Kongsberg- New High-Speed Simulator for Royal Norwegian Naval Academy

Advanced new simulator for one of the world's fastest warships

The official inauguration of the new Kongsberg Maritime delivered Polaris ship's bridge simulator at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy in Bergen took place this Tuesday, 25th May 2010. The specially developed 1:1 simulator features a 240 degree visual system offering highly realistic scenarios for officer training. It is designed as an exact replica of the bridge aboard the Skjold class MTB (Missile Torpedo Boats), which are regarded as one of the fastest warships in the world with speeds of more than 60 knots/h (110 km/h).

The Skjold simulator features advanced software that simulates the Skjold MTB movements at sea and is interfaced to real navigation equipment, also delivered by Kongsberg Maritime, comprising: 3 x multifunction displays including Kongsberg ECDIS and radar, 2 x operator chairs, AP 2000 adaptive autopilot, custom made bridge consoles and a voyage data recorder (VDR) in addition to the operator panels and control systems for four gas turbines.

"The Skjold simulator is one of the world's most advanced simulators for realistic training of high speed navigation and ship handling. In the hands of the skilled personnel at the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, it will allow for world class training," commented Vice President of simulation and training in Kongsberg Maritime, Mr. Lars Erik Hilsen during the official inauguration of the simulator. "This delivery represents a relationship that Kongsberg Maritime is very proud of. The Royal Norwegian Naval Academy is a highly knowledgeable and demanding client, which gives us new insight and technological inspiration. We look forward to continuing this collaboration and are certain that there are many great possibilities ahead."

The Royal Norwegian Naval Academy is a University College providing bachelor's degrees in military studies for officers in the Royal Norwegian Navy. The program is recognised for its combination of theory and practical exercises, and the Skjold simulator will be essential for training officers in navigation, tactical manoeuvring, decision making and routines onboard the vessels.

"The increasing focus on safety and reduced acceptance for mistakes at sea, make the Skjold simulator a very useful training tool," said manager of the MTB training centre, Captain Rune Andersen. "The high speed of the Skjold class vessels makes it difficult to carry out all of the necessary training onboard so the simulator allows realistic training scenarios that would otherwise have been impossible to carry out. We can now expose the crew to greater risks in a safe environment."

Although the official opening took place this week, the simulator has already been tested for three weeks and has used the equivalent of 950.000 NOK in fuel, illustrating the cost savings compared to onboard training. As an experienced MTB operator himself, Andersen confirms the realism of the simulator: "For one particular exercise, we had initially planned to perform 1/3 of the training on the simulator and 2/3 onboard. However, the simulator functioned so well that we decided to change the ratio to 2/3 simulator training and 1/3 onboard," he said.

The Skjold simulator is a result of a long working relationship with the Royal Norwegian naval Academy. Kongsberg Maritime has previously delivered 6 x Polaris ship's bridge simulator, 1 x frigate trainer and 1 x desktop engine room simulator to the school. Both parties will also collaborate on the forthcoming European Simulator User Conference and Agent Conference, which takes place in Bergen, 21st - 24th September 2010.