Inside The PlayStation-Style War Games Giving British Soldiers The Edge

The multi-million-pound Combined Arms Tactical Trainer, or CATT, provides real-time and realistic simulated operational environments, for individual crew through to battle-group level.

These PlayStation-style war games are ensuring that 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade remains ready to go to war, at any point. 

Unlike most computer games where there is a simulated enemy, this is a real one, pushing soldiers to their limits. 

Watch: Every scenario is carefully prepared at the Brigade HQ

Led by a member of the Spanish Legion, the enemy is forcing soldiers to work on theatre tactics, techniques and procedures, known as TTPs, as well as command and staff drills. Maj Javier Rios, Spanish Legion says:

"I don't think like a British officer, I think in a different way. I provide different tactics and TTPs, I am a more realistic enemy."

At Enemy Headquarters, the team commands the ground and artillery fires, with fictional enemy troops controlled from an out-of-bounds area inside the CATT building.

Each enemy controller has around 100 soldiers under their command, directing them into battle with the QRH battlegroup. 

This realistic scenario is controlled by Battlegroup Headquarters, who are living in the field, working with intelligence reports and directing troops inside the CATT machines. 

Each Warrior vehicle has its own simulator and one member of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment controls seven virtual soldiers - selecting their weapons, the method of fire and manoeuvring them into position to thwart the enemy. Lt Col Nick Cowley, Commanding Officer, The Queen’s Royal Hussars, says: 

"They're making it pretty difficult. It plays well in a simulated environment but they are also using the sort of tactics we'd expect from the most sophisticated enemy we're likely to come across."

This high-pressure computer training is essential and effective, leaving The Queen’s Royal Hussars battlegroup at peak readiness for any threat it may face.