Australian Army taps gaming software for advanced training platform
Tom Abke
With an array of capabilities and systems coming into service and a changing defense landscape to contend with, the Australian Army is introducing a new training tool in the form of the latest computer simulation technology.
Enabled by Unreal Engine 4, considered a leading software platform for 3D computer games, the Australian Army will soon have a network of centers capable of running coordinated simulations to train helicopter pilots, gunners, tank commanders and a range of other specialists. (Pictured: Simulation software being used by the Australian Army shows an image of a Boxer armored vehicle.)
Unreal Engine 4, developed by United States-based Epic Games, will serve as the foundation software of the SAF-TAC virtual training environment the Australian Defence Force procured from tech company SimCentric as part of the Australian Army’s Land Simulation Core 2.0 (LS Core 2.0) Tranche 1 program, according to the Halldale Group, a training and simulation company and publisher.
Epic Games developed the bestselling 3D combat games Gears of War and Fortnite.
“Imagine a unit getting ready to participate in [exercise] Talisman Sabre,” Australian Army Lt. Col. Yong Yi, of the Directorate of Land Training Capability, said in a June 2022 news release from the Australian Defence Department. “They may not have been exposed to our new vehicles, weapons systems, or have been to [the training areas] Townsville or Shoalwater Bay in a while. Our tools allow them to prepare for such a situation.”
The software will be implemented across battle simulation sites as part of LS Core 2.0 Tranche 1 to allow for more advanced virtual settings and interoperability among bases, the Defence Department stated. Tranche 2 will provide an extended and controlled network of simulation centers for greater training coordination. Both tranches are expected to be fully operational by late 2024.
The simulations will make training more accessible, repeatable and quantifiable, and allow Soldiers to perform high-risk, complicated and sensitive training that might otherwise be impractical or pricey, Yi said.
“The unit can conduct individual and crew/section skills training, then participate as part of collective training from any location, environment, and with scalable complexity,” he said.
According to the Defence Department, the simulations will also allow commanders to maneuver fully equipped force elements against adversaries.
“Part of the software includes data that makes sure [that] when we conduct the mission together in a particular space, we are all seeing the same terrain and models,” Yi said.
The Australian Army’s adoption of networked simulation capacity coincides with an overhaul of its warfighting capabilities in line with its guiding principle of accelerated warfare, Australian Defence Magazine reported in October 2021. The coming decade will see the introduction of high-tech platforms such as the Apache attack helicopter, the AS9/AS10 self-propelled howitzer system, updated M1A2 Abrams battle tanks, a tracked infantry fighting vehicle and a short-range, ground-based air defense system.
New platforms such as LS Core 2.0 and other simulation tools will be critical for training, the magazine noted.
IMAGE CREDIT: AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE DEPARTMENT
