Road to I/ITSEC 2024: How Virtual and Mixed Reality Solutions Are Transforming Training Programs Worldwide
Virtual and mixed reality simulation solutions offer a way to address the growing training needs and rising costs in the defense sector. With these technologies, companies and government agencies can train more personnel with greater speed, flexibility, and cost efficiency than traditional methods. Keep reading to learn how the demand for VR/XR has surged in training and simulation, and how Varjo has become one of the key players driving this transformation in just a few years.
Urgency to expand training capacity
Recent reports indicate that NATO member states are significantly increasing their defense investments, with many nations facing an urgent need to expand their training capacity. It is estimated that member states' defense spending will grow by as much as 17.9% this year due to heightened security concerns and the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, the global pilot shortage is intensifying, with an estimated shortfall of 60,000 pilots projected by 2029. As civilian airlines attract military pilots to their ranks, defense forces face an increasing risk of an even deeper pilot deficit.
In-air training for pilots in the U.S. Air Force can cost over 30,000 dollars per hour, not including the millions invested upfront to support the training infrastructure. To maintain operational capabilities, training must become significantly more productive, scalable, and cost-effective. To meet this growing demand, defense forces and aerospace operators in numerous countries have adopted new synthetic solutions and simulation technologies.
Virtual simulation has long been successfully used in the training of both military and civilian pilots. Traditional simulators usually use large screens and domes where the virtual environment is displayed with groups of projectors. However, these large-scale solutions are expensive to acquire and maintain. Additionally, they require trainees to travel to the simulators, as the solutions cannot be relocated due to size.
Global shift toward synthetic training solutions
The idea of replacing screens and domes with virtual and mixed reality (VR and XR) technologies has been around for a long time, but it is only in recent years that technological advancements have enabled the real utilization of VR and XR training. Now, demanding and safety-critical training is increasingly being shifted to headset-based virtual and mixed reality simulation.
Virtual and mixed reality enable the simulation of real-world conditions and operations in an immersive virtual environment that is experienced through VR/XR head mounted displays. The demand for these technologies has surged in training and simulation, as they offer a safer, more efficient, cost-effective, and portable alternative to traditional training methods and simulators.
Varjo drives the transformation
Varjo’s devices have quickly gained a strong foothold in the aerospace and defense industries due to their technological capabilities. Varjo’s clients include companies such as Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Boeing, BAE Systems, the U.S. Army, and several NATO defense forces. Of the world’s 20 largest defense and aerospace companies, 19 are Varjo’s clients, and the Varjo devices are used in over 70 international training programs worldwide.
Varjo headsets are known for their industry-leading mixed reality capabilities, delivering resolution that closely mirrors the clarity of the human eye. Mixed reality technology enables the merging of elements from both the virtual and real worlds. Varjo’s headsets make this experience exceptionally seamless, high-definition, and lifelike — qualities highly valued by demanding industrial customers. For high-security clients, Varjo’s product line includes the XR-4 Secure Edition, which is manufactured in a secure facility in Finland and meets the standards of the Trade Agreements Act and NATO’s security requirements.
Virtual and mixed reality devices have seen the most extensive adoption in the training curriculum of helicopter and fighter pilots, but their application in the defense sector is rapidly expanding to include new areas such as training for JTACs, naval operators, and drone pilots. Looking ahead, VR/XR technology is expected to be adopted for training in armored vehicles and heavy weaponry as well.
Compact solutions bring savings and flexibility
The integration of virtual and mixed reality in training provides substantial advantages for aerospace and defense clients compared to traditional training systems. Training in traditional simulators or in the field is not only expensive but also logistically challenging, as the learning is limited to training centers in specific geographic locations. VR and XR simulators solve these problems by providing a portable and realistic training method. The size and weight of physical flight simulators can be reduced by up to 80% with the help of VR/XR solutions.
The cost savings are also considerable: for the price of a single traditional simulator, hundreds of VR/XR systems can be acquired. For example, the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has estimated that flight training with VR and XR devices could save the U.S. Air Force up to $350 million annually.
Thanks to more cost-effective training, aviation and defense clients can afford more extensive and frequent exercises, particularly in the early stages of training programs. If an air force pilot can start training in VR/XR right from the start, they are ready for their first solo flight in half the time compared to traditional training. Previous U.S. Air Force projects have shown that VR and XR can reduce the time required for independent flight competence by up to 70%.
Benefits of immersive VR and XR training
- Cost-effectiveness: Solutions and their maintenance cost only a fraction compared to traditional simulators.
- Smaller carbon footprint: Systems require less space, materials, and energy than traditional training.
- Flexibility: Due to their smaller size, the solutions are portable, enabling training regardless of location or weather conditions.
- Training quality: VR and XR offer an immersive training environment, enabling the use of the entire field of view that improves learning and encourages trainees to repeat tasks.
- Scalability: The solutions speed up training and allow more exercises to be completed in a shorter period.
VR/XR solidifies its place in aviation
In pilot training, Varjo's VR- and XR-based training solutions are used to support a wide range of critical flight training tasks. In 2023, the U.S. Army selected Varjo's devices as part of its Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT) Air program, which offers portable training capabilities for three different helicopter types.
This multi-million-dollar, multi-year contract supports the Army’s goal of creating a synthetic training environment that enables collective training regardless of location. Additionally, Varjo’s devices are used in the U.S. Air Force and Navy’s largest synthetic training program, VTTC.
On the civilian aviation side, both the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have, for the first time, approved a virtual reality-based training solution for pilot training. This simulator, developed by Loft Dynamics, uses Varjo’s VR headset. The certifications from EASA and FAA allow training conducted in virtual reality to count toward official flight hours in helicopter pilot training programs.
In Finland, the Finnish Air Force, Varjo, Patria, and Bohemia Interactive Simulations have collaborated to develop a groundbreaking Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) training solution. With LVC training, pilots train in an environment where live Hawk aircraft, physical simulators and computer modelling are all combined in a single training scenario. Pilots flying in the air see the same aircraft and virtually created targets as the trainees using virtual simulators on the ground.
Strengthened cooperation between NATO Defense Forces
Varjo’s technology collaboration with NATO countries’ defense forces is growing stronger with Finland’s recent accession to NATO. It has heightened interest among allied nations in Finnish defense solutions and technologies. NATO nations are now sharing information with Varjo more openly, and visits from allies to Varjo’s facilities in Finland have significantly increased since the country joined the alliance.
At the same time, civilian technologies are being embraced more widely and experimentally, driving innovation across sectors like VR, space technology, and artificial intelligence. This convergence has deepened the collaboration between civilian and defense technology providers and customers on a global scale. As interest in these innovations grows, it has opened up massive market potential for Varjo in the coming years, with the global market for training simulations expected to reach approximately $900 million by 2027.
