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Saurav Jha's Blog : Trends in India's military simulation market
The use of simulators as a training and operational readiness tool in the Indian military has risen considerably since the 2000s. Today, simulator use in the Indian armed forces has expanded far beyond traditional aggregate/constructive simulation for war-gaming purposes to virtual solutions tailored to providing individual and collective driving, flight, gunnery and sensor training.
With hydrocarbon based fuels becoming more expensive, the cost calculus in favour of simulator training for platforms has become more attractive. And given the lack of firing and instrumentation ranges in the country, simulator-based training is obviously one part of the answer to maintaining unit-readiness levels. However, while cost and range availability will remain key drivers for simulator use growth, technological advances that allow the replication of a wide range of combat scenarios, some of which cannot actually be done in live-training are highlighting the role that simulators increasingly play even in refining concept of operations (CONOPS). Attracted by domestic demand, indigenous players have entered the virtual simulation market, an area that till recently has often been serviced by foreign technology.
Starting with the 'Shatranj' wargame simulation package for the Indian Army (IA) in the late 1990s, the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), has developed a fair degree of competence in aggregate or constructive simulation for training commanders and their staff. Today, under project Samar for the IA and under Project NOES for the Indian Navy (IN), DRDO's Institute of Systems Studies and Analysis (ISSA) is creating wargame packages using the latest networked solutions.
Domestically developed regimental PC-based software for armoured warfare units and infantry tactical training are also seeing extensive use in the IA, as are warfare packages for integrated training supplied to the IN and the Indian Air Force (IAF). Indian proficiency in the wargaming simulation space can be gauged by the fact that many countries in the Indo-Pacific have sought to import these from India including neighbours such as Myanmar.
But as mentioned above, the use of simulators in the military now extends far beyond traditional constructive simulation and includes a variety of virtual simulators. However, in this domain, foreign companies have played a bigger part in supplying the required hardware to the three services in comparison to domestic sources till now.
Global military simulation leader CAE from Canada has been a key supplier to the Indian military and now has over 300 employees in India having acquired Bangalore-based simulation and training company Macmet Technologies Private Limited in 2007 (now CAE India Private Limited) and established CAE Simulation Technologies in the same city. The range of projects that CAE is executing in India along with domestic partners is also indicative of the growing use of virtual simulators in the military.
For instance to the IA, CAE is supplying an integrated missile simulator for BMP-IIs as well as both driver and gunnery training simulators for the Arjun main battle tank, The IN has bought an action speed tactical trainer and Burya ship handling simulator from CAE. The IAF, meanwhile, has sourced flight training devices (FTDs) for the Do-228 and AN-32, a MiG-27 part task trainer besides a fixed base full mission simulator for the Mig-21 M from the same company.
The IAF certainly seems to be rather keen in turning to simulation for both basic and operational training purposes. Indeed while FTDs are helping trainees come to terms with the complexity of modern weapons and help reduce breakages, attrition rates etc as observed through the use of Hawk synthetic training equipment (also supplied by CAE) based in Bidar, the fact remains that mission simulators for operational training continue to be available to the IAF only in limited numbers. This is something that the IAF is obviously looking to change given the costs of actual flying today as well as the need to preserve airframe life.
Indeed mission simulator upgrades is emerging as a key source of demand from the IAF for simulator companies. CAE for example is supplying simulator upgrades for DARIN-II standard Jaguars while DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) has developed an avionics part task trainer for the Mig-27UPG. The IN too is procuring a CAE supplied upgrade to its mission simulator for the Sea Harrier. ADE, meanwhile, is working on a mission simulator for the HAL Tejas.
The future, however, lies in full motion simulators (FMSs) like the one the IAF has sourced for the C-130J. The C-130J FMS, is a high-fidelity, six-axis, full motion, electrically operated simulator that is apparently capable of both basic as well as operational training thereby bringing more value for money.
Of course the initial spend of 46 million dollars is around half the flyaway cost of an actual C-130J and that means that indigenization is definitely the way forward to extend the benefits of FMS by bringing down initial capital costs as well. After all it is the high initial investment required for such simulators that has led to their limited use in the IAF till recently. That is changing with growing budgets but the need to bring down costs for greater penetration is too obvious to miss.
