Poland Procures Simulator Systems for Armoured and Mechanized Units

The contract covers procurement, delivery, set up, and launch of five tactical battlefield simulators for the mechanized and armoured units. The systems would be received by five brigades that are a part of the structure of each division of the Polish Armed Forces. The agreement value is defined as PLN 71.3 million (gross). The deliveries, meanwhile, are planned to take place between 2022 and 2023.

The tactical contemporary battlefield simulators would be used to organize and conduct training, exercises, and planning of contemporary military operations, and they would serve the command staff and battalions of the land forces, by utilizing AI-enhanced computer simulation. The simulations would cover operational planning, cross-branch interoperability from the level of an individual soldier, up to the battalion level.

Alongside the algorithms generated by the trainee, they would also take the environmental impact into the account, generated by the computers. Furthermore, the software would feature a library of 3D models allowing for representation of military vehicles operated by NATO, the USA, and the Middle East, and the former USSR.

The release issued by the Inspectorate pertains to one of two portions, of a procurement process launched in 2019. The procurement covers 5 tactical battlefield simulators (to be delivered by Thales and Ruag), but also a complex battalion-level battlefield simulation system, and a laser-shooting simulator solution.

Major Krzysztof Płatek, the spokesman for the Armament Inspectorate, told us the following, with regard to the above: “At the same time, when it comes to the comprehensive battlefield simulation system for battalion-level training and laser shooting simulators for the military equipment operated by the armored and mechanized elements, expected to meet the needs of the launch of a Combat Training Centre in Drawsko Pomorskie and to secure the joint Polish and allied forces training at the Field Training Facilities of the Land Forces, activities have been undertaken to procure these assets as soon as possible.”

The Armament Inspectorate has not unveiled any further details, but as “activities pertain to acquisition as soon as possible” have been undertaken, change of the procurement formula could have been implemented, for instance, to procure the simulator following the “urgent operational requirement” criterion, justified by the necessity to prepare infrastructure for joint Polish-US training, as per the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in August 2020, and/or following the FMS requirements.

We do know, however, that the Victory Eagle exercise is scheduled to take place in Drawsko Pomorskie in the autumn that - as the General Command of the Polish Armed Forces announced - would support the process of establishing a training centre there. Whether, and to what extent the activities are undertaken by the Armament Inspectorate and the Polish MoD when it comes to procurement, remains an open question.  

The signing of the contract pertaining to these simulation systems brings the Polish Army one step closer to a modern training solution. Making use of tools like that makes it possible to conduct scenarios that would be otherwise impossible to carry out, using solely the conventional training ranges. In the long run, we are also dealing with a relevant reduction of cost and limited equipment wear and tear. 

MSz/IU/JP