Military training solutions provider Red 6 has showcased the capabilities of an airborne augmented reality training system for the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. BAE Systems led the technology’s in-flight demonstrations using a Hawk TMk2 aircraft.
If deployed, the Red 6-developed ATARS, short for Advanced Tactical AR System, will equip the RAF pilot trainees with capabilities to identify, engage and defeat virtual adversaries and cooperate with synthetic wingmen.
According to Air Commodore Rob Caine, head of flight training at RAF, novel technologies help the armed forces sustain their combat edge and be ready to fight when the time comes. “This latest development is a very exciting proposition and a huge opportunity to improve training quality, increase throughput and lower essential overheads like aircraft, airspace and instructors,” the official said.
Red 6 founder and CEO Daniel Robinson highlighted the transformative benefits ATARS offers to aviation training.
“This successful demonstration marks a massive milestone in showcasing how Red 6’s technology will revolutionize pilot training,” he said. “By projecting synthetically generated entities through Red 6’s patented augmented reality technology into the field of view of the pilots, ATARS negates the need to provide live aircraft and instructors for students to fly with or against.”