Army’s top tactical trainer in Wiltshire benefits from £1.9m refurb

There is just under a year to go until around 4,000 soldiers relocate to the Salisbury Plain Training Area under the Army Basing Programme.  We remain on track to deliver the new single living and working accommodation required on garrisons, whilst continuing to invest in existing defence infrastructure to support the military’s operational effectiveness.

We’ve recently completed a major upgrade to one of the Army’s key training assets in Wiltshire. The Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT) in Warminster, which uses state-of-the-art networked simulators to enable soldiers to train in a virtual environment, benefited from a £1.9m refurbishment throughout August and September.

The CATT is vast; over 300 tonnes of scaffolding had to be installed to enable access to its high ceiling.  That’s more than 14 miles of scaffold boards and 20,000 metres of tubing, all fitted in just one week – the largest volume of scaffolding erected in the shortest timeframe for any of our projects.

In addition, four lorry loads of plywood were delivered to the site, so that each simulator could be boarded up and protected during works.  The wood has since been donated to the Ghurkhas for reuse.

Every simulator now has individual fire alarm and air-conditioning controls, enhancing the safety and comfort of soldiers during training.  Over 300 energy-efficient LEDs (totalling 21 miles of cable) have been installed.  Returning to the CATT after the summer break, our military customer will notice a real difference, thanks to improved lighting and ventilation throughout the facility.

This significant investment, delivered with Aspire Defence Services Limited under our Project Allenby/Connaught contract with the MOD, will ensure that the CATT remains a safe, compliant and economical asset for the Army, where soldiers can continue to gain vital operational skills.

Project stats

Total man hours worked	10,979 hours from 23 July to 21 September
Average no of persons on site daily	32
Scaffolding boards	14.780 miles
Saffolding tube	12.523 miles
No of tube couplers	29,500
No of light fittings	381
No of detectors used	255
Length of cable used	29.825 miles
Old lighting system energy consumption	approx 46284W
New lighting system energy consumption	approx 24946W