Vietnam - Navy trains sailors with high-tech warship simulator

[SpiritHS]

An official of warship simulator at the Vietnam Naval Academy is offering guidance to trainees on operating and commanding a warship
Photo: Tuoi Tre

In the bridge of a destroyer, Captain Hoang Van Tien gazed at the digital display while holding a phone to listen to reports from the navigation, surface warfare, gun fire and missile, and machinery units before giving the command to open fire.

11 missiles left the launching pad to head towards the targets.

This is part of a situation that naval officials of the Vietnam Naval Academy have been training for through a high-tech warship simulator named 1241.8 in order to become capable of carrying out their duties before heading out to sea.

The 1241.8 simulates a state-of-the-art heavy-class destroyer equipped with Uran E anti-ship missiles and powerful raiding capabilities to attack surface and airborne targets.

The simulator replicates the full range of maritime combatant operations likely to be experienced while on the bridge of a warship and can be reconfigured to match most classes of ship in the current fleet. Other functions include boat operations, interdiction and docking and beaching operations.

Firepower to attack

On this training day, naval officers were expected to handle a simulation in which a group of hostile surface warships were invading Vietnamese sovereignty and provoking a response at the co-ordinate X. The 1241.8 was commanded to head out to confront the enemy.

The crew members were young officials, 22-24 years old, from class TP14 of the academy. They are assigned different tasks for the bridge team, navigation, combat information, gun power and missile, radar, and engine.

Upon the command of Captain Tien, chief pilot Phan Ba Khanh sped towards the open sea at a speed of 38 nautical miles an hour.

The staff of other units such as navigation, combat information, missile, radar, and engine repeatedly reported their status.

With the simulator’s graphics system, crew on-board can experience different environmental conditions, from a clear day through to a raging storm, as well as detailed landscape and seascape features. On this day, rough seas battered the 500 ton ship for half an hour before radar information staff officer Luu Vinh Hai reported to the captain that he had detected two targets.

“One target at distance of 35km at 31 degrees and moving speed of 6.2m a second. The other 37km away at 38 degrees and moving speed of 6.2m a second.”

Captain Tien ordered the weaponry unit to prepare calculations for the most effective combat plan. In the missile unit room, officials Bui Ngoc Toan and Phung The Lat focused on the monitor and repeatedly reported their plans to the captain.

Minutes later, the skipper ordered to open fire with missiles. 11 out of 16 missiles left the launching pad and headed towards the targets. The 1241.8 destroyer completed its tasks and returned to its base.

Real-life fighting ship 1241.8 of Vietnam Navy

A replication

Destroyer 1241.8 is actually a concrete building located in the Vietnam Naval Academy. It uses computerized virtual reality software to simulate a working warship, complete with a wide view through the bridge windows.

It comprises a series of rooms linked together in the same way as onboard an actual ship, creating a realistic environment for the sailors to practice and hone their skills.

Each is laid out to represent a warship’s functioning rooms, such as the platform management system and control center, as well as rooms for the main machinery and high and low voltage switchboards, radar, gunfire and missile, navigation, engine and damage. All of these are integral to maintaining the ship’s functions.

The control room offers trainees a very realistic experience of what it’s like on a combat ship. One can see the journey of the ship and feel high waves as if they are maneuvering a warship in the open seas.

“With the modern simulator, we officials have a great chance to gain experience in real situations on a combat ship, master technical and management procedures aboard, and operate different types of weapons,” said Bui Sy Luong – a trainee.

Officer Luu Vinh Hai stated that “regular training with the simulator helps me learn maneuvers, operations and combat situations by heart.”

“Now, the academy is installing one more simulator for the Gepard 3.9 class warship. It is expected to begin operations next year.

“This facility is at the cutting edge of simulator technology and provides seamen with very realistic training so that they will be capable of carrying out their duties before heading out to sea,” said Colonel Luong Manh Cuong, deputy chief political commissar of the academy.

Navy trains sailors with high-tech warship simulator - In-depth coverage, special reports from Vietnam - TuoiTreNews