ThoroughTec is no stranger to working with the South African National Defence Force as it has supplied all South African Army driver trainers including for the Ratel ZT-3, Rooikat, Casspir, Olifant, Mamba and Army trucks and cars. Although Thoroughtec has separate driver and turret simulators these can be linked together to train armoured vehicle crews, for example.

The Durban-based company’s simulator products have also found favour with the Australian, Swedish and Croatian militaries where its advanced driver training systems are currently in service. All simulation software is designed in-house, including the physics engines, motion platforms etc.

“The shift in global defence imperatives since the end of the Cold War has left many militaries struggling to strike a balance in their defence posture. Torn between the dynamic reality of low-intensity, asymmetric and peace support type operations and the persistent need to maintain credible conventional forces, governments have recognised the vital importance of Simulator based training as an effective, efficient means of managing this dilemma,” ThoroughTec said.

“Our simulators are solutions for militaries looking to economically train large numbers of personnel on a range of vehicles and systems,” said David Cooke, ThoroughTec military business development manager.

“In a world where the bottom line all too often dominates training priorities, Cyberwar simulators are an affordable, effective alternative to traditional training and force preparation methods. They allow militaries to build up reserves of trained personnel and maintain learnt skills, ultimately maintaining force preparedness while cutting training costs and radically reducing wear on prime mission equipment,” he added.

Thoroughtec specialises in mining simulators and other ground vehicle simulators. It is headquartered in Durban but has offices in Chile, the United States, Canada, Russia and Australia and employs around 200 people.