Guardiaris pushing forward on simulation technology
At Eurosatory 2024 Guardiaris, the Slovenian simulation champion, unveiled a series of systems, some of them developed under the guidance of the Slovenian Armed Forces
Aiming at improving the quality of the training provided to soldiers while reducing the complexity and the logistic burden for military organisations, Guardiaris has developed a new series of simulators, which were shown for the first time at the Paris exhibition last June. They all exploit the company in-house developed GUARD™ image generator.
SAMT, a new solution for mobile infantry training
One of the best sellers for the Slovenian company has been the Small Arms Tactical Trainer, SATT in short,. The system was based on one or up to five projectors and was modular, trainees using weapons with a very light and small laserless add-on that allowed to maintain the same weight and balance of the rifle or handgun, work on those modules being continuous in order to further improve their performances. The new system presented by Guardiaris is named SAMT, for Small Arms Mobile Trainer, and is not using projectors anymore as it is based on stackable LED screens and was developed from ground up also as a mobile, containerised version.
These provide a series of advantages. First of all, there is no need to calibrate the image, secondly, they ensure a much higher luminosity, then picture resolution is much higher, this while using the standard 1.2 mm pitch which is considered the best cost- performance compromise. Finally, according to Guardiaris the new technology increases lifetime by an order of magnitude, switching from an average 20,000 hours to over 100,000 hours.
Guardiaris developed modular floor tiles and integrated sound systems for its previous simulators, which of course are used also in the new SAMT. Other add-ons are available, such as the guard rail, a retractable physical cover that allows soldiers to exploit the protective element, as well as smart glasses, capable to stream, record and measure the soldier eye movement, allowing to determine his or her focus during the action. The SAMT can be provided in the Mobile Training Centre configuration, installed in an expandable container. A full after-action-review ensures post-training analysis is of course available. The SAMT was evaluated by several MoDs in Europe and Asia and the system is in full production.
The JLTV, four-seater simulator
Developed hand in hand with the Slovenian Ministry of Defence, the Modular Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Crew Trainer is based on a 6 degrees of freedom motion platform capable to host a four-man crew, the driver, gunner, commander, and a fourth operator. The system simulates full driver training in all conditions, day and night, on different terrains, adding stress elements such as mechanical failures. While the driver station is a full replica of that of the actual vehicle, the same applies to the commander station, where the higher-ranking crew member can operate the battle management system, which in the case of Slovenia is a customised version of Systematic’s SitaWare. The gunner station is fitted with the remotely controlled weapon station commands, which in the case of Slovenian Army JLTVs is the Kongsberg M153 CROWS. Thanks to modular design, the simulator can host other turrets from Rafael, Otokar, Valhalla and many others. EDR On-Line understood that the first export customer for the JLTV simulator is Montenegro, which vehicles are fitted with Elbit Systems’ RCWS. A fourth seat for an extra passenger is available and can be fitted with different subsystems should this be required by the customer.
Beside recording all actions being done by crew members, to allow a full 4D after-action-review at individual and crew level, the Guardiaris JLTV simulator is fitted with physiological sensors that allow capturing each crew member’s biometric signals, such as heart rate, eye tracking, and pupil dilation, which allow significant training performance evaluation, measuring reactivity, stress, cognitive load, etc.
EDR On-Line understood that both Slovenia and Montenegro will receive their simulators in late 2024. Slovenia has on order 129 JLTVs and aims at a total of 161, while Montenegro ordered until now 67 such vehicles.
Upgrading the Spike LR simulator
For some time, the Slovenian Army wanted to improve the performances of its Spike LR simulator, which was fielded some 15 years ago. Not only, but it also wanted those systems to be able to operate for the next decade, expanding their operational life. The Slovenian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces studied a kit that was then finalised with Guardiaris, the company being also in charge of its production. The Compatible Upgrade Kit is contained in a medium-size box which has three layers, each hosting the various elements, mechanical, cables, and electronics.
The system allows to simulate all functionalities, lock-on-before-launch of after-launch, high or low trajectories, CCD or IR guidance, and can obviously simulate failures.
The upgrade kit exploits all physical elements of the older system, while replacing all electronics, the old MDVR 3200 digital video recorder being replaced by a modern tablet PC, a wholly new instructor station being also available. It allows to put together more than one Spike LR launcher on the same scene, and even they can operate from different geographical locations, something that was demonstrated during the latest meeting of the Spike Users’ Club. The new tablet PC also allows to integrate a forward observer in the loop. The kit is made available to other Spike LR users through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). EDR On-Line understood that Slovenia has several Compatible Upgrade Kits already in full operation.
Photos courtesy Guardiaris and P. Valpolini
