UK MoD invites six teams to bid for Ground Manoeuvre Synthetic Trainer

Six manufacturers have been invited to bid for Project Vulcan, the British Army's Ground Manoeuvre Synthetic Trainer (GMST), the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on the Defence Contracts Online website on 28 May 2021.

The GMST was described in the invitation to tender (ITT), issued in September 2020, as a “comprehensive simulator system to satisfy individual (driver, gunner, and commander) and crew training” for the Boxer IFV, the Warrior IFV, and the Challenger 2 main battle tank after its life extension programme (CR2 LEP+).

Following the decision announced in the UK's Defence Command Paper in March 2021 to retire the Warrior IFV, the Project Vulcan invitation to bid (ITB) only identifies Boxer and Challenger 3 as the target platforms. The ITT stipulated that the solution should also allow for future vehicle platforms, and this presumably remains the case.

The six manufacturers selected are Thales UK, Ferranti Technologies (a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems UK), QinetiQ, Leonardo UK, CAE (UK), and Lockheed Martin (UK). All these have track records in producing simulation systems for the UK and other armed forces. For example, in the UK, Thales is producing the Ajax driver training simulators, and Lockheed Martin the Ajax crew training system, while Elbit Systems won the Joint Fire Support Trainer (JFST) contract.

Lockheed Martin is partnering with Rheinmetall, and also with a worldwide AFV simulator footprint, which will be a subcontractor. Rheinmetall is producing the Boxer training package for Australia's Land 400 Phase 2 programme, and is half of the Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) joint venture, which has been awarded the contract for Challenger 3 programme. The Lockheed-Rheinmetall partnership (with Canadian subsidiaries) is also bidding for the Canadian Army's Land Vehicle Crew Training System.