RUAG Wants to Supply Simulator to Royal Brunei Armed Forces

RUAG exercise control (photo : RUAG)

Swiss firm wants to supply simulator to Armed Forces

A SWISS defence technology company is interested in providing the Royal Brunei Armed Forces with laser-based combat simulation technology.


“There are many different reasons to use simulation technology,” said Raug Defence Regional Sales Director Michael Kuster. “Armed forces are using more and more sophisticated weapons systems which cost a lot to run,” he added.

RUAG Defence is part of the RUAG Group.

Kuster noted that the aviation industry started with putting pilots in simulators to save money.

“It also improves the training, because in a simulator you can do things that you cannot do in reality because it is too dangerous”.

“This is the most important reason why the army is using more and more simulation equipment today. Combat using real ammunition is very dangerous. However if you have a laser system that simulate a shot, you can do force on force combat training without it being very dangerous,” he said.

He said that Brunei has a small army which uses high technology systems to improve their soldiers.

He said that there is a requirement to start using battlefield simulation using lasers, and that several companies are proposing such systems.

He said that one of the most important things when acquiring such systems was in their ability to “grow with requirements”, especially in the case of first-time users.

He suggested that the best solution would be a modular system, where they can start with a small component and where additional functionality and modules can be added on.

“One thing that RUAG has developed over 15 years was to have a set of different modules we can put together to fit these requirements,” he said.

He said that the basic equipment begins with a harness with electronic sensors and a laser unit.

“With this you can begin force on force training,” he said, adding that when it gets more complicated and when more people are involved, more systems can be added.

If the army wishes to incorporate urban combat training into the simulation for example, they would be able to add in a module that would help trace the position of a soldier in an enclosed building, up to an accuracy of about half-a-metre of the soldier’s exact location as well as which level and room of the building he was in.

“Then you can show to the soldier what they have done during the exercise, what went wrong and what was good,” he said.

He said that they hope to find the right-set up for the Brunei army, and said that they will be proposing a simple system which they can grow up to their requirements.

(The Brunei Times)