This time in '99: British Army invades cyberspace

A UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) cybertraining project that replaces costly equipment and manpower with software has gone live and is beginning to save the department money.

An MoD spokesman said the trials are proving successful and could save the ministry millions of pounds. "We expect to save around £70m over the next fifteen years, and it certainly seems to be improving training," he said.

Fifty troops have already gone through the Larkhill, Wiltshire-based project which is the first of five planned for army units posted in Germany, Canada and the UK.

The trials are unique to the British Army, according to the spokesman. "I'm not aware of any other country with a project anything like this - it's the most complex of its type," he said.

The system - called the Warrior Observation Post Vehicle Trainer (OPVT) - is developed and managed by Sussex-based software developer, CAE Invertron. It allows troops to carry out artillery reconnaissance training using a simulator, cutting down on equipment wear and tear and saving the environmental damage the live exercises currently cause.

The other four projects are expected to go live before the end of the year.