To the average eye, augmented reality begins to look bleak. The Metaverse bombed, the Apple Vision Pro flopped, and Sony has all but given up on the PSVR.
Mark Zuckerberg finds it unfortunate that consumers rarely want to strap computers to their faces. But there is one place where business is booming: the military.
XR has become widespread in the armed forces since 2021, when Microsoft signed a contract with the US Army up to $21.9 billion (€19.6 billion). Under the agreement, the tech giant would develop training programs for HoloLens-based headsets.
Despite a shaky start – in the truest sense of the word Nauseous soldiers — The partnership continues to this day. But it might not be long: roughly 80 companies are now competing for the contract.
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As the market expands, new use cases have emerged. You can now find XR in countless military applications, from combat training to battlefield tactics to vehicles Exercises and helmet systems. And that's just on the ground.
Arguably the fastest-growing military application for XR is pilot training. There is an undisputed European champion in this segment: Varjo.
From its headquarters in Finland, Varjo (pronounced “var-yo”) is building a thriving synthetic flight training business. The company's CEO, Timo Toikkanen, says a “paradigm shift” has begun.
The trigger was the growing need for aircraft simulators. Advances in XR paved the way to compelling new systems.
One was recently delivered to Ukraine. It will support the country's newest air force: F-16 fighter jets.
Flight preparations
After years of lobbying Western allies, Ukraine finally received its first F-16 fighter jets in August. The delivery was a milestone for the country's air force, which had previously relied on Soviet-era jets.
F-16s add a powerful upgrade to the fleet. But there is a problem with the arrangement: Ukraine does not have enough pilots who can fly the planes.
Traditional solutions to this problem come with their own problems. Airplane training is extremely expensive, seating is limited, and courses often require long travel. The traditional alternative is dome simulators, but they also have high prices. They are also huge machines that require their own buildings.
XR can overcome these barriers. The simulators are cheaper than domes and can be operated in offices. They can also integrate systems from all armed forces. But their greatest strength today is their speed.
“The training time for a fighter pilot is reduced by 30 to 50%,” says Toikkanen. “If it costs millions every year, that’s a very significant change.”
Ukraine has an urgent need for this fast and affordable training. The new F-16s could intercept enemy jets and establish areas of air superiority – but only with enough pilots to fly them. To train them, the country recently acquired its first fully operational XR F-16 system.
Czech company Dogfight Boss built the simulator, while Varjo provided the XR technology.
After entering the cockpit, pilots learn the controls, refine their techniques and fly virtual missions.
The Ukrainian Air Force can then benefit from this. But for Varjo, the country is just a tiny addition to a booming global market.
“The F-16 in Ukraine is an example of a much broader phenomenon,” Toikkanen said. “And the phenomenon is that traditional methods of training pilots are being replaced by mixed reality technology.”
XR takes off
One of Varjo's closest partners is Aechelon Technology. The American company creates geo-specific visualizations of the real world that have been integrated into Varjo's XR system. Together, the partners produced headsets for the US Air Force.
“We are one of the big players in the USA. But Varjo is The players,” Aechelon co-founder Javier Castellar tells TNW.
Castellar estimates that Varjo has captured at least 95% of the XR flight training market. He calls the company “the Tesla of Finland.”
This reputation in military aviation has developed rapidly. A few years ago, XR was technically unable to replace air force simulators. Today, Varjo participates in over 80 military training programs throughout NATO territory. Orders for XRs, says Castellar, now outnumber those for domes by at least eight to one.
The reason for this turnaround is a major leap in technology.
Javier Castellar, the co-founder of Aechelon Technologies, holds a Varjo XR headset. Photo credit: Shadow
Varjo's groundbreaking headset was the XR-4 series. Released last yearThe devices combine a 360-degree view of the synthetic environment with the cockpit interior. Castellar says the system “crossed a threshold of human vision.”
Inside the headset Foveated rendering Tracks the pilot's eyes and maximizes the resolution where he looks. By applying this technique, the XR-4 can increase visual quality while reducing computational effort. Dual 4K x 4K displays can then deliver photorealistic scenes at 90 frames per second.
To integrate the pilot's surroundings, two 40-megapixel cameras align the visual focus to the pilot's gaze. As your view moves from the digital environment to the physical cockpit, the pass-through system shifts your view from the virtual to the real. TNW did it Test the technology last year and found the transition seamless.
With increasing acceptance, new possibilities arise. “It’s not just a display system,” says Castellar. “It has a significant impact on defense.”
Fly higher
Modernizing modern aircraft is expensive. With domes, costs are reduced, but the changes still aren't cheap. They can also involve complex implementations.
XR promises a simpler solution. “The architecture can be continually adjusted as it becomes more of a software problem,” says Castellar.
The improvements are potentially endless. On an F-16 simulator, you could add night vision goggles, new weapon systems, or the latest aircraft helmet. All of these components can then be incorporated into the mission rehearsals.
But that only applies to airplanes. Varjo expects that XR will now spread across the armed forces and into complex military operations. The headsets will connect aircraft in the sky with ships at sea and vehicles on the ground. Numerous simulators will follow the same scenario. Each element is networked in an environment.
“You can’t practice that in real life,” says Toikkanen. “The only practice is to simulate.”
A Ukrainian soldier in the new F-16 simulator. Photo credit: DogFight Boss
The software also offers advanced data analysis. They can measure a pilot's cognitive stress, reaction speed or direction of gaze. Training programs can be tailored to your needs.
The findings could even shape real military equipment. “You can get pilots to fly airplanes that don’t exist yet,” says Castellar. “You can experience the impact of performance on the battlefield and make design decisions based on that.”
This affordable adaptability creates a recurring business model. In the future, Castellar envisions a service similar to smartphone upgrade programs.
“I think it will generate profits in a sustainable way, which is unusual in this industry,” he says. “It’s usually a one-time purchase.”
As evidence of the benefits grows, Castellar expects adoption to increase rapidly. The defense market typically develops slowly. But as new technologies become more important, order numbers often increase.
They can also lead to new applications. Endless military machines could eventually follow the XR trajectory.
“These are no longer just training aids that you like to have,” says Castellar. “They become vital to the defense of any country.
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