VBS4 24.1, the latest version of BISim's VBS4 virtual simulation software pictured being used by MoD personnel with commercial-off-the-shelf hardware, is due to be released in May. (Bohemia Interactive Simulations )

The latest version of Bohemia Interactive Simulations' (BISim's) Virtual Battlespace 4 (VBS4) environment will feature munition-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the company announced at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024 held from 9 to 11 April in London.

VBS4 is a virtual desktop training environment with whole-earth rendering for tactical training, experimentation, and mission rehearsal.

The latest version – VBS4 24.1 – is due to be released by the end of May and will integrate all major gun-tank variants of the T-72 main battle tank and will include a new feature that allows any UAV to drop improvised munitions or have impact-detonating munitions, the company detailed.

Control AI will now also be default in VBS4 24.1, which the company says is a “big step towards removing all legacy ‘game' AI from the product”.

The Babcock Immersive Training Experience (BITE), unveiled at IT²EC 2024, was configured to imitate a bunker control room, equipped with communication devices and video feeds, including from UAVs and social media. (Janes/Olivia Savage)

Babcock unveiled a new modular, immersive training system at the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference (IT²EC) 2024 held from 9 to 11 April in London.

Known as the Babcock Immersive Training Experience (BITE), the system is designed to provide trainees with a realistic training environment in a modular, transportable 20-foot container, Matthew Chuter, the Babcock campaign director for the Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP), told Janes and other media representatives at the exhibition.

The system, co-developed by Babcock and BeaverFit, is equipped with audio, visual, and physical effects that can be increased in intensity and adjusted to suit a range of scenarios, placing the trainees in a realistic battlefield environment. The effects and the trainees actions, including their biometric data, are all controlled and monitored in an external control room. Additional containers or different configurations can also be provided depending on the customer's needs.

NATO has selected SitaWare HQ as its primary C2 software for land operations. Pictured is a screenshot visualising SitaWare HQ's geographic information system. (Systematic)

Systematic's SitaWare Headquarters (HQ) software has been selected by NATO as its primary command-and-control (C2) solution for land operations.

The software, selected as part of a EUR28.21 million (USD30.47 million) contract, aims to provide the Future Land Command and Control (FLC2) system (Demeter), supporting NATO land forces at strategic and operational levels.

The system is replacing NATO's current Land Command and Control Information System (LC2IS), which has been in service since 2008.

According to a NATO invitation to tender (ITT) published on 3 March 2023, the software selected must be a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that has already been proven in NATO exercises/operations. It will be required to provide a recognised ground picture, support battlespace management, and facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge across operational domains within the NATO Command Structure (NCS), NATO Force Structure (NFS), and for NATO countries.

Preliminary system acceptance is expected in December 2024 and final system acceptance by February 2026, the ITT detailed.