Indeed given that the IN too is bringing in complex virtual simulators, the need for indigenization cannot be overstated. Last year, The flight and tactical simulator (FATS) for Seaking helicopters was commissioned in INS Garuda Naval Air Station (NAS) at Kochi. Incidentally, FATS has been designed not just for basic and operational training but also for evaluating new procedures and tactics thereby contributing to the refinement of CONOPS.
It is in aid of CONOPS evolution that FATS has been built with inputs from over 110 Navy personnel who worked with some 200 engineers from Israeli firms HALBIT and ELBIT. FATS is of course a FMS using a PC-based system with glass cockpit, collimated visuals, and an electro pneumatic system with six degrees of freedom and motion. It is also a roll on/roll off system wherein other aircraft cockpits can also be inserted in lieu of the Seaking's and flown. FATS caters to a variety of training scenarios including deck landings on different warships, varied exigencies, and flying in blackout conditions.
Interestingly, also commissioned in INS Garuda at the same time as FATS was the water survival training facility (WSTF) built by Survival Systems India, Mumbai at a cost of Rs 20 crore to provide 'realistic training to air crew for escape from a ditched aircraft under varied simulated conditions and crash scenarios'. WTSF is also the first of its kind in India and includes a state of the art survival training simulation theatre (STST) with several components. Environment simulator equipment in WTSF cater to the simulation of typical conditions in which air craft accidents can take place such as rain, heavy seas, low visibility, wind, thunder and lightning.
WTSF is actually symbolic of relatively cheaper simulator projects that can be more easily executed by domestic private industry in India in addition to simulators such those required for the training of vehicle drivers, medical personnel, radar operators, and air traffic controllers. Of course even more complex mission simulators are now being supplied by Indian private players as evidenced by the first ever export of an Indian military flight simulator by DefSys. DefSys has supplied a mission simulator for an upgraded MiG 21 BIS version to an Israeli company which allows trainee pilots to learn flying procedures, mission system operation as well as weapon handling.
Another business area that is emerging in the simulator space is in the realm of simulator services being sold via facilities that house a number of virtual simulators, like the helicopter academy to train by simulation of flying (HATSOFF) in Bangalore. HATSOFF is 50:50 joint venture of CAE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was set up at a cost of Rs 300 crore in 2010 and houses six synthetic training devices for helicopters including FMSs for the HAL Dhruv, Eurocopter Dauphin 365 N3 and the Bell 412P. The Dhruv FMS is proving a boon for both IAF and IA pilots who are undertaking increasingly complex missions in this helicopter in the Northern sector. Indeed HATSOFF is particularly useful for the IA which has also procured a Cheetah full mission simulator in the recent past.
Meanwhile, the IA is also on the look-out for computer-based training for UAV operations and for simulators in the electronic warfare(EW) arena perhaps taking a cue from the IAF which even has simulators for sensor packages being used in the DRDO-Embraer developed airborne early warning and command (AEW&C) aircraft it is inducting this year. Greece based Interoperability Systems International Hellas (ISIH) has supplied data link simulators for this aircraft. Domestic companies of course are also active in this realm with Bangalore based Axis Aerospace & Technologies limited supplying EW simulators to the IAF for some time now.
The IA will keep augmenting driving, gunnery and missile simulators for its armoured units which in themselves represent a lucrative arena for private industry. Hyderabad based Zen Technologies for instance has already supplied numerous such simulators to the IA for the BMP-II, T-72 and T-90. Once the Arjun Mk-II MBT is ordered in greater numbers, demand for simulators dovetailed to it may also rise.
In the years ahead, it is clear that the simulator space will be watched closely by domestic companies looking to grow their defence practise as it were. It should however always be kept in mind that simulators that can serve both basic and operational training needs will be the ones that will be most sought after. In this context, companies that can come up with flexible solutions in the realm of advanced distributed simulation wherein live training is combined with virtual and constructive simulation through networking are likely to find favour with the military.
