Leonardo and Valiant, the US-based global government services contractor, will pool their expertise to pitch for the Collective Training Transformation Programme’s (CTTP) Army Collective Training Service (ACTS). ACTS will be a 15-year contract which will see around 60,000 troops trained each year in a blend of live, virtual and constructive simulated environments. The team will put forward plans for a transformative digital infrastructure that will underpin the British Army’s ability to train consistently and measure results, whenever and wherever in the world it is required.

Leonardo has the specialist skills required to develop the new technology, architecture and digital capabilities that will be required to successfully deliver the programme. It also brings experience in modern training, including from its International Flight Training School (IFTS), a successful strategic partnership with the Italian Air Force which delivers end-to-end training with a core LVC component. Elsewhere the company’s technologies underpin major distributed training operations, including the recent NATO Spartan Alliance and Spartan Warrior exercises.

Valiant is the main provider of large-scale, complex training programmes for the U.S. Army, Air Force, National Guard and Special Forces, delivering aspects of training including military exercise planning, simulations programming, event design and facilitation and lessons learned analysis for hundreds of thousands of U.S. and partner nation soldiers every year. The company has extensive expertise in Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training, and is able to generate highly realistic, immersive, multi-domain training environments at installations such as the U.S. Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft. Johnson, where the company has supported the training of more than 1.5 million soldiers.

Leonardo also brings experience in delivering large-scale support programmes for the UK Armed Forces, with examples including the Typhoon Total Availability eNterprise' (TyTAN), a 10-year support solution for the Royal Air Force Typhoon fleet being delivered in close partnership with BAE Systems.

Leonardo and Valiant understand that data and digitisation will be key to delivering the fresh approach to training and readiness called for by ACTS. In 2022 Leonardo launched a new data-driven approach to design and manufacturing called ‘digital electronics factories’ at its electronics sites across the UK. In 2023, the company made further progress in collaboration with Microsoft and Accenture, when it deployed the cloud- based Azure platform across its UK business, making it the first major defence contractor in the UK to migrate key applications onto the secure cloud.