Oviedo defense firm Serious Simulations lands $28M army contract

Oviedo defense firm Serious Simulations lands $28M army contract

By Jake Jordan, WFTV.com

September 22, 2025 at 9:03 pm EDT

OVIEDO, Fla. — Serious Simulations, a defense firm in Oviedo, has obtained a $28 million deal with the Army to supply simulated grenades and land mines for combat training.

The contract is expected to double Serious Simulations’ workforce, emphasizing the company’s expanding role in military training technology.

The founder of Serious Simulations calls Orlando ‘the military simulation capital of the world,’ highlighting its importance in defense training innovation.

Serious Simulations focuses on developing realistic training environments for military personnel by leveraging advanced simulation technology to improve combat preparedness.

 

Serious Simulations’ intelligent training grenades and mines awarded a $28 M production contract for the U.S. Army

Serious Simulations’ intelligent training grenades and mines awarded a $28 M production contract for the U.S. Army

 

Serious Simulations awarded a Production Contract for Grenade and Claymore Training Systems

 

Orlando FL (August 14, 2025) – Orlando-based Serious Simulations has been awarded a significant production contract for simulated grenades and Claymore mines with their patented Proximity Technology for the U.S. Army’s Synthetic Training Environment Live Training Systems (STE LTS) initiative.

Serious Simulations embarked on a prototype refinement contract to customize its patented proximity technology for grenades and mines for specific Army needs in 2023.  The development contract was hugely successful in multiple soldier test events, technical tests, and environmental tests, leading to exercising an option by the Army to proceed directly to production.

These simulated grenades are the first intelligent and data-rich hand grenade training devices ever fielded for live Force-on-Force (FoF) training.  For hundreds of years, armed forces around the world have been forced to utilize inert and make-shift training devices such as tennis balls, pine cones, rocks, sacks of sand with chemical lights, or hard rubber replicas to roughly replicate grenades in live training.

The Serious Simulations simulated hand grenades and Claymore mines are high tech devices that determine their exact proximity to live soldiers and vehicles so as to assess a realistic and real time battle damage based on the simulated munitions’ data.  The devices also replicate realistic penetration of intervening materials, so that soldiers receive positive reinforcement for seeking proper protective cover.

The training devices use real soldier-to-munition interfaces with real parts.  Specifically, the grenade has a real spoon, pull ring, and safety clip, and is the correct size as real grenades.  The grenades also have an outer envelope of safety padding for safe throwing in live training.  In the same vein the Claymore mine kit contains a real firing device, real test device, real wire spool and bandoleer.  The mine head is simulated and houses the proximity and feedback electronics with correct form, fit, and function.

Michael Powell, product manager, STE Live Training Systems for the U.S. Army said, “We are thrilled to quickly field these innovative training systems under the Middle-Tier Acquisition Rapid Fielding initiative to fill a long-standing training gap that persisted in live force-on-force training for these close combat weapon systems.  The Serious Simulations team has been terrific to work with and is all set to deliver the cutting-edge products needed by our modern warfighters to train realistically.”

The fielded systems will produce vital training data and communicate to the training system architecture through the use of a Universal Receiver Unit (URU) attached to individuals and vehicles.  This small and unobtrusive device processes signal data and reports its “damage” results in real time to the Synthetic Training Environment, and it can also operate in legacy systems using MILES or ULEIS architectures.

Christopher Chambers, founder and CEO of Serious Simulations is excited about the production contract, saying “This contract represents the recognition of our company’s history of innovation and problem solving to develop high-tech solutions for historic training gaps.  It enables us to build our Veteran Owned Small Business’s capabilities and achieve higher volume production and fielding of hardware to the military.  We also expect to grow the reach of our Proximity technology to benefit other training devices such as sUAS’s, IED’s, anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.”

Initial production is intended for the Combat Training Centers at Fort Johnson, LA and Fort Irwin, CA.  Successful performance in these installations could lead to fielding in other CTCs and installations for home station training.

