Office of Naval Research - Case Study

Accelerated

Training

Significant

Cost Savings

Improved

Readiness

U.S. Military revolutionizes training simulations

The Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) community are a supremely skilled, specialized unit of the U.S Military’s Office of Naval Research. Their high-stakes work to coordinate attacks by combat aircraft involves pinpoint precision, assurance and extensive experience in equal measure. To become a controller involves considerable training and at great expense, including aircraft flight hours, range time, and live artillery. Historically there have only been a handful of exclusive dome simulator training facilities which can replicate this real-life training experience.

In partnership with Lockheed Martin, the Office of Naval Research asked Virbela to develop and integrate a virtual reality training program that would give their dispersed community of trainees and qualified controllers easy access to high-quality simulations, and build up their mission-critical experience. The result was a portable VR training kit that could be distributed to locations all over the world.

Virbela accelerates JTAC training for US forces worldwide

A lack of physical training facilities meant an expensive and inefficient process for operatives progressing through the JTAC ranks. Virbela, backed by the world’s leading commercial gaming software and product support, solved this problem. Our portable training kits and headsets replicated the same standard of intelligent, immersive VR simulations as trainees experienced within a real-world facility – yet were a fraction of the cost and could be accessed anywhere in the world, at any time.

A real cost, time, and risk-saving solution

Our collaboration with Lockhed Martin and the Office of Naval Research resulted in a fully immersive, lightweight, and transportable virtual reality (VR) training kit that can be easily carried around the world to provide timely, high-fidelity procedural training to JTACs. Together, we improved Marine Corps readiness and the availability of simulations for trainees and ready-qualified controllers. We saved the U.S. Military significant financial resources, and we reduced the risk of physical flight hours and live artillery rounds, while not compromising on the training quality of the training itself.