Small arms simulator for military and security trainings - an industry and competitor analysis

The small arms simulator is an appealing option for shooting training because of its benefits in lowering the cost, safety issues and waste management. It is well worth to study the market opportunities for small arms simulator as it is one of the defense technology that can lead to numerous trading opportunities. Moreover, it is likely to play an important role in the evolving military training industry. This independent study comprises the industry summary and competitor analysis focuses on the small arms simulator technology and its opportunity in Thailand. Exploratory research was conducted using secondary data and in-depth interview. The secondary data reports the overview about the defense industry and the small arms simulator industry, Thai military procurement process, the utilization of small arms simulator in military training, military expenditure, budget allocation structure and trend. In-depth interviews with key persons in the buying process show the insight on the importance of the shooting training simulators and describe the buying center in practice. Some military units are using the small arms simulators alongside the traditional field training in Thailand. The systems are from both local manufacturers and importation. Still, there are the demands for such systems as shooting is a fundamental training and the requirement for each level of training is different. The potential users are Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy, Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Thai Police along with their sub-units. The procurement of the simulators follows regulation of the Office of Prime Minister on Procurement B.E.2535 (1992). Nevertheless, a well-established connection with the right person in the procurement process is also important apart from selling the product that can serve user’s needs.