Boeing and an augmented-reality company called Red 6 have successfully flown and tested a virtual display system in a TA-4J Skyhawk tactical aircraft, in preparation for putting the system on a T-7 advanced training jet.
The system lets pilots see and interact with virtual aircraft, targets and threats on the ground and in the air, while also experiencing the stresses that come with physically flying their airplane. The idea is to provide pilots with a realistic training environment while minimizing the risks of getting hurt.
“Boeing is the first company to team with Red 6 on this type of advanced training technology,” Donn Yates, executive director of Boeing Air Force Fighters and Trainers Business Development, said today in a news release. “The successful series of ground tests and four flight sorties illustrate our collaborative ability to rapidly integrate, deliver and test new technology with the potential to change fighter pilot training for an entire generation.”
It’s been a little less than a year since Boeing and Red 6 announced their agreement to integrate Red 6’s Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) and Augmented Reality Command and Analytic Data Environment (ARCADE) into Boeing-built military aircraft such as the T-7 Red Hawk and the F-15EX Eagle II.
Red 6’s president, Thomas “Guns” Bergeson, said he was proud of the team’s efforts to go from integration into the TA-4J to flying the technology successfully in so short a time. “We remain focused on delivering a fully synthetic, outdoor training environment that will transform training for future fighter pilots,” Bergeson said. “The combination of T-7 and ATARS will usher in a new paradigm in training, directly impacting readiness and lethality.”
Red 6 is also working on augmented-reality training systems with other partners, ranging from the U.S. Air Force and Britain’s Royal Air Force to Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries.
