A new training facility to be run by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with support from Luerssen Australia has been officially opened at HMAS Stirling.
Over the past five years, Luerssen Australia, in conjunction with the Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Group and the RAN, has analysed and designed a specific training package to prepare incoming Arafura class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) crews.
Luerssen Australia’s 19 bespoke training courses will now be delivered from the purpose-built training facility at HMAS Stirling – called Navy Training Systems Centre (West).
All crew posted to an OPV will undertake the familiarisation course, as well as a variety of operator and maintainer courses depending on their role.
OPV crew training kicked off in 2022 in an existing facility on HMAS Stirling.
Training for NUSHIP Arafura’s crew has been completed, and training for NUSHIP Eyre’s crew is set to commence later this year.
“This important and innovative facility will help prepare OPV crews for deployment. It is an immersive approach which uses virtual reality and augmented reality to provide crews a unique training experience,” said Luerssen Australia Managing Director, Malcolm Taylor.