Rheinmetall was awarded multiple contracts worth $27 million by the German Bundeswehr (armed forces) to modernize and expand the system technology of the German Army Combat Training Center (GÜZ) in staggered projects, the company said Thursday.
The GÜZ, located in the Altmark district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany is a facility where military formations of all types can train and prepare for tasks and missions. The German Bundeswehr intends for the center to eventually include training for military operations in urban terrain, or MOUT.
The contract orders were booked in the second quarter of 2016. The modernization effort includes a special expansion of the headquarters software to enable execution and evaluation of training sequences in the site’s “Schnöggersburg” urban combat environment and modernization of the area’s data communication system.
The “Schnöggersburg” is a specially created urban environment featuring the infrastructure elements of a large modern city where the German armed forces can practice MOUT operations. The Bundeswehr’s Office of Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support assigned Rheinmetall’s Simulation and Training unit the task of readying the GÜZ for MOUT exercises.
Expansion and modernization of the GÜZ includes two specific projects: upgrading the hardware of the existing GÜZ system technology in the headquarters cell; and regeneration of the communication system to include modernization of the software and hardware for connecting tactical radio systems and network technology, Rheinmetall said.
Also Rheinmetall will equip the GÜZ headquarters cell with new capabilities to direct and evaluate exercises in built-up areas like the Schnöggersburg.
Exercises at the GÜZ do not use live rounds, but every weapon is fitted with a laser transmitter with sensors on potential targets to indicate hits that are visible to soldiers and trainers. The learning impact of the after action briefings and evaluation phase are maximized by networking all exercise participants in the system, Rheinmetall said.
Rheinmetall clarified that simulation-supported training for operations in built-up terrain is particularly demanding because GPS-based systems cannot track and depict the position of exercise participants in narrow alleyways or inside buildings. Simulation of the effects of weapons on buildings or the personnel inside are also impossible with laser-simulated fire alone, so additional instrumentation in the facility is necessary.
“Near real-time transmission of massive amounts of data to the headquarters element and its subsequent evaluation pose additional challenges,” Rheinmetall said in a statement.”
“Preparing for these challenging scenarios requires adequate technical exercise infrastructure that adds vital new capabilities to previously deployed live simulation technology,” the company added.