Decisive Edge Newsletter | Training | March 2023
Newsletter Sponsors:
Two years in, how is Project Selborne delivering on modernising Royal Navy training?
Just over two years ago, in December 2020, the UK MoD announced it had awarded a 12-year contract worth around £1 billion ($1.22 billion) to a Capita-lead consortium, Team Fisher, to deliver and modernise Royal Navy (RN) training under Project Selborne.
Providing mission-critical training and equipment, this elevated level of innovation can only be provided by the best in the industry. Visit FlightSafety.com.
Shephard talked to Richard Holroyd, Capita’s managing director for defence and security, about the project’s status two years on.
Holroyd said that the majority of the project is ‘around the delivery of standard, service-run courses in order to get fully trained sailors and marines to the front line as fast as possible’ and his most recent discussions with the navy suggested that the project ‘was going extremely well from their perspective’.
Above: Type 45 real-time model supplied by MVRsimulation.
He noted that the consortium has hit all of its key performance indicators (KPIs) and ‘they are not all easy targets’, and it was achieving well over 90% on all indicators.
He added that an early element of the project was taking on 27 separate outsourced contracts and incorporating them into the single Selborne framework, saying that this had been achieved ‘seamlessly’.
An important element of the programme was development of a shared way of working. ‘This is very much a partnership, not a contractor and customer relationship,’ Holroyd said, ‘and we have had to combine the different cultures of the RN and the various consortium members so we operate as partners.’
This produces a creative tension, he added, which is not necessarily a bad thing. He added that an interesting aspect of this is the regular churn of uniformed members which means that ‘we need to keep renewing the understanding’.
He noted that management at every level is an integrated Fisher/military partnership, a process known as ‘zippering up’, and that there was joint accountability.
He said that an important aspect of this understanding is that under the target-cost, incentive-fee (TCIF) contract ‘our books are open’. He added that the Fisher approach to new or changing requirements is ‘yes, and we work how we do it within the contract after that. When we signed Selborne no one expected a war in Europe in 15 months, so we need to be flexible.’
‘When we signed Selborne no one expected a war in Europe in 15 months.’— Richard Holroyd
While only about 5% of the overall contract is concerned with modernisation, Holroyd said that this where the majority of the RN’s focus lies: ‘As defence reacts to the changing threat, so the requirement to modernise and become more nimble and agile becomes increasingly important’, he said.
An important part of modernising the training courses is to teach trainees the way they have previously been taught in schools and colleges and introduce the latest methods, which takes into account differential speeds of learning.
As a result the methodology in lesson structures has been changed to make them more modular, and most courses are now operating in the new style. Holroyd said that student satisfaction had increased.
He also observed that a consequence of the new approach is that at the moment there is a continual flow of RN instructors who have to be retrained as they enter the training system.
‘We’ve also been looking to see how we can modernise course content to improve the quality of output and where possible make courses shorter or more effective, particularly by ensuring there is no repetition or unnecessary training.’
Holroyd explained: ‘We’re looking not only at how to modernise instructional methodology, but also at bringing the latest technology to bear in order to improve the quality and the training pipeline speed.’
He said that a series of artificial intelligence (AI) applications had been successfully trialled which can create synthetic applications to support training by individuals. He also cited as an example work on a submarine qualifying course where a number of options for improvement have been identified which could reduce the course length by 20-40%.
The project has developed and utilised a tool based on IBM’s CPLEx Optimiser product, which is designed to build the overall course programme to optimise attendance, use and availability of trainees, facilities and equipment ratios, which should lead to better productivity, Holroyd said.
He noted that this had required linking into the existing Training Administration and Financial Management Information System (TAFMIS) and the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system, which had been challenging.
Course content and facilities are expanding, he said, citing the acquisition of Kongsberg bridge trainers which was achieved in late 2022. ‘We were able to bring that in very quickly’ he said ‘and it’s something the navy has been trying to do for years.’
Above: Bridge simulators have been procured from Kongsberg Digital under Project Selborne. (Photo: Kongsberg Digital)
If the first phase of the project was concerned with absorbing existing contracts and scoping possibilities for modernisation. Holroyd said that Selborne was now heading for what was known as Epoch 2, which would focus on modernisation itself.
The scoping resulted in a list of recommendations and options which had been presented to the navy, and this was now being worked through. Some would require investment and therefore need decisions over funding, Holroyd said.
He added that he thought the RN would probably centralise more activity into Selborne as the programme proceeded.
