Singapore recently unveiled a new simulation center (SIMCEN) for its littoral mission vessels (LMVs) at Tuas Naval Base. The new LMV simulation center, jointly developed by the Singapore Navy and the Defense Science Technology Agency (DSTA), is designed to integrate training in areas such as navigation, technical skills, and combat. It includes navigation, engineering, and warfare simulation in a full mockup of the LMV Integrated Command Center, and it incorporates virtual reality to offer personnel a simulated environment of operating in the LMV. The SIMCEN is designed to simulate a series of scenarios to support training for areas that include berthing, navigation and watch-keeping, weapons firing, and operations.
“It will also support a full range of training from operator component training to mission-based training, giving the LMV crew valuable experience to ensure operational readiness,” minister in the prime minister’s office, Indranee Rajah, said. “Training will be made more effective by using analytics to monitor the crew members’ performances. This will allow for prompt correction to enhance learning retention and speed.”
The center is equipped with a high fidelity 360-degree projector, virtual reality, and a full range of training scenarios at the operator, cluster, and team levels – along with simulations of real-life environmental conditions. The center is expected to shorten the total training time required for each ship by as much as 60 percent.
Ye Yiming, commanding officer of RSS Justice – a newly commissioned LMV – stated, “My crew and I have gone through the entire training at the LMV simulation center. From getting our skills to operating the LMV. Learning to work together at the cluster level and across the various clusters in the integrated command center.”