UK's CATT gets first vehicle specific simulators

The UK CATT (Combined Arms Tactical Trainer) programme, the most valuable simulation contract ever awarded outside the USA, met two important milestones at the end of May 2000.

The £1 80m original contract was awarded in late 1996 to Lockheed Martin Information Systems (LMIS) in partnership with Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS), the equal share joint venture company between Finnmeccanica of Italy and BAE SYSTEMS in the UK.

As the first part of the project in April 1999 AMS was given a contract to supply 124 VSS (Vehicle Specific Simulators). This followed eight initial LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) simulators previously delivered and installed in LMIS's Orlando site.

In October 1999 AMS was awarded a contract extension to deliver an additional eight Challenger VSSs, making a total of 140 VSSs currently in production.

The milestones reached at the end of May were:

• Stage lA acceptance of the VSSs completed in Orlando,

• The first Scimitar and Warrior VSSs installed at the British Army's Tactical Training Centre at Warminster.

CATT will be the largest networked simulation system in the world, with 70 VSSs at Warminster and an equal number in Sennelager, Germany. A training facility the size of two football pitches has been built on each of the above sites. Warminster was completed in November 1999, and its German counterpart will be constructed by October 2000.

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