 

#  #  #

For more information media should contact –

Christopher Chambers, Serious Simulations, 407-538-1927, cchambers@serioussimulations.com

About Serious Simulations:  Serious Simulations LLC, an Orlando based Veteran Owned simulation business, innovates and designs immersive training systems with custom made hardware and software components for specific skill training needs, often combined with motion or position tracking systems, wireless communications devices, wireless display technologies and commercial game engines. The company has unique and patented technologies to enable customers to integrate real devices and real weapons for simulation and live training.  Serious Simulations is a Prime Contractor for U.S. Army STE Live Training Systems (STE LTS) and has performed other subcontracts under STE LTS and STE Soldier Virtual Trainer (STE SVT).  For more information, visit our web site at www.serioussimulations.com .   Inquiries:  info@serioussimulations.com.      

   

Serious Simulations’ intelligent training grenades and mines awarded a $28 M production contract for the U.S. Army

Serious Simulations, as an exclusive partner of Team Ravenswood, announces that they are participating as a key technology subcontractor for the BEST MAC Contract.

Orlando, FL (March 7, 2025)

Serious Simulations, as an exclusive partner of Team Ravenswood, announces that they are participating as a key technology subcontractor for the BEST MAC Contract.

Ravenswood was Awarded a Prime Contractor role on the 10-Year “Bridge to Enduring Synthetic Training Environment (STE) Tactical Engagement Simulation Systems (TESS) Multiple-Award Contract (BEST MAC)”.  The BEST MAC Contract consists of two separate lots with a combined ceiling of $921,153,455. This Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract provides the US Army an avenue to compete various Delivery Orders among selected contract holders to meet three top priorities:

  1. Refurbishment of old equipment to bridge the gap to the future.
  2. Enhancement of legacy equipment to maximize interoperability.
  3. Build new systems from design, to manufacturing, to implementations.

With comprehensive capabilities in engineering, design, development, manufacturing, networking, fielding, maintenance and training for TESS and STE platforms worldwide, Team Ravenswood and Serious Simulations are ready to leverage individual and combined strengths to help the U.S. Army address these priorities with focus on creating interoperability and commonality with current systems and the platforms they support throughout the acquisition cycle. In addition, Serious Simulations brings unique and recognized innovations and intellectual property to the Ravenswood team that support the future development needed by the Army.

                                                         

Serious Simulations’ 10 year Anniversary Celebration

Serious Simulations’ 10 year Anniversary Celebration

Serious Simulations’ 10 year Anniversary on was an enjoyable event for the 70 or so people who came by to see the company’s new facility and products.  The afternoon started with remarks by Carol Ann Dykes Logue (Director of UCF Business Incubator and Tech Grove), Mr. Mike Powell (Program Manager for Live Training Systems at PEOSTRI), Mr. Eric Geoffrey (VP at CAE) and Mr. Roger McNicholas (VP at General Dynamics Mission Systems).  Chris Chambers also shared reminiscences of the past decade, and expressed warm appreciation to all his employees, partners, customers, and investors who helped the company to achieve its successes over the years.

The event was social but also interactive, with fun competitions in Simulated Hand Grenade throwing and Simulated Rifle shooting.  Winners of the grenade throwing event were Colton Chambers (1st), Macy Johnson (2nd), and Harlow Chambers (3rd).  Winners of the marksmanship event were Julio Mendez (1st), Irma Stenman (2nd), and Greg Smith (3rd).

Serious Simulations staff and leaders are looking forward to another great 10 years in the Simulation and Training community here in Orlando, and worldwide.  They are serious about having a positive impact on training the nation’s warfighters.

 

# # #

For more information media should contact –
Christopher Chambers, Serious Simulations, 407-538-1927, cchambers@serioussimulations.com

About Serious Simulations, LLC: Serious Simulations LLC, an Orlando based Veteran Owned Small
Business, innovates, designs, and produces sophisticated training devices for live and virtual training for
a variety of military customers. For more information, visit our web site at
www.serioussimulations.com . Inquiries: info@serioussimulations.com.