Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), has been awarded a 5-year, prime contract by the U.S. Army to deliver perpetual licenses of VBS3 and related services to its Games For Training (GFT) VBS3 Concurrency Program of Record.
Virtual Battlespace 3 (VBS3) is a comprehensive desktop training package based on commercial video game technology.
VBS3 provides a virtual learning environment for land, air and sea training and mission rehearsal applications.
It combines a massive content library, scenario development tools, and after action review capability, and immerses trainees in a high-fidelity virtual environment which has been honed over many years to minimize negative training and maximize training impact.
(See Virtual Battlespace 3 (VBS3) in Action. A flexible simulation training solution for multiplayer scenario training, mission rehearsal and more. Courtesy of Bohemia Interactive Simulations and YouTube)
In addition to delivering VBS3 licenses, BISim will provide support and upgraded versions of VBS3 for the U.S. Army.
VBS3 is used by hundreds of thousands of defense personnel worldwide for training and simulation, providing an immersive virtual environment which includes over 10,000 models, and comes with set-up tools to facilitate highly impactful mission rehearsal and training on tactics, techniques, and standard operating procedures.
The latest version of VBS3 includes a preview of the VBS Control “Behavior Pack” — a package of artificial intelligence features — as time-limited, beta content.
These include new civilian, convoy, and doctrine-typical infantry combat behaviors, all created with BISim’s VBS Control Editor.
Reliable Artificial Intelligence Behaviors
“By using behavior trees to create these new artificial intelligence behaviors, AI in VBS3 becomes more modular,” said Pete Morrison, Co-CEO, BISim.
“Our VBS Control AI editor provides more predictable, reliable and customizable AI behaviors for VBS3.”
BISim will also make enhancements to existing VBS3 capabilities, including its radio and communications system, provide online training course support, and develop additional capabilities in VBS3 as requested by the U.S. Army.
“VBS3 supports a virtual training environment that is flexible, supports repetition, and is available at the point of need,” said Brian Domian, Assistant Product Manager, Games for Training, U.S. Army PEO STRI.
“The Army has been creative at adapting VBS3 for many varied training requirements and exploiting the development capabilities of VBS3 to create custom training solutions. This contract establishes a direct relationship with BISim that will enable continued collaboration over the next five years.”
The U.S. Army previously awarded the Games for Training program in 2013 with BISim as a key subcontractor and, prior to that, BISim was a key subcontractor delivering VBS2 for the Army’s Game After Ambush contract in 2009.
“The U.S. Army is a world leader in leveraging game-based technologies to train personnel on a wide range of tactics, techniques and procedures,” said Arthur Alexion, Co-CEO, Bohemia Interactive Simulations.
“We are honored and humbled to continue to serve the Army by delivering VBS3 under this new contract.”
“We look forward to delivering advanced simulation technology to meet the Army’s complex training needs, facilitate ease-of-use and provide rapid, cost-efficient scenario generation.”
Shaped and refined by over 15 years of customer feedback, VBS3 is the de facto standard in game-based military simulation and meets hundreds of discrete training use cases.
(See More, including several recent development projects in VBS3 exclusively for Swedish Armed Forces training. Courtesy of Bohemia Interactive Simulations and YouTube)
To allow further customization, BISim has a large, experienced internal development team available and a comprehensive SDK that allows third party developers and sophisticated users to do their own customizations.
This allows customers the best of both worlds — an ‘off-the-shelf’ product (stable, proven capability, and lower cost) which can, with some adaptation, meet an exacting set of requirements.
Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), utilizes the latest game-based technology and a large, experienced in-house team of engineers to develop high-fidelity, cost-effective training and simulation software products and components for defense applications.
