BAE Systems has announced that its subsidiary OneArc secured a five-year contract to upgrade the Italian Army’s virtual training systems.
Under the agreement, the army will transition from legacy VBS3-based platforms to VBS4, OneArc’s latest virtual simulation and mission rehearsal software, and introduce Mantle, a high-fidelity terrain generation system.
The contract also includes new training workstations, updated fire-integration capabilities, and tools to improve the creation and management of digital operational environments.
Italian troops use virtual simulation to maintain procedural and mission training for armored units, aviation crews, fire personnel, snipers, and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers.
The modernization is intended to ensure the continuity of these training activities while improving system performance, enabling more complex multi-domain training scenarios, and enhancing terrain modeling capabilities.
The upgrade is also designed to maintain interoperability with NATO partners who already employ similar simulation technologies for mission rehearsal and collective training.
Advanced Training Systems
VBS4 is a desktop-based virtual training and mission rehearsal system that creates realistic military scenarios in a fully digital environment.
It allows users to train anywhere in the world through access to a built-in global terrain database enhanced with procedural detail.
Instructors and planners can modify terrain directly within the system using intuitive editing tools, without requiring advanced geospatial expertise.
After each session, the system provides a comprehensive after-action review, allowing exercises to be replayed in both 2D and 3D from any perspective, with performance data automatically recorded for analysis and evaluation.
Mantle complements VBS4’s capabilities by simplifying the creation and management of digital terrain.
It enables both technical and non-technical users to quickly generate, modify, and deploy realistic environments.
Through automation and procedural tools, such as generating buildings from satellite imagery or placing vegetation by biome, Mantle reduces time and cost, and reduces reliance on specialist staff, while enabling rapid updates to support evolving operational needs.
