U.K. Ministry of Defence extends Saab relationship with £20.3 million contract

United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence signed a three-year contract extension with the defense company Saab for the use of the Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) as a fully managed service.

The British army uses Saab’s Deployable TES to support overseas training exercises as part of its collective training progression. Part of the contract extension includes significant refurbishment to the program to help future-proof the DTES system.

“Since 2009, our technical and exercise training support staff have effectively been embedded within the British Army, supporting up to seven exercises per year. Saab sees this contract extension as recognition of the strong working relationship we have developed with the British Army and the MoD,” says Åsa Thegström, head of business unit Training & Simulation, at Saab business area Dynamics.

This system creates scenarios to train troops in direct and indirect fire simulations, all the while tracking individual instrumented troops and vehicles. This real-time collection of data can paint a better picture of how troops are operating, and help create detailed assessments to address issues and shortcomings.

“Continued UK investment in DTES, together with Saab’s continued investment in its development, highlights the enduring requirement for deployable and agile training solutions”, says Andrew Walton, head of country unit UK and Ireland at Saab market area Europe.

The contract is valued at £20.3 million ($26 million USD). The fully managed service model also means that Saab delivers the infrastructure, instrumentation and the support personnel as a package.