The use of simulators as a training and operational readiness tool in the Indian military has risen considerably since the 2000s. Today, simulator use in the Indian armed forces has expanded far beyond traditional aggregate/constructive simulation for war-gaming purposes to virtual solutions tailored to providing individual and collective driving, flight, gunnery and sensor training.
With hydrocarbon based fuels becoming more expensive, the cost calculus in favour of simulator training for platforms has become more attractive. And given the lack of firing and instrumentation ranges in the country, simulator-based training is obviously one part of the answer to maintaining unit-readiness levels. However, while cost and range availability will remain key drivers for simulator use growth, technological advances that allow the replication of a wide range of combat scenarios, some of which cannot actually be done in live-training are highlighting the role that simulators increasingly play even in refining concept of operations (CONOPS). Attracted by domestic demand, indigenous players have entered the virtual simulation market, an area that till recently has often been serviced by foreign technology.
Starting with the 'Shatranj' wargame simulation package for the Indian Army (IA) in the late 1990s, the Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), has developed a fair degree of competence in aggregate or constructive simulation for training commanders and their staff. Today, under project Samar for the IA and under Project NOES for the Indian Navy (IN), DRDO's Institute of Systems Studies and Analysis (ISSA) is creating wargame packages using the latest networked solutions.
Domestically developed regimental PC-based software for armoured warfare units and infantry tactical training are also seeing extensive use in the IA, as are warfare packages for integrated training supplied to the IN and the Indian Air Force (IAF). Indian proficiency in the wargaming simulation space can be gauged by the fact that many countries in the Indo-Pacific have sought to import these from India including neighbours such as Myanmar.
But as mentioned above, the use of simulators in the military now extends far beyond traditional constructive simulation and includes a variety of virtual simulators. However, in this domain, foreign companies have played a bigger part in supplying the required hardware to the three services in comparison to domestic sources till now.
Global military simulation leader CAE from Canada has been a key supplier to the Indian military and now has over 300 employees in India having acquired Bangalore-based simulation and training company Macmet Technologies Private Limited in 2007 (now CAE India Private Limited) and established CAE Simulation Technologies in the same city. The range of projects that CAE is executing in India along with domestic partners is also indicative of the growing use of virtual simulators in the military.
For instance to the IA, CAE is supplying an integrated missile simulator for BMP-IIs as well as both driver and gunnery training simulators for the Arjun main battle tank, The IN has bought an action speed tactical trainer and Burya ship handling simulator from CAE. The IAF, meanwhile, has sourced flight training devices (FTDs) for the Do-228 and AN-32, a MiG-27 part task trainer besides a fixed base full mission simulator for the Mig-21 M from the same company.
The IAF certainly seems to be rather keen in turning to simulation for both basic and operational training purposes. Indeed while FTDs are helping trainees come to terms with the complexity of modern weapons and help reduce breakages, attrition rates etc as observed through the use of Hawk synthetic training equipment (also supplied by CAE) based in Bidar, the fact remains that mission simulators for operational training continue to be available to the IAF only in limited numbers. This is something that the IAF is obviously looking to change given the costs of actual flying today as well as the need to preserve airframe life.
Indeed mission simulator upgrades is emerging as a key source of demand from the IAF for simulator companies. CAE for example is supplying simulator upgrades for DARIN-II standard Jaguars while DRDO's Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) has developed an avionics part task trainer for the Mig-27UPG. The IN too is procuring a CAE supplied upgrade to its mission simulator for the Sea Harrier. ADE, meanwhile, is working on a mission simulator for the HAL Tejas.
The future, however, lies in full motion simulators (FMSs) like the one the IAF has sourced for the C-130J. The C-130J FMS, is a high-fidelity, six-axis, full motion, electrically operated simulator that is apparently capable of both basic as well as operational training thereby bringing more value for money.
Of course the initial spend of 46 million dollars is around half the flyaway cost of an actual C-130J and that means that indigenization is definitely the way forward to extend the benefits of FMS by bringing down initial capital costs as well. After all it is the high initial investment required for such simulators that has led to their limited use in the IAF till recently. That is changing with growing budgets but the need to bring down costs for greater penetration is too obvious to miss.
