Defense enters the virtual battlefield

[Asid]

Defense enters the virtual battlefield



The Center for Simulation of the Land Component On Wednesday, May 18th, the new Virtual Battlespace presented to Defence Minister in charge of Civil Affairs Steven Vandeput. He visited the center for the occasion in Leopoldsburg.

"Virtual Battlespace is a tactical simulator for small units to the level of a platoon," said Major Jan Vandamme, the commander of the Center for Simulation. "It's battle groups of about fifty people, who can work with all their resources their tactical skills in a very realistic environment."

The system resembles a huge comprehensive and realistic first person shooter, a computer game where the player sees everything through the eyes of the game character. The members of the platoon sitting together in a computer room in the Center for Simulation. They each get a computer, equipped with accessories specific to their function. For example, a driver receives a steering wheel and pedals instead of a keyboard. The soldiers perform the same tasks that they normally would perform during a field exercise.

"This is definitely part of the future for defense," said Defence Minister in charge of Civil Affairs Steven Vandeput. "Our people can practice these things here too expensive, too dangerous or too intensive personnel on the ground. Therefore, this is a good way of doing things."

The look and feel may well resemble that of a computer, the system is much more than that. "All the characteristics of the weapons and vehicles that simulates the system are faithfully", is Major Vandamme further. "The soldiers in the simulation are really tired of their physical activity. In a computer game, the player can usually collect some shots before he dies, in this virtual battlefield usually all die in one hit."

The Center for Simulation offers a total of 180 licenses of the Virtual Battlespace spread over barracks in Leopoldsburg, Arlon and Marche-en-Famenne. They have meanwhile been trained 450 soldiers trained in the simulator and almost 70 monitors.