The US Army has ordered Survitec’s Inflatable Walls Training System (IWTS) in a contract worth USD 2.5 M (EUR 2.3 M) for temporary training in urban warfare, the company announced on 31 may 2023.
According to Survitec, which is considered a specialist in survival technologies, eight sets each of Level 2 and 4 IWTS will be supplied to the US Army in this first major order.
The Level 2 IWTS weighs just under a tonne and will be delivered on five pallets. This can be used to construct a training building with 134 m² of floor space with rooms, hallways, corridors or open areas. The Level 4 equipment weighs 2.5 tonnes and requires twice as many pallets. The exercise building can have almost 400 m² of floor space. The system allows users to create complex building structures with multiple features in which several training scenarios can be realised at the same time.
With the IWTS a realistic training environment can be provided quickly and economically, according to Survitec. A series of lightweight and portable inflatable walls, available in six modular shapes, can be assembled to replicate any physical structure, allowing the US Army to create complex structures and targeted training scenarios simultaneously. Every room, corridor, entrance, exit and window can be replicated, allowing land forces to effectively train in a range of real-world scenarios.
Since its launch in 2019 the IWTS has been adopted by defence and security services around the world and has received certification for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems’ Simunition and FX training munitions, Survitec noted in a press release.
The IWTS is lightweight, portable, reconfigurable, compact when stowed, and can be used wherever a unit is stationed and reconfigured to create different layouts, the company added. A complete 800 m² exercise facility can be inflated and set up in about 35 minutes.
The IWTS packages for the US Army are scheduled for delivery between August 2023 and mid-2024.
Gerhard Heiming