There was a slight hiatus in the programme in 2022 when the presence of Elbit Systems UK (ESUK), one of the consortium members, came under scrutiny, even though it had already been selected to provide the Future Submarine School at Faslane.
Capita is not able comment on the ESUK position at the moment as it is working with the company and the RN to reshape the former’s role and clearly such matters are extremely sensitive for all involved.
Capita is now seeking wider involvement in defence training and is a member of the Raytheon UK-led Omnia consortium bidding for the Strategic Training Partner (STP) role in the British Army’s Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP).
Holroyd said that the consortium was working on designing its solution in the lead-up to the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire phase of the competition, expected in the next few months.
He said the key issue for Capita was how to bring experience from some elements of Selborne, such as culture change and training optimisation, through into CTTP.
He noted that although the latter addresses collective training, not the individual focus of the former, ‘it has many of the same flavours’, such as data collection, understanding attained standards and training levels, and optimisation of the use of facilities.
Holroyd described CTTP as ‘a very exciting opportunity to bring to bear the capabilities of industry, including those with a wider experience than defence, to offer the latest skills, methodologies and technologies to get units and sub-units to the right level of training and readiness for warfighting. There needs to be an open mind to look at things through a slightly different lens’.
Eco-friendly infantry training and the problem of firing blanks
All live military training comes with some sort of environmental cost, particularly through the use of fossil fuels and the impact of vehicles on the terrain.
Much of this can be ameliorated by using simulation as a substitute as this now offers a realistic alternative that can reduce the amount of live training time and the commensurate impact on the environment.
Above: Bagira’s BARS in use, showing the muzzle flash. Note the loudspeaker on the surrogate magazine. (Photo: Bagira)
While this is especially true of platform-based training, the principal environmental impact of live infantry training comes from the use of blank ammunition, with empty cartridge cases left wherever they have been fired.
While this is obviously detrimental to a designated training area, it also precludes the use of land outside such zones, which could provide variety and challenge to exercising troops, particularly on urban operations.
Removing the use of blank ammunition while maintaining realism brings three advantages: it is much cheaper; no empty cartridges are involved so the environmental impact is significantly reduced; and as a result it enables the use of a greater variety of training locations. It is also safer.
Given the increasing emphasis on environmental preservation and the need to find eco-friendly solutions wherever possible, as well as continual squeezes on costs, it is no surprise that viable blankless systems are being developed.
Probably the most mature are those developed by Israeli firm Bagira Systems. Its MAGNET live training system is a force-on-force tactical engagement simulation (TES) that eliminates the need for blank ammunition while continuing to allow the use of real weapons.
The Blank Ammunition Replacement System (BARS) meanwhile is a lightweight version of MAGNET that can be integrated with existing laser training systems.
The core element of both systems is a surrogate magazine which contains a loudspeaker that provides the sound of a ‘shot’ when the trigger is pulled and which provides the power to the system with a rechargeable battery.
The complete MAGNET system includes: laser detection sensors which are mounted on the magazine and soldier’s helmet; a small arms laser transmitter mounted on the barrel which also provides simulated muzzle flash using an LED; a weapon which detects the gun’s state and can simulate malfunctions; tracking, communications and ammunition status data contained in the surrogate magazine; and an exercise control and after-action review (AAR) system.
Above: The component parts of the MAGNET system showing (foreground l-r) SAT, weapon kit, helmet-mounted detector and surrogate magazine with loudspeaker, with the portable EXCON system behind. (Photo: Bagira)
It also includes a smartphone-hosted observer/controller kit which enables tracking trainees’ locations, controlling their status, sending voice messages which are received via the surrogate magazine and conducting ‘hot debriefs’.
The control system provides: real-time monitoring and control of live exercises; control of trainee status; injection of virtual elements, such as malfunctions or specific zones; provision of AAR with full replay of all activity; and the transfer of individual performance records to an external database to allow training analysis.
BARS consists of the surrogate magazine and weapon kit. It is integrated into existing TES systems by adding a SAT adaptor. For the BARS fielded with the Finnish Army it is integrated into the SAAB TES through the addition of a rubber SAT adaptor which fits over the SAAB SAT and triggers it with an LED flash when the weapon is fired.
Both systems replicate the same noise and flash as blank ammunition, so they maintain a near-equivalent degree of realism. There is also an argument that, given the expense of blanks, greater realism can be achieved because there never need be a shortage of ammunition for training, providing always that tactical ammunition resupply is properly practised.
MAGNET is in service with the Israel Defense Forces and a derivative has recently been selected as the solution for the British Army’s Roundless TES (RTES) programme.
