The battlefield is inherently unpredictable and always evolving. Constant change requires quick thinking, adaptability, and the ability to make split-second decisions amid confusion and uncertainty while coping with immense emotional pressure and physical stress.
Training helps us prepare—but only when it can capture and accurately replicate some of the more challenging aspects of reality in the field. That includes everything from the chaos of a forward operating base under attack to the tedious hours spent at a checkpoint where “nothing ever happens.” Until it does…
Since 1971, FAAC’s military simulation programs have offered training solutions—from air combat and refueling to tactical vehicle training, route clearance, weapons skills deployment, and day-to-day operations. These simulations have provided soldiers in training with real-world experiences, helping them hone skills, situational awareness, and critical judgment long before they go anywhere near the battlefield.
These military training technologies have become the standard for real-time weapons training and skills assessment. Now, through their MILO Virtual division, FAAC is redefining the use of virtual reality technology in military training exercises.
Military Training Using VR Technology
