4GD boosts British Army urban warfare training with new facilities
UK-based close combat training technology provider 4GD has opened two Garrison Urban Skills Facilities (GUSFs), expanding British Army’s access to urban warfare training.
The GUSFs are situated at the Catterick training area in North Yorkshire and near Salisbury at Rollestone. Both the sites have already commenced operations.
This expansion complements the existing 4GD SmartFacility currently used by the 16 Air Assault Brigade in Colchester.
These facilities are intended to mirror the variety of urban landscapes that military personnel might encounter during operational deployments.
4GD has partnered with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), Landmarc Support Services, and the Land Warfare Centre to deliver the technological infrastructure for the facilities including the installation of its proprietary SimWall and 4GAV systems.
The SimWall system consists of modular panels that can be reconfigured to simulate a wide array of training scenarios.
The 4GAV system enhances these scenarios with audiovisual effects like lighting, smoke, and sound, as well as providing comprehensive ‘after-action’ reviews to improve training outcomes.
In addition, further enhancements are anticipated in these facilities including upgrades to accommodate the integration of 4GD’s advanced robotic SimStriker.
The company has already deployed SimStriker at the Colchester urban training facility.
The three training facilities, alongside improvements made to the Copehill Down Village facilities, can interconnect to create an extensive training network, stated 4GD.
This interconnectedness will provide opportunities for comprehensive training exercises across four distinct sites.
4GD founder and director Rob Taylor said: “4GD’s expanded footprint enables British Army units across the UK to access high-fidelity, urban warfare training environments designed to reflect the diverse, high-stakes scenarios soldiers are likely to encounter in real-world deployments.
“Increasing the training capacity of facilities with 4GD technology allows us to collect much more real-world data on how soldiers train in urban facilities. This enables us to understand the needs of the warfighter and stay ahead of the curve when developing future products.”
In November 2023, 4GD secured a contract by the Defence and Security Accelerator to integrate the ChatGPT language model into its SimStriker robotic targets.
