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DCI offers virtual mine library for training
Times are changing for naval personnel in general and mine clearance divers in particular. At Euronaval 2026, Défense Conseil International (DCI) is launching an immersive virtual reality (VR) training solution focused on naval munitions and mines.
© Benoit Prévost, GICAN
Once the VR headset is secure, the trainee picks up two controllers and enters a 3D library containing around ten naval mines modelled to their exact physical dimensions. “We are starting with nine munition families, featuring about ten realistic models ranging from depth charges to missiles,” explains Patrick Galiano, Head of Innovation, Products and Services at DCI. “Virtual reality allows us to bypass the constraints of space, time and physical equipment typically encountered during training deployments abroad,” he notes.
In practice, trainees have complete freedom to study naval mines to fully grasp their scale and exterior appearance down to the smallest detail. They can move the digital objects and open them up to examine the internal components of each munition. Trainees can even generate disassembled perspectives — separating components to scan each one from every angle — to understand how the mine functions in order to be able to neutralise it.
This risk-free process allows trainees to penetrate deep inside a moored mine, which weighs between 100 and 400kg excluding its float and its anchor sinker. This is precisely the type of ordnance likely scattered across the Strait of Hormuz. The second type of naval mine featured includes bottom mines equipped with acoustic or magnetic sensors, which weigh several hundred kg.
Over time, the virtual library will expand to meet evolving operational and mission-preparation requirements. Deployment of this training module to Middle Eastern clients is scheduled for early 2027. The VR solution will be integrated throughout the curriculum to complement live dives involving (real) inert training mines. The training programmes are hosted at the International Military Diving Training Centre (CIF-PM) in Saint-Mandrier, in the Var department. However, land mine clearance technicians and officer cadets undergoing basic and advanced training will also utilise the system.
- Aude Leroy
