Embedded system allows soldiers to train on the same system they operate, at the point of need
ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BAE Systems (LON: BA) OneArc (OneArc™) has been awarded an Other Transaction Agreement contract by the U.S. Army to integrate its Embedded Collective Training (ECT) solution on a platoon of combat vehicles at Fort Hood, Texas, as part of the Army’s Force Development Innovation & Assessment (FDIA). The integration marks the first commercially available embedded trainer installed in a U.S. Army combat vehicle.
“Crews need the ability to train wherever the mission requires, without being tied to fixed simulator facilities,” said Sergeant First Class Patrick Muir, 1st Cavalry Division Standardization Master Gunner. “The ECT supports Army FDIA by providing a single, adaptable system that enables precision and collective training across geographically dispersed locations using organic platform controls and procedures. This gives commanders greater flexibility to build and sustain readiness while reducing the costs and infrastructure requirements traditionally associated with dedicated facilities.”
Throughout the FDIA event, U.S. Army crews will train on the full range of precision gunnery progression tasks in support of platform qualification. The initiative covers weapon systems, crew-level qualification and validation of embedded training on a fielded combat platform.
The deployment comes as the Army works to close a persistent gap between the introduction of new capability and combat readiness. Historically, embedded training has arrived years after a platform enters service, if delivered at all, forcing units to rely on live-fire ranges or standalone simulators that are costly, difficult to schedule and disconnected from the vehicle crew stations.
“By integrating a commercial embedded trainer directly on a combat platform already in the fight, the Army gains a repeatable model for pairing new equipment with training capability from day one, rather than treating training as a follow-on program years down the road,” said Rahul Thakkar, President, BAE Systems OneArc. “For a force under pressure to modernize on compressed timelines, the shift, from training as only a pre-deployment activity to training as a built-in capability, is central to what FDIA is designed to prove out.”
The ECT kits are designed to scale beyond individual crew training, supporting platoon-level collective training and distributed tactical maneuver in later phases. The approach also extends to other ground platforms, both crewed and uncrewed, giving the Army a common path to embedded training across the OneArc ecosystem of capabilities and partners.
The solution was designed to support the Army’s commercial-first approach to training capability, reducing the development phase that often slows deployment of new technologies and compressing the timeline from acquisition to training into months, not years.
For more information, please contact:
Amy Nwamkpa, BAE Systems
Mobile: 703-268-9621
amy.nwamkpa@baesystems.us
www.baesystems.com/US
@BAESystemsInc
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SOURCE BAE Systems, Inc.