Australia explores future options for air force training
CAE recently announced that Australian-owned operational training services provider Milskil had joined the CAE-led Team AUStringer to bid for Phase 3 of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AIR 5428 programme, which will provide the Future Aviation Mission Training System (F-AMTS).
The programme is worth around A$500 million.
Above: CAE supports USN naval flight officer training and will leverage this experience in developing a proven Aviation Mission Training System for the RAAF. (Photo: CAE)
F-AMTS will train several different air mission specialists, including weapon systems officers, electronic warfare officers, air mobility officers, maritime patrol and response officers, air battle managers, air traffic controllers and operations officers. It will also incorporate the Weapons Employment Course.
Phases 1 and 2 of Air 5428 programme, won by Lockheed Martin Australia, provided the Pilot Training System for the RAAF.
F-AMTS is expected to replace the current Air Mission Training School (AMTS) and incorporate the School of Air Traffic Control (SATC), both of which are located at RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria. AMTS and SATC both operate under the RAAF’s Air Academy.
The new training system will consist of four functional elements: learning materials; ground training; airborne training; and an integrated learning environment.
In September 2020 the Australian DoD issued a Request for Information (RfI) for the programme. This was followed in February 2022 by an Invitation to Register (ItR).
In August 2022 the DoD announced that Boeing Defence Australia, CAE Australia, Lockheed Martin Australia (the AIR 5428 Phase 1 incumbent), and Raytheon Australia had been shortlisted for the project.
In the announcement Wg Cdr Mark Wilkins said that F-AMTS ‘will be transformative, evolvable, flexible and enduring with the most appropriate and up-to-date training methods and tools to generate future officer aviation (mission) and selected airmen aviation candidates to meet Australian Defence Force needs until at least 2040.’
A Request for Tender (RfT) is expected to be issued shortly, with responses due by the middle of 2023 and an initial evaluation completed by the end of the year. Full evaluation will follow, with contract award expected in 2025.
Above: F-AMTS is expected to replace the current Air Mission Training School at RAAF Base East Sale. (Photo: Commonwealth of Australia)
Of the four contenders, only CAE Australia, leading Team AUStringer, has gone public with its partners. In November 2021 it announced it had teamed with the then Cobham Aviation Services, subsequently acquired by Leidos.
Then in February 2022 Australian engineering and technology solutions company Nova Systems joined the AUStringer team. Finally, in February 2023, Milskil was added.
CAE Australia told Shephard in an email response that ‘Team AUStringer will assist the air academy to introduce a scalable, adaptable and dynamic training ecosystem, to accelerate the development of mission aviator critical thinking and decision-making. To achieve this, Team AUStringer’s solution leverages a modern Instructional System Design (ISD) structured curriculum, that introduces student-centric training methodology and a competency-based approach to ab-initio training.
‘Our solution is based on over 50 years of research in the science of learning, mission aviator training methodology and delivery and includes leveraging connectivity, digital immersion, data analytics and AI to develop and sustain the most affordable and efficient solution.’
The company said that currently it delivers mission aviator training solutions using the Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) model to the USN, RCAF, UK RN and RAF.
It has recently been awarded a contract extension for the RAAF’s Aerospace Simulator Integrated Support and Training (ASIST) GOCO programme for C-130J, KC-130 and fast jet platforms, which provides integrated training solutions, courseware, training devices, flying instructors and maintenance support.
CAE added that the other team partners bring complementary skills. Leidos has supported the Australian Border Force and Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) for over a decade and is the only non-defence airborne special mission operator in Australia.
Nova Systems has 23 years’ experience of support to the RAAF in bringing complex aerospace weapon systems into operational service. It has also had extensive experience in the introduction into service of the AIR 5428 Phase 1 programme including, according to CAE’s response, ‘risk mitigation and the resolution of challenges with the PTS PC-21 flight simulator, and the certification of the PC-21 aircraft by the Defence Safety Aviation Authority’.
Milskil has assisted the RAAF in delivering a broad spectrum of operational outcomes, from basic skills to advanced warfighter capabilities spanning the F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, Air Warfare Centre and Air Academy enterprises.
At the time of the teaming announcement John Lonergan, managing director and founder of Milskil said: ‘Milskil brings experience and knowledge of front-line defence aviation schoolhouses with a focus on delivering effective operational outcomes for the end-user community.’
Don't want to miss out on future Decisive Edge content? Make sure you are signed up to our email newsletters.
