Rheinmetall was awarded an export order worth tens of millions of dollars to equip an “ultramodern facility” with simulation technology for an undisclosed military customer in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region, the company said Friday.
As part of the award, a total ‘training city’ will be constructed in the customer country with technical features to make it a world- leading advanced training center for preparing soldiers and security personnel for urban operations, Rheinmetall said. Eventually formations up to battalion battle group size will be able to train in the facility.
The company said a mock city of over 150 buildings has already been constructed by the customer to allow realistic training in a complex urban environment. This includes residential districts, multi-story terraced houses, detached suburban-style houses, shopping centers, a school, a hospital, sports facilities, government buildings, embassies, and high-rise buildings upward of nine stories tall to represent apartments, office buildings, and hotels. The training center also includes an urban road network, including bridges over a river.
Rheinmetall is set to equip urban infrastructure specially built by the customers with a set of simulation technologies that will be used for training. This includes a high-performance wireless data and position location systems, a control and evaluation center, and presentation systems for exercise briefings.
The company highlighted its Advanced Laser Engagement System is included, which is designed to take into account the special requirements of urban operations and house-to-house fighting. In this system every combat vehicle included is fitted with laser receivers that enable the vehicles to be engaged from above.
Under this system the status and position of all exercise participants can be monitored in real time from the control and evaluation center. The Advanced Laser Engagement System also can simulate the impact of indirect fire on building interiors, like from artillery and mortars, Rheinmetall said.
The overall training facility is generally suitable for the laser systems and live fire exercises, the company said.
Other parts of the order include Rheinmetall installing a video monitoring system for sections of the facility where live firing takes place, a virtual simulation system for prior tactical training of leaders, and the company’s Legatus live simulation technology, which “will play a crucial part” in the training center.
The Legatus system is a set of modular live training systems the company uses to satisfy live training requirements.