*Athanasios Tsakalos

The “next big thing” in defence is undoubtedly synthetic training, as the requirement to rapidly train large numbers of personnel in modern technological systems at low cost in the current “multi-crisis” era makes it the only way to go, especially in countries which developed an increased awareness of their national security in the last year.

On these grounds, DEFENCE ReDEFiNED met with Realiscape, a company active in the field of simulation systems and technologies several years before these became a “trend” on land, sea, and air.

With innovation in its DNA as well as its purely Greek {wo-}man-power that can give Greece the ability to export technology in a critical sector, the company has now established itself as one of the classic Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) producer companies of the Greek defence ecosystem.

DEFENCE ReDEFiNED visited Realiscape’s offices in Patras and had a very interesting discussion on the philosophy and approach to innovation that the company applies. Realiscape products and services have already been extensively addressed in our previous article mentioned below.

Also read: Realiscape | The modern version of “Train as you fight”

This article will focus on how Realiscape keeps the spark of innovation burning in a world where there are literally hundreds of tech companies that are promoted as “innovative”, even if that’s not always the case.

The article starts off with the used classification of Modeling and Simulation (M&S). Simulation can be classified as Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC), in terms of both the degree of human involvement and the degree of involvement of real equipment.

The categories of simulation, as defined in the Modeling and Simulation Glossary of the United States Department of Defence, are as follows:

• Live – A simulation involving real people operating real systems. Military training events using real equipment are live simulations. Warfighters operating their respective disciplines’ operational system in a real-world application. They are considered simulations, because they are not conducted against a live enemy.
• Virtual – A simulation involving real people operating simulated systems. Virtual simulations inject a Human-in-the-Loop into a central role by exercising motor control skills (e.g. flying jet or tank simulator), decision-making skills (e.g. fire control), or communication skills (e.g. as members of a C4I team).
• Constructive – A simulation involving simulated people operating simulated systems. Real people make inputs to such simulations but are not involved in determining the outcomes. A constructive simulation is a computer program. For example, a military user may input data instructing a unit to move and engage an enemy target. The constructive simulation determines the speed of movement, the outcome of the enemy engagement, and any battle damage that may occur. Computer Generated Forces (CGFs) are used to augment and force multiply Live and/or Virtual scenario development. 

Also read: Saab | Receives Contract from Finland for Combat Training Simulators

Based on the above, Realiscape, an LVC simulation company, can supply these building blocks that allow fighters to combine all three categories (Live, Virtual, and Constructive) to improve their combat performance.

An evident example is an annual CFX/LIVEX-type (Command Post Exercise/Live Exercise) exercise that is conducted on a firing range for a limited period of time. This focuses on aircraft operations, where Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) provide targeting data to fighter jets, attack helicopters, artillery, and battle tank fires.

Such a medium / large-scale exercise requires a small or large mobilization of human resources (depending on availability), material expenditure, limited learning, high cost, attrition, no control over the parameters of the scenario, risk of injury, and ultimately it is likely that this will be characterized as a once-in-a-year, uncustomized military training with a negative benefit/cost ratio overall.

Also read: “DS/SG-2” | Special Forces and Special Operations Forces Multinational Exercise

It is therefore clear that military training could be greatly improved as Realiscape’s services offer increased learning through real-time feedback, risk reduction, supply of unlimited (artificial) resources, repetition, customized simulations, and control of the parameters and context before application, while its commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) approach regarding software and hardware – existing products available from commercial sources – reduces logistics footprint and optimizes supply-chain sustainability.

Realiscape’s expertise in the field of “Targeted Fidelity” must also be added. In the context of simulators, targeted fidelity refers to the level of detail, accuracy, and realism in simulating a particular aspect or system. The target fidelity of a simulator determines which aspects of the system considered are prioritized for realism and accuracy, and which can be simplified or removed for simulation purposes.

For instance, a high-fidelity simulation of an aircraft cockpit may prioritize an accurate representation of all controllers, switches, and displays (important for an Airman’s initial training), while a low-fidelity simulation may focus only on a few key aspects of the cockpit relevant to a specific training scenario (e.g. air-ground tactics).

The goal of targeted fidelity is to achieve a balance between realism and efficiency in order to meet specific training needs at an extremely low cost that allows the development of many more simulators. This is because at the tactical level the cooperation of the personnel in the field is the “peak” of their training, since it changes their status: from “users” to “fighters”.

Also read: Operational Synthetic Training Squadron – Simulators built by Air Tactics Centre personnel – Photos

And while there are companies that can provide “standard” simulation and imaging services, not all of them have the capacity or the know-how to tackle simulator system interface issues. This is required as Armed Forces tend to procure different types for each weapon system they have. Therefore, such supplies lead to multiple types of training simulators, which have the need to coordinate, share data, and be expandable so as to conduct joint drills (provided, of course, that this is foreseen by their manufacturer).

Realiscape is competent in addressing such issues, as it has extensive knowledge of simulator interfacing processes and standards (HLA / DIS) covering every need of modern Armed Forces and is able to integrate heterogeneous systems to conduct joint exercises.

Realiscape thus brings forth a form of interoperable simulation, where multiple simulators exchange data (types of troops, vehicles, movements, etc.) on common “terrain” within a local or remote network. In other words, Realiscape can foster and promote next-generation network-centric training that allows any military institution to better adapt in and adopt network-centric warfare doctrine and philosophy.

In our case, not only could these possibilities benefit the training of the National Guard due to the territorial limitations of the island and the lack of resources at the state level, but in the long run they could also lead to the joint training of the Armed Forces of Greece and Cyprus, by carrying out large-scale, network-centric training activities, which create a high level of readiness and operational training, along with high personnel morale and professionalism.

Such a development of training capabilities could be the cornerstone for the implementation of the Integrated Defence Space Doctrine between Greece and Cyprus in the future.

To obtain more information on Realiscape and its products, the public will have the opportunity to visit the company’s booth, Hall 3 E13, at the DEFEA International Defence and Security Exhibition, held on May 9-11, 2023.

Also read: Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin join forces in bid to win Canadian Army Land Vehicle Crew Training System program