Babcock Australasia will use virtual reality (VR) technology to design and configure the Integrated Soldier System (ISS) as part of its LAND125 Phase 4 bid. Using VR will enable Babcock to mix and match equipment and innovations from different Australian and international suppliers, to visualise and explore the impacts on the overall integrated system.
The LAND125 Phase 4 project is designed to provide Australian soldiers with ‘best of breed’ products, systems and emerging technology so they can defend the nation armed with the latest, disruptive advances in modern warfare. The project will deliver an Integrated Soldier System (ISS) integrating all elements and subsystems that are used, worn or carried by soldiers in any operational context or environment for up to 72 hours without resupply.
Babcock Australasia’s Executive Director – Strategy and Future Business, Graeme Nayler, said Babcock is grateful to all Australian industry partners who responded to its call to bring next generation technology to the Australian Defence Force (ADF). “Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and training providers are integral to Babcock’s proposed solution, with over 40 percent of the project’s requirements able to be either designed or manufactured in Australia,” Nayler said. “Babcock has approached LAND125 Phase 4 in an innovative way that is beneficial for Defence, looking at ‘best of breed’ products and enabling Australian SMEs to integrate their world-leading product into the ISS for an optimal cost.”
To enable the integration of specialist products by different providers, Babcock has introduced a digital development environment as part of its solution. “A challenge for industry, in developing a solution for the ISS ready to respond to a Request for Tender (RFT), is obtaining access to a soldier who is accurately configured and kitted out the way they are on operations,” Nayler said. “By designing and configuring the solution in virtual reality, Babcock’s approach will also ensure development cost savings across the complete ISS design and integration. This will enable us to mix and match equipment from different suppliers, to visualise and explore the impacts on the overall integrated system.”