CAE Selects VSTEP Bridge Simulators For UAE Naval Training Centre

VSTEP has been awarded a contract from CAE to provide a suite of custom-built ship bridge simulators for the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Naval Training Centre.

VSTEP will provide the Full Mission Bridge Simulators after an extensive evaluation process. The visual quality, the hydrodynamic fidelity and extendibility of VSTEP’s new NAUTIS 3 simulation platform were important criteria. Some of the bridge simulators will be reconfigurable for the different vessels of the UAE Navy to allow for vessel-specific training capabilities.

All simulators can be used individually, or in combination for joint mission exercises. The bridge simulators will leverage the Open Geospatial Consortium’s Common Database (OGC CDB) for high-fidelity synthetic environments, as well as data interfaces to industry-standard networking protocols such as the High-Level Architecture (HLA) for integration with other training devices, including CAE’s Naval Combat System Simulators and Engine Room Simulators.

“This is a major strategic win for VSTEP and clearly demonstrates our capabilities to provide adaptive and fully integrated simulators in the Defence industry,” said Pjotr van Schothorst, VSTEP’s co-founder and CEO. “CAE’s choice of VSTEP as their provider of ship bridge simulators for the UAE Naval Training Centre proves that our new simulation platform NAUTIS 3, which we are about to introduce on the market, has the quality and flexibility needed for the training needs of the most demanding clients.”

The UAE Naval Training Centre will be located in Taweelah with connectivity to several other naval and air bases throughout the UAE. The UAE NTC is expected to be complete and ready-for-training in 2019.

“The UAE Naval Training Centre program is a clear example of CAE’s training systems integration capabilities,” said Ian Bell, CAE’s Vice President and General Manager, Middle East/Asia-Pacific. “We are pleased to select VSTEP as the provider of bridge simulators that will play a key role in the overall naval training enterprise that will help the UAE Navy achieve a high level of fleet operational readiness”.

In mid-2016, CAE was awarded a contract by the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the UAE Armed Forces to design and develop a comprehensive Naval Training Centre (NTC) for the UAE Navy. The purpose-built NTC facility will feature a range of integrated ship simulation-based training suites as well as maritime aircraft sensor stations that will be used to deliver training for individuals, command teams, and whole ship crews. In addition, the overall naval training system for the UAE Navy is being designed for networking and interoperability to enable distributed multi-platform and joint mission training.