56 Networked Cabins Among the Largest Simulation Solutions Worldwide
Indra has begun to deliver new simulators for the Pizarro IFV to the Spanish Army, the company announced on 16 May.
The first section of four simulators has been delivered to the Army’s Córdoba base, and further deliveries will be made during the coming month to bases at Badajoz, Ceuta, Gerona, Madrid, Melilla and Zaragoza. When all the simulators are connected, they will constitute one of the largest and most advanced joint armored vehicle tactical training networks in Europe, and one of the most advanced simulation centers in the world: a total of 56 compartments connected to a planned simulation network in which tactical and collaborative exercises will be conducted in mission conditions very close to reality.
Each of the four simulators in the section consists of two compartments, one simulating the driving position, which sits on a three-degree-of-freedom motion platform, and a turret compartment, in which commander and gunner are positioned. The simulator enables the commander to exit through the hatch and train outside the vehicle, in which case the system automatically detects this and changes the configuration so that he/she can view the surrounding area. The system simulates the two existing configurations of the Pizarro (Phase I and Phase II), and can also be networked with other simulators situated elsewhere, allowing for joint exercises, including interaction with other simulation systems available on the Army’s training platform.
“The Pizarro vehicle simulator is designed to develop capabilities and skills in tactical and collaborative training; it allows the soldiers to quickly prepare for their missions, moving around in complex scenarios in which they have to coordinate with their team inside the vehicle and other vehicles in their platoon, and learn how to communicate and coordinate, where to move and how to react in the face of the enemy. It also capitalizes on the new technologies linked to virtual reality and gamification and maximizes the communication and interoperability capabilities of the systems,” explains Rafael Junco, Indra’s Simulation Director.
Indra’s immersive simulation system is integrated into the serious games virtual training platform used by the Army, which provides training for soldiers in a virtual field of operations in which they can interact with all kinds of troops, platforms, threats and scenarios. Thanks to these new technologies, the Army will also be able to prepare real operations, replicating its regular tactical manoeuvres and exercises which, in some cases, involve thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles, helicopters and drones.
The Army and the Spanish MoD have also actively taken part in development of the Pizarro simulator at every stage, from requirements analysis to final testing and integration. In parallel Simumak, an Indra subsidiary, has manufactured the cabins, which are faithful replicas of the ‘live’ vehicle, thereby contributing to increased agility and flexibility and shorter development times. Indra will display a Pizarro vehicle simulator at FEINDEF in Madrid, 17-19 May.
