Published: April 11, 2023
April 12, 2023, USA/Prague, Czech Republic – As a result of long-term cooperation between Vrgineers and Razbam Simulations, the new F-15E Strike Eagle trainer will be showcased for the first time at the IT2EC show in Rotterdam. The companies want to provide affordable reconfigurable COTS trainers to the U.S. Air Force, combining the Vrgineers’ Portable Trainer and XTAL 3 Virtual Headset with the F-15E Strike Eagle model by Razbam. The F-15E Strike Eagle model was released earlier this year and is available to everyone using Digital Combat Simulator at home.
This unique concept allows Air Forces to train cooperation and mission rehearsals using the most advanced and affordable solution currently on the market. Portable Trainers are easy to deploy (under 30 minutes, link to the video) and convenient to transport (by two people). The device offers the highest level of immersion thanks to the usage of XTAL, a 180 degrees field of view, and a 4k resolution headset.
“The fidelity of the RAZBAM F-15E Strike Eagle is incredible. The level of detail of the cockpit and scale of the functions available in combination with our trainers allows practically anyone to become a skilled F-15 pilot,” says Marek Polcak, CEO & co-founder of Vrgineers.
Growing demand for pilots, acceptance of virtual pilot training to ensure aviation safety, and the need to reduce the cost of pilot training are the major factors why we see a rapid increase in using these COTS trainers as a part of growing Pilot Next, RVCT, and other advanced training programs.
“We estimate that till 2030 every pilot will have one of these trainers at their disposal anytime and can use it from home, connecting to the centralized synthetic training environment using a secured VPN to continue exercise despite any restriction such as we saw during the COVID,” adds Marek Polcak, CEO of Vrgineers.
Vrgineers & RAZBAM F-15E Portable Trainer uses F-15E throttle and stick replicas. The rest of the instrumental panel and cockpit is virtual. All the switches and knobs manipulation are solved by hand tracking of the trackball allowing a pilot to access the full capabilities.
The current platform is not suitable for procedural training due to the lack of needed features for muscle memory training. However, Vrgineers is working on a mixed-reality version of the F-15E trainer, which aims to be presented for the first time at the I/ITSEC in Orlando this year. The mixed reality setup will allow full 1:1 training.
“The integration we did with Vrgineers simulators enables all the features of our model to become an ultimate training solution and offers a cost-efficient solution to all F-15E air forces and operators,” says Ronald Zambrano, CEO & founder of Razbam Simulations.
On top of all mentioned, the F-15E model integrates new TALON AI, a co-pilot AI handling tactical tasks such as locking the target and navigation. This advanced assistance is another step to increase the training curve and support the training of complex tasks before the mission.
About Vrgineers
Vrgineers is a leader in developing immersive technologies focused on training professional fighter jets and helicopter pilots. The company develops and manufactures its XTAL headset for virtual and mixed reality. The company’s product portfolio also includes flight simulators – the Classroom, Portable, and Custom Trainer.
The XTAL headset is developed based on the priorities of professional pilots and instructors from the international aviation community to meet the most demanding requirements for realistic simulation. The company achieved this through the unique combination of a wide field of view and high image quality that XTAL brings.
Vrgineers simulators form the basis of a modern synthetic training platform. Thanks to the possibility of interconnection, it is possible to train not only pilots but also the cooperation of a pilot with a co-pilot, a gunner with a pilot, JTAC instructors, and the coordination of entire squadrons. Vrgineers simulators support both Western and Eastern aviation platforms, from propeller-driven to subsonic to supersonic aircraft and helicopters.
About Razbam Simulations
RAZBAM Simulations has been creating top-notch military and civil aircraft simulations since 2003. Until recently, RAZBAM development was focused exclusively on the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and Microsoft Flight Simulator X. However, the team has stepped away from developing the aged Flight Simulator X, and into the split future of flight simulations: Eagle Dynamics’ Digital Combat Simulator for the consumer level and Mission System’s Misson Combat Simulator for the professional simulation solution market.