UDT 2011: Simulation vital for ASW operations
World navies conducting anti-submarine warfare (ASW) must concentrate their efforts on simulation in order to ‘maximise the undersea advantage’, according a senior industry official.
Addressing delegates at the Underwater Defence Technology (UDT) Europe exhibition in London, Bill Lambert, international key account manager for naval and maritime simulation and training at Rheinmetall Defence Electronics, said simulation enhanced force combat readiness and described synthetic training as ideal for both ASW and other naval operations.
‘ASW remains a core mission discipline for the navies in the 21st Century,’ he urged.
Following the mantra ‘all but war is simulation’, Lambert emphasised the need for a networked synthetic environment in the ‘extremely complicated operating environment’ that is ASW warfare.
Referring to asymmetric threats above and below surface, he stressed how simulated training was considered the most cost-effective way to prepare for these threats. Lambert also predicted a move from ‘platform intensive’ to networked ‘sensor rich’ ASW operations, citing Rheinmetall’s cooperation with both the Federal German and Royal Thai Navies.
‘What we’ve looked at with both of the navies is post-Cold War [scenarios]; where have things gone? From blue water to littoral water ASW,’ he commented. ‘We have moved with technology, and what we’ve basically arrived at now is a flexible and modular solution to produce a reconfigurable trainer.’
Acknowledging that although simulation is the cheaper option it is still expensive, Lambert said that adaptability of the training platform was paramount.
‘Certainly it is possible to provide a stand-alone stimulation on original equipment in a closed environment, but what we’re seeing now is the ability to reconfigure a trainer for different roles as most important.
‘This has been technologically capable, to do network synthetic training, for quite a long time, but it’s only in the last five years and up to now that it has been starting to happen,’ he concluded.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule]()
US speeds up B61-13 nuclear bomb production as programme moves further ahead of schedule
The US government plans to accelerate production even further after achieving key B61-13 milestones months ahead of schedule, as the programme advances amid growing US-China strategic competition.
-
![Canada’s C$2 billion ACSV deal reinforces new defence industrial strategy as allies align]()
Canada’s C$2 billion ACSV deal reinforces new defence industrial strategy as allies align
General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada is the country’s first strategic partner under the Defence Industrial Strategy’s Strategic Partnership Framework, an effort to provide companies with confidence to invest and boost the defence labour force.
-
![New UK armed forces minister frames High North defence as vital to “homeland security”]()
New UK armed forces minister frames High North defence as vital to “homeland security”
The UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces Louise Sandher-Jones made her first appearance in the role before the House of Commons Defence Committee this week to highlight efforts to improve capability in the High North.
-
![Canada seeks to strengthen industrial ties with the US on classified programmes]()
Canada seeks to strengthen industrial ties with the US on classified programmes
Ottawa explores expanding defence-industrial cooperation with Washington into sensitive programmes, an approach that could reshape NORAD modernisation, strengthen North American supply chains and create new opportunities for defence contractors.
-
![UK’s latest defence robotics and autonomy competition looks to break new ground]()
UK’s latest defence robotics and autonomy competition looks to break new ground
The UK Ministry of Defence is backing early-stage, high-risk autonomy concepts that could redefine how military systems are developed and deployed.
-
![How AI is reshaping defence procurement through sustainment]()
How AI is reshaping defence procurement through sustainment
Artificial intelligence is not just changing how defence equipment is maintained but how defence programmes are won, creating new opportunities for industry by influencing acquisition decisions and shaping competition.
