Alenia Marconi Systems wins CATT VSS contract

June 14th, 1999

Alenia Marconi Systems has been awarded a contract by Lockheed-Martin Information Systems (LMIS) to supply 124 Vehicle Specific Simulators (VSS) for the British Army's Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT).

The UK's CATT programme is the largest simulation contract ever awarded outside the USA. It will be the largest networked simulation system in the world, with 66 VSS's at the British Army's Tactical Training Centre in Warminster and 66 simulators in Sennelager, Germany. The VSS's inter-operate using the DIS (Distributed Interactive Simulation) protocol within each of the two training centres which are in turn linked by a Wide Area Network.

With the addition of simulations of aircraft, helicopters, engineering support vehicles and dismounted infantry, a complete combined arms battle can be generated using CGI visual representation. Thus, an important feature of CATT is that more than one vehicle and crew can operate independently within the same exercise, whilst being able to see and react to each other in a single realistic battlefield scenario. With the addition of CGF (Computer Generated Forces), CATT provides Battlegroup training using field command Headquarters.

The simulators will be produced at the Company's production facilities at Broad Oak, Portsmouth where sub-systems such as the optical and sight assemblies, electronic cabinets and enclosures will be assembled and testing prior to their installation at Warminster and Sennelager.

David Bond, CATT Programme Director, stated "This is an important contract for Simulation and Training in that it allows us to add to our reputation as the UK's leading supplier of crew station simulators for the UK's main battle tanks and armoured fighting vehicles. The benefits of the integrated development team approach adopted during the design and development phase of the VSS's will be extended to provide a fully integrated manufacturing team (IMT) approach - a vital factor in ensuring successful completion of this important contract".

Alenia Marconi Systems is an equal shares joint venture company between Finmeccanica of Italy and GEC of the UK.

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