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Construction will soon get underway for the first training center in Russia to use simulation technology.
The training center will encompass more than 500 square kilometers at Mulino, in the Upper Volga region, some 200 miles northeast of Moscow. The area is home to several army units and an existing range currently used for traditional training.
The Russian Ministry of Defence awarded Germany-based Rheinmetall Group a contract in November to develop the range, which will initially handle live simulation exercises, and eventually expand to include virtual and constructive scenarios. The site is expected to become operational in mid-2014.
Rheinmetall Defence Electronics has partnered with Russian company JSCo Oboronservis, which will act both as general contractor in building the facility and subsequently operate it on behalf of the Russian armed forces.
The deal, worth more than 100 million euros ($125 million), holds strategic significance for Rheinmetall, which has expanded steadily in recent years. The award marks the German defense industry’s first significant foothold in the Russian market, according to a statement released by Rheinmetall. The Russian government plans a steady recapitalization of its armed forces into 2020, after more than 15 years of military decline.
The Mulino facility will be based on a training range Rheinmetall installed a decade ago for the German armed forces at their GÜZ training center in Letzlingen, central Germany. At GÜZ, every participant is equipped with a laser sensor and data transmission devices. The sensors track individuals when moving from room to room in buildings, simulating urban warfare conditions.
The facilities to be built at Mulino will include several ranges for troops to practice military operations on urban terrain (MOUT). Each MOUT facility will be equipped with live simulation equipment similar to that used at GÜZ. Training sessions will be managed by a central exercise control center.
The new range will be able to train up to 30,000 soldiers a year, including a reinforced mechanized infantry or armored brigade. The Russian Ministry of Defence predicts the new simulation-equipped range will generate such substantial savings in fuel, material, and wear and tear on vehicles that the site will effectively pay for itself in a few years.
