Calian buys training firm SimFront

Canadian conglomerate Calian Group has bolstered its defence training portfolio by acquiring Canada-based SimFront Simulation Systems Corporation for up to CA15 million (USD11.9 million), Calian announced on 7 October.

Combining the two companies will “enable Calian to provide end-to-end military training and simulation capabilities and pursue new opportunities with customers seeking integration and immersive training support”, Calian said.

Calian said it plans to integrate its MaestroEDE exercise management tool with SimFront's Virtual Command and Control Interface (VCCI) tool because the two software-based products complement each other. MaestroEDE allows teams to develop simulated environments, while VCCI connects simulations to command-and-control systems.

Calian and SimFront have worked together for 15 years to support the Canadian Department of National Defence. SimFront's other customers include the UK Ministry of Defence and undisclosed entities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Calian paid CA9 million for SimFront at closing and will pay up to an additional CA6 million if certain earnings goals are met over the next two years. SimFront has about 50 employees.

The announcement follows Calian's acquisition of two developers of defence training exercises last year: UK-based Cadence Consultancy and Norway's Comprehensive Training Solutions International.