Indeed given that the IN too is bringing in complex virtual simulators, the need for indigenization cannot be overstated. Last year, The flight and tactical simulator (FATS) for Seaking helicopters was commissioned in INS Garuda Naval Air Station (NAS) at Kochi. Incidentally, FATS has been designed not just for basic and operational training but also for evaluating new procedures and tactics thereby contributing to the refinement of CONOPS.
It is in aid of CONOPS evolution that FATS has been built with inputs from over 110 Navy personnel who worked with some 200 engineers from Israeli firms HALBIT and ELBIT. FATS is of course a FMS using a PC-based system with glass cockpit, collimated visuals, and an electro pneumatic system with six degrees of freedom and motion. It is also a roll on/roll off system wherein other aircraft cockpits can also be inserted in lieu of the Seaking's and flown. FATS caters to a variety of training scenarios including deck landings on different warships, varied exigencies, and flying in blackout conditions.
Interestingly, also commissioned in INS Garuda at the same time as FATS was the water survival training facility (WSTF) built by Survival Systems India, Mumbai at a cost of Rs 20 crore to provide 'realistic training to air crew for escape from a ditched aircraft under varied simulated conditions and crash scenarios'. WTSF is also the first of its kind in India and includes a state of the art survival training simulation theatre (STST) with several components. Environment simulator equipment in WTSF cater to the simulation of typical conditions in which air craft accidents can take place such as rain, heavy seas, low visibility, wind, thunder and lightning.
WTSF is actually symbolic of relatively cheaper simulator projects that can be more easily executed by domestic private industry in India in addition to simulators such those required for the training of vehicle drivers, medical personnel, radar operators, and air traffic controllers. Of course even more complex mission simulators are now being supplied by Indian private players as evidenced by the first ever export of an Indian military flight simulator by DefSys. DefSys has supplied a mission simulator for an upgraded MiG 21 BIS version to an Israeli company which allows trainee pilots to learn flying procedures, mission system operation as well as weapon handling.
Another business area that is emerging in the simulator space is in the realm of simulator services being sold via facilities that house a number of virtual simulators, like the helicopter academy to train by simulation of flying (HATSOFF) in Bangalore. HATSOFF is 50:50 joint venture of CAE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), was set up at a cost of Rs 300 crore in 2010 and houses six synthetic training devices for helicopters including FMSs for the HAL Dhruv, Eurocopter Dauphin 365 N3 and the Bell 412P. The Dhruv FMS is proving a boon for both IAF and IA pilots who are undertaking increasingly complex missions in this helicopter in the Northern sector. Indeed HATSOFF is particularly useful for the IA which has also procured a Cheetah full mission simulator in the recent past.
Meanwhile, the IA is also on the look-out for computer-based training for UAV operations and for simulators in the electronic warfare(EW) arena perhaps taking a cue from the IAF which even has simulators for sensor packages being used in the DRDO-Embraer developed airborne early warning and command (AEW&C) aircraft it is inducting this year. Greece based Interoperability Systems International Hellas (ISIH) has supplied data link simulators for this aircraft. Domestic companies of course are also active in this realm with Bangalore based Axis Aerospace & Technologies limited supplying EW simulators to the IAF for some time now.
The IA will keep augmenting driving, gunnery and missile simulators for its armoured units which in themselves represent a lucrative arena for private industry. Hyderabad based Zen Technologies for instance has already supplied numerous such simulators to the IA for the BMP-II, T-72 and T-90. Once the Arjun Mk-II MBT is ordered in greater numbers, demand for simulators dovetailed to it may also rise.
In the years ahead, it is clear that the simulator space will be watched closely by domestic companies looking to grow their defence practise as it were. It should however always be kept in mind that simulators that can serve both basic and operational training needs will be the ones that will be most sought after. In this context, companies that can come up with flexible solutions in the realm of advanced distributed simulation wherein live training is combined with virtual and constructive simulation through networking are likely to find favour with the military.
