Simulation and Digital-Twin Infrastructure

The accelerating complexity of military operations across land, air, maritime, space and cyber domains necessitates the development of simulation and digital twin infrastructures capable of supporting realistic testing, training and doctrinal evolution.

As military operations grow more complex across land, air, maritime, space and cyber, the ability to test systems, train personnel and rehearse doctrine in high-fidelity synthetic environments becomes a capability in itself. The procurement question is whether this infrastructure can represent contested, multidomain conditions realistically enough to inform real decisions, and whether it integrates with the platforms and command systems it is meant to model. For European forces the value lies in compressing the cycle between concept, testing and fielded capability without the cost and risk of live trials alone. The maturity question is sharp here, because a synthetic environment that is not validated against reality can give false confidence rather than genuine readiness.

Industrially and financially, simulation and digital twins sit at the intersection of defence and commercial software, so the relevant considerations are which providers can sustain accreditation-grade fidelity, how recurring licensing and integration revenue compares with one-off builds, and how procurement frameworks treat synthetic environments as durable infrastructure rather than ancillary tooling. Policy choices on data, standards and interoperability will shape which platforms scale, because a model is only as useful as the data and interfaces it can connect to. The deeper question for the reader is whether ownership of the underlying environment, rather than any single simulation, is where lasting value sits. The full DFM Analysis report sets out the complete source base, the supporting figures and the detailed assessment behind this view.