NSC selected to deliver the British Army's UBVT capability.

[Asid]

NSC selected to deliver the British Army's Unit Based Virtual Training
reported: 24th January 2017




Congrats to NSC who have been selected to deliver the British Army's Unit Based Virtual Training capability, which is the successor to the UK MOD's highly successful Op JCOVE previously delivered by NSC. UBVT takes advantage of the MOD's Defence Virtual Simulation, which is provided through Bohemia Interactive Simulations' VBS3. Read below:


TRAINING WITHOUT CONSTRAINTS
NSC will continue to provide virtual training to the British Army until at least 2020 after being awarded a major contract by the Ministry of Defence.

Having been competitively selected to deliver the Army’s Unit Based Virtual Training (UBVT) capability, the simulation specialist will manage a diverse range of exercises designed to prepare Regular and Reserve personnel for future operations.

The contract, which is worth circa Ł4 million and will run for up to five years, is the successor to the UK MOD’s highly-successful Joint Combat Operations Virtual Environment (Op JCOVE) programme previously delivered by NSC. Over eight-and-a-half years, Op JCOVE has readied more than 16,000 soldiers for overseas deployments and delivered the British Army significant savings in ammunition, vehicle track mileage and maintenance costs.

Complementing rather than replacing field exercises, UBVT will enable units to collectively practise fire and manoeuvre, command and control, and tactics, techniques and procedures in a realistic synthetic environment and consequently get greater benefit from live training opportunities.

NSC’s new hi-tech system can be adapted to meet specific training objectives and immerses soldiers in high-fidelity terrains featuring authentic vehicles and weaponry and intelligent non-combatants and hostile forces.

UBVT exploits the MOD’s Defence Virtual Simulation - which is provided through Bohemia Interactive’s Virtual Battlespace 3, a state-of-the-art, game-based military simulation widely used by other NATO partners, including the US Marines - and is run on a network of laptop computers. Those training are able to communicate via headsets and an emulation of the Army’s Platform Battlefield Information Systems Application.

The next-generation system is ideal for mission preparation and refining future concepts and emerging doctrine, but its versatility will also aid the Army in bridging gaps in its current core equipment programme, enabling training for platforms procured as urgent operational requirements.

Thanks to a teaming agreement between NSC and 4C Strategies, UBVT will benefit from Exonaut™ - a comprehensive training progression and exercise management tool already employed by the British Army.

Exonaut™ will be used to book and modify UBVT events, manage and track collective training achievements, provide objective evidence for after-action review activities and present a transparent view of a unit’s progression to better prepare for future training opportunities.

Under the terms of the contract, NSC will also establish a physical and virtual UBVT Centre of Excellence to track training trends and share best practice across the Army, ensuring continuous improvement in collective training techniques.

Major Simon Roberts, who works in Simulation, Training and Development for the British Army, said: “Training employing virtual simulation provides a realistic environment in which soldiers can hone the vital skills needed to deal with unpredictable and hostile situations.

“UBVT will deliver a training event to a unit that will focus and challenge all levels of personnel. Activity can be conducted or a mission rehearsed in any environment without constraints such as shortage of vehicles, training estate or ammunition. Innovative systems like UBVT will raise exercise start standards and enable more challenging training, ultimately enhancing a soldier’s effectiveness on the battlefield.”

NSC Chief Executive Jeremy Spurr said: “We are delighted to continue to work with the UK MOD to deliver this industry-leading virtual training capability across the British Army.

“Building on the success of the Op JCOVE programme, UBVT will provide a highly-developed managed service solution incorporating the latest simulation and innovative technologies to bring new standards of best practice and coherence to the management of exercises and training objectives.

“For 25 years we have been at the forefront of delivering effective war gaming and simulation to our Armed Forces and this latest contract demonstrates NSC’s commitment to providing innovation and training excellence to our valued customer base in the UK and worldwide.”