British Army conducts largest ever virtual exercise
The British Army has announced that soldiers from the 2nd Battalion the Royal Welsh completed the army’s largest ever virtual simulation exercise on 30 January.
Exercise Urban Warrior 5 used advanced science and technology as part of a cutting-edge experiment designed to help the army better understand the battlefield of the future.
Using virtual simulation at the Land Warfare Centre in Warminster some 190 soldiers fought various scenarios, with their actions monitored by a sophisticated system of computers and advanced simulation software. All information was collected for further analysis by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Niteworks Partnership who developed the simulation programme.
Brig Simon Deakin, Director Army Force Development, said: “This experiment gives us a unique view into what is required for the British Army to operate successfully on future operations. By testing our soldiers in a number of demanding scenarios we can determine the optimum tactics, equipment and training that are required for us to shape the Army of the future.”
The exercise followed a previous real-life simulation exercise in December 2012 at the Urban Warfare Training Centre in France. soldiers worked with Warrior infantry fighting vehicles and Challenger 2 main battle tanks in a series of realistic battlefield scenarios.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Dstl will now use the data collected to feed a further simulation model, collating results from all of the simulations. The analytical results of this programme, designed by MoD scientists and theNiteworks Partnership, will provide evidence-based advice to the army on the critical capabilities required in order to operate in the future urban battlefield, and the most cost-effective approaches to developing the future force.
More from Land Warfare
-
Lithuania set for Leopards and CV90s following latest order of Boxers
Lithuania, like several countries bordering Russia, has invested heavily in defence since the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. In the past 12 months, Lithuania has ordered GM200 air defence radars, Expal towed mortars and Mobile Short-Range Air Defence (MSHORAD) systems.
-
US Army orders TOW missiles from Raytheon under contracts totalling $676 million
The order from the US Army is made of two contracts with some of the weapon systems potentially destined for Ukraine and other set to resupply US stocks of missiles sent to Ukraine.
-
Rheinmetall to supply 81mm EIMOS mortar systems to Spain under $162 million deal
The 81mm EXPAL Integrated Mortar System (EIMOS) is a platform-based system which will be used by Spain’s army, navy and air force.
-
Polaris upgrades MRZR for heavier payloads and announces US Air Force contracts
A reinforced version of the 6x6 MRZR ultra-light mobility vehicle can transport a payload of approximately 1,360kg and munitions such as Northrop Grumman’s Jackal.
-
EOS looks to improve CUAS capability as further development and deployment continue
EOS Defense Systems remote weapon stations (RWS) have been in service in Ukraine. The company has seen users deploy it for CUAS roles in a war where drones have been heavily used.
-
Textron to make improvements to Ripsaw M5 and M3 UGVs
The company has been partnering with several suppliers to enhance the autonomy of its platforms.