawing on both our civil and military networks,” he continued. On the civil side alone, CAE has more than 300 simulators active daily, whose data can then be collected and analysed before being fed into the AI system to generate better quality training.

New procurement models

Technology now moves so quickly that traditional procurement methods almost struggle to keep pace, Sabourin said. This has demanded new types of partnerships between companies like CAE, government customers and industry partners.

He pointed to the development of the Italian IFTS in Sardinia, delivered through a joint venture called Leonardo CAE Advanced Jet Training Srl. The JV provides full training support services plus maintenance and operation of M-346 trainer aircraft, while the Italian Air Force manages the curriculum and works with other national customers of the training capability.

This site is now training fighter pilots from 13 nations, Sabourin said, having taken just two years to build and become fully operational. “If you think about the complexity of setting up a fighter pilot school, it's quite significant,” he added, noting that the company expects to see growing demand due to new combat aircraft requirements within Europe. “Speed is a critical factor,” Sabourin emphasised.

Another example is the RCAF’s FFLIT programme, which focuses on the final phase of training before aviators become fighter pilots. A typical procurement process would have seen Canada write the specifications, run a tender, down-select companies and sign a contract; it could have taken five to ten years. But in this case, “they evaluated industry capabilities and decided to select CAE as a strategic partner” from the outset, he said, meaning the programme could be executed in far less time.

CAE works closely with partners across industry to integrate best-in-class technologies, meaning it can offer bespoke training systems. For instance, he said the company is integrating video game engines into its solutions.

“Gaming has reached a certain level and continues evolving,” he said. “We benefit from gaming ecosystems that will continuously improve the immersive nature of our training solution. We will do the same thing with some AI components and other technology.”

Collaborative advantage

Outsourcing has been a key accelerator for training development, Sabourin said, because it enables militaries to “leverage an augmented workforce.” It can utilise novel procurement processes that enable militaries to shape the right training structure and outcome from the very beginning, he said.

The most successful examples have come through partnership steering board models between armed forces and industry, he said, with joint programme offices focused on a common task. This increases military control over the outcome from the earliest stages of the process, he noted, while reducing the number of interfaces with government for industry.

“This approach ensures that we deliver a system that fulfils the intended requirements and specifications,” Sabourin said. “Consistent and regular collaboration ensures alignment throughout the process – and that is extremely powerful.”

One of the biggest challenges is “training the trainer”, Sabourin noted: developing instructor cadres. This is because it can be difficult to define the qualification requirements of those instructors.

“Traditionally, militaries rely on their most experienced personnel to serve as instructors,” he said. “In the context of a constrained workforce, it may be more effective to retain those individuals in operational roles and explore alternative methods to accelerate instructor qualification, so that you can achieve a ‘train the trainer’ model that helps deploy systems more quickly.”

Again, technology provides the solution, Sabourin explained, notably by “objectivising student performance” through data. This can produce alternative paths to preparing instructors.

For example, with objectivised training, a newly trained instructor – even one with limited experience – can educate students to a certain qualification level, because the precise requirements have been defined based on objective data. The more experienced instructors can then be deployed to perform a readiness level assessment on individual students, before deciding whether further training is required.

“The experienced person will be able to judge at that point if the student has acquired the level of maturity expected, as opposed to using the most experienced person from day one. Such innovations mean we can create a lot of alternative paths to train the trainer.”

Immersive future

Sabourin said CAE anticipates significant growth in the defence training market in the coming years. The investment required in this segment is rising at an average of twice the overall spending increase needed for allied nations, he explained.

“Militaries are recapitalising their infrastructure, creating a substantial demand for training to support the integration of new systems. Due to personnel constraints, there will be an increase in outsourcing, creating significant demand on the training market.”

Training is likely to grow even more immersive soon, he said, pointing to the rapid evolution of consumer technology like the Apple Vision Pro 3D headset. This represents a significant performance increase compared to other augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) systems, he said, providing a major boost for self-paced training.

“With the Apple Vision Pro, for example, it becomes feasible to train an individual from any location. They can acquire the foundational knowledge of flight and all the basics of operating any of the aircraft platforms in this environment; once the system determines they have achieved a level of readiness, they can then transition into a formal training class or a simulator-based environment with instructors.”

CAE envisions a completely immersive training environment taking shape in the next few years, he said.

“Each stage of the learning process will be much more relevant to students compared to the traditional method of reading a document followed by going out to practice. We can now integrate reading, learning and practicing at every step along the way, with technology measuring performance and guiding students throughout the process.”

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