Mobile on-board training system supporting the Royal Australian Navy

The Challenge

As a trusted Australian Defence Force (ADF) service provider for 30+ years, DXC has forged a strong partnership with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

DXC had already achieved significant success with two custom shore-based combat simulation training facilities in Sydney and Perth, enabling the RAN to train ANZAC frigate operations crews to detect targets and fire weapons within safe simulated combat environments.

Whilst this approach worked well, high demand meant heavy use of both sites, with up to 20 operations crew spending one-week training ashore before conducting comprehensive ‘at sea’ training with the remaining ship’s company, and other ADF resources simulating combat activity - with high cost, time and complexity.

The Solution

The DXC team approached the RAN with the idea of installing an on-board simulator to address the shortfall in simulator availability and build on successful enhancements, such as networking the ANZAC simulators with the US Navy for joint training. Leveraging DXC’s technical capabilities, their deep understanding of the RAN’s desired outcomes, and advancing smaller technology, DXC prepared a comprehensive proposal to deliver the unique Mobile On-Board Training System (MOBOTS).

DXC’s proposal specified how the RAN could conduct training on-board a working ANZAC frigate with all the ship’s company involved. After receiving approval to proceed with fast tracked implementation in late 2016, DXC designed and implemented the system in just eight weeks.

The Benefits

Before MOBOTS, it took six weeks to train a crew, with initial assessments of the new approach indicating this has reduced to four to five weeks with potential for crews to be released to Government tasking earlier, and lower wear and tear on both people and facilities.

With the simulator and operations room crew on-board, interaction with the full ship’s company, and multiple ships’ involvement, training authenticity is profound. Where previously, training was limited by physical capacity to replicate targets, now the frigate based simulator, RAN instructors and DXC personnel work together on-board to drive targets. For example, previous physical fuel limitations for Air Force aircraft providing target support meant they may only appear two to three times a day. This virtual world achieves higher aircraft numbers and turnaround for increased complexity and a much more immersive experience.

With frigates docked, but activities appearing as they do at sea, the obvious benefit is cost with $2m estimated savings per exercise in jet fuel alone. Maintenance and operational savings are estimated at $8m per exercise (totaling $40m across the five exercises conducted in 2017). Using MOBOTS, the ship’s company is exposed to extreme situations covering diverse scenarios including missiles flying at subsonic and supersonic speeds, aircraft coming from all directions, submarine attacks, sea attacks - a training quality, speed and intensity that cannot easily or cost effectively be replicated in the real world.

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