Royal Navy Expands Synthetic Training Capability

QinetiQ has secured a £25 million, five-year contract to deliver an immersive training environment for the Royal Navy. The Maritime Command and Staff Trainer (MCAST) will enable personnel to train in scenarios reflecting the missions and threats they may encounter.

The system simulates task force operations, including interactions with opposing forces and neutral entities, and is designed to prepare participants for operational decision-making in a multi-domain battlespace. QinetiQ will manage the overall training system and provide tools for data capture throughout planning, execution, and evaluation. Insights from this data will help shape future training.

Inzpire, a subsidiary of QinetiQ, will design the training scenarios using simulation technology to create realistic, immersive exercises tailored to evolving operational challenges.

Commodore Andy Ingham, Commander Fleet Operational Standards and Training, Royal Navy, said:
“QinetiQ and the Royal Navy have worked closely together over many years on a multitude of projects helping FOST deliver World Class Training. MCAST is the exciting next step on our training innovation journey, a dedicated synthetic training facility, designed to prepare us to face both known and developing threats.”

The work builds on QinetiQ’s current support for the Royal Navy under the Platform Enabled Training Capability (PETC) and will be managed from the company’s Portsdown Technology Park in Portsmouth.