The company wants to build a “military metaverse” that connects warfighters around the world.
We’ve seen AR technology used for a wide variety of purposes over the years, from entertainment to education and everything in between. That said, RED 6’s synthetic air combat training might be the coolest use case to date.
The company’s Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) uses AR technology to simulate multi-aircraft dogfights by projecting virtual bogeys over a pilot’s real-world environment, offering more realistic combat scenarios while drastically reducing the overall cost of training. Earlier this week, the company announced that it has completed its first successful training flight with multiple aircraft, marking a major step forward for AR-based military training.
The system is centered around a custom fighter pilot helmet equipped with RED 6’s Combined Augmented Reality Battlespace Operation Network (CARBON). The test flight had two Red 6 pilots, codename Red 1 and Red 2 respectively, flying Berkut 540s over Ventura County. During the training mission, each pilot could see a virtual KC-46 Pegasus Tanker “flying” throughout the skies. As Red 1 “refueled” using the AR tanker, Red 2 observed the interaction in real-time.
According to RED 6, the goal is to create a “military metaverse” that connects warfighters from around the world, allowing them to train together in real-time.
“We are thrilled that our thesis has been validated and this achievement is a major step forward towards the creation of an outdoor Military Metaverse in which all warfighters, across all domains, can train together,” said Daniel Robinson, Founder and CEO of Red 6 in an official release. “Red 6 continues to expand beyond what was previously thought possible. Synthetic training environments are going to grow exponentially in the future and Red 6 plans to be a huge part of that growth and success.”
“Never has it been possible for multiple pilots to communicate simultaneously in AR like this,” added Brandon Harris, F-22 and Red 6 Test Pilot. “Today was a historic milestone for not just Red 6, but for the overall AR industry. One day this training will produce the most elite War Fighters in the world.”
For more information on RED 6 and its Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System, visit red6ar.com.
Image Credit: RED 6
