The Austrian Armed Forces have already procured duel simulators from the Swedish manufacturer Saab several times and recently announced the purchase of further systems worth ten million euros. announced. An interview with Hans Lindgren, Head of Business Development at Saab Training & Simulation (Saab T&S) about the requirements for good simulation solutions.
Mr. Lindgren, what must a good combat simulator be able to do in any case?
Live combat training is always about conveying the highest possible degree of realism – before this experience, with all its uncertainties and surprises, has to be experienced in action for the first time. And that together with your fighter group and the vehicles in your platoon. Only when the degree of realism is high is immediate and fact-based feedback possible, which is essential for learning processes at all levels. All soldiers and vehicles taking part in training have sensors that document hits, lasers for their own fire and real-time data exchange via radio. This means that weapon use and weapon effects are displayed in real time, with the soldier’s own weapon but without live fire.
“Live combat training is always about conveying the highest possible degree of realism.”
Saab T&S can cover all this at all levels?
Yes, we can do that. But it has taken many years to get there and to communicate the necessity to all those who need it. Today, our systems can be used for all types of live exercises at all levels – i.e. on vehicle-mounted rifles and assault rifles, but also on machine guns and sniper rifles. This is important both for the real-life experience of the individual soldier and the crew of a vehicle in the field and for urban combat exercises. The experience gained forms an important basis and analysis for the further training of commanders of larger units and at a higher level. We have been able to make a lot of progress in this area in recent years, which now needs to be further expanded.
Are the corresponding devices and sensors manufactured by Saab T&S only in Sweden or also by partners in other countries?
Development and most of the production takes place in Huskvarna in Sweden, while the majority of the components for virtual indoor training come from our Slavkov site in the Czech Republic.
So there are several product segments under your simulation umbrella?
We distinguish between four major areas in our portfolio: 1) Laser-based live training outdoors in the field with sensors, detectors and retroreflectors, data transmission and a target computer. 2) Virtual target display for live training with real ammunition. 3) Virtual indoor training and 4) On-site service and support for the three areas mentioned. We currently have operations in 15 dedicated simulation facilities, two of them in Sweden, eleven in the rest of Europe and one each in the USA and Canada. In terms of live training, which can be produced more or less anywhere, we are now represented in 21 countries and armed forces in Europe and six in North and South America. There is also a Saab T&S branch in Orlando, Florida, because the US Army, an important individual customer, has its land simulation center there.
Do the different armed forces all pursue the same objectives, training content and focus on the same types of weapons in their live training?
Not at all, the content is completely different. Some want training for infantry weapons, others prefer to focus on combat vehicles or they want to train infantry forces to fight tanks with various one-man tanks and bunker busters, or a combination of all of these.
Briefly about the technology: The simulation systems are all based on laser?
Not all of them. In real scenarios, in addition to firefights in direct – and sometimes very long – lines of sight, indirect area effects such as artillery or grenade launchers are also used. In order to be able to simulate these, we use georeferencing tools in addition to lasers. This enables smaller isolated exercises for 120 participants over distances of two to four kilometers and with a power supply for ten hours, but with our own field power station and 4G transmitter/receiver system with 30-meter masts, large-scale networked exercises with up to 10,000 participants over distances of up to 15 kilometers are also possible. Depending on the customer’s wishes and the available budget, we can implement practically any requirements. In conjunction with a vulnerability model for the respective weapon system, the weapon effect is also displayed. Depending on the ammunition and hit location, this can have no effect, but can also result in the partial failure of systems such as fire control computers or the total failure of a large number of different states. These effects are displayed visually and acoustically and recorded for later evaluation and debriefing. We can even show whether there are casualties and how seriously they are injured, which in turn may necessitate an evacuation and the deployment of SAR or MEDEVAC teams, including cover and all the consequences. Many facets can be displayed, just like in real operations.
To what extent can the systems be networked if an army – as in many Eastern European countries – has Russian or home-made weapons in its inventory alongside Western systems?
That’s not a problem, we have to create a digital replica for each customer’s weapon anyway, with its specific characteristics. Incidentally, this mix is not only found in Eastern Europe, Finland also operates Russian T-72s alongside its Leopard tanks, for example, and we had Russian BMP-3s in service in Sweden for a while.
“It has been agreed with the Ministry of Defense that the supply of equipment will begin next year and we will adhere to this schedule.”
With this in mind, you mentioned to Janes Defence in 2019 that there is an international partnership of various users around your simulation model. How does that work and who is involved?
That’s right, some of our customers reached an agreement in 2008 in which they agreed on a common interface for the training interfaces we procured as part of an “Interoperability User Community” (IUC). They are all members of the so-called “Gamer family” and use Saab’s modular training system to become fully interoperable. This means that soldiers from the USA can be sent to Sweden, for example, where they can train and be evaluated together with Norwegian or Finnish comrades in the same combat environment up to battalion level using plug-and-play. Austria was involved in this agreement right from the start. The most recent IUC partner, now numbering 16, is Belgium.
At the beginning of the year, you received a new ten million euro order from Austria. When will the simulation elements for the Pandur, Dingo, Husar and Hägglunds weapon stations be delivered?
It has been agreed with the Ministry of Defense that the supply of equipment will begin next year and we will adhere to this schedule.
Click here for more news about Saab.
