The Ministry of Defence has taken simulation technology to new heights with a system designed to accustom troops to the explosion, smoke and intense shock of a roadside terrorist explosion.

One version of the Improvised Explosive Device mimics a suicide bomber's explosive vest.

Instructors can wear it and set it off in different situations to make the training more realistic.

The device was put on show yesterday at the Copehill Down Village, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, by the the MoD Defence Equipment and Support service.