BAE Systems will hold an in-flight demonstration of the Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality Systems on a Hawk TMk2 training aircraft of the U.K. Royal Air Force in 2024.
ATARS offers synthetic training for fighter pilots to track and engage virtual foes programmed for combat and other hostile activities. The platform’s systems, developed by U.S. technology company Red 6, also train pilots to cooperate with virtual wingmen while airborne. BAE Systems and Red 6 entered into a collaboration agreement on the ATARS integration into the Hawk aircraft in November 2022.
The RAF said in a statement that the Red 6 virtual systems reduce the need for live assets during training and promote fuel savings while delivering more training hours for the trainees.
The results of the in-flight training demonstration will help the service branch decide to adopt AR in its future flight training programs. If institutionalized in training, the technology could be updated regularly to help ensure that British pilots maintain their battle-winning advantage.
BAE Systems secured the contract for the in-flight ATARS demo through the U.K. Military Flying Training System’s Hawk Delivery Team at Defence Equipment and Support, the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s procurement arm.