Thales successfully delivers Collins submarine simulator upgrade to Royal Australian Navy

: Posted On Friday, 12 December 2014 11:04

Naval Defense Industry News - Australia

Thales successfully delivers Collins submarine simulator upgrade to Royal Australian Navy

Thales Australia has successfully delivered a significant upgrade to the Collins submarine Platform Training Simulator (PTS), which now has the highest levels of reliability and availability since entering service in 1993. Thales completed the complex upgrade of the dual simulator on time and with an accelerated installation schedule in order to minimise simulator downtime.

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter observing the Collins Weapon System Trainer Facility at HMAS Stirling in August 2007. (U.S. Navy photo)

The company worked closely with the customer to deliver the upgrade, which included improvements to the computing and Input / Output system, instructor facilities, Integrated Ship Control Management and Monitoring System (ISCMMS), and audio systems.

The work on the PTS, which is located at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, follows similar upgrades carried out by Thales globally for the UK’s Vanguard class and Norway’s Ula class submarine simulators.

Chris Lloyd, Thales Australia’s Vice President Maritime & Aerospace, said: “This cost-effective, low-risk upgrade will ensure that Australian submarine crews continue to receive the highest standards of training.”

The upgrade included the addition of the latest generation Thales C2000-X simulation technology, and newly developed interfaces with ship components. A recording system was also developed to provide instant replay capability at the trainee consoles, with minimal input from instructors.

With greatly enhanced software development capabilities now installed, further upgrades are in progress to enhance training realism and track future changes to the Collins submarines.

In the final stage of the upgrade, Thales is working with the Defence Science and Technology Organisation to develop and incorporate the most realistic submarine controls and performance models available in the world.

Lieutenant Commander Ian Dawson, Manager of Engineering Training at HMAS Stirling, said: “The simulator plays a vital role in training our submarine crews. The upgrade should substantially improve reliability and allow us to optimise the training throughput of our future submariners”.

Thales is a major provider of training and simulation solutions for naval forces on platforms such as maritime helicopters and patrol aircraft, submarines and surface vessels.

Beyond the simulator, Thales is a major supplier to the Collins program. The company provides and supports the sonar suite, towed array, communications mast and other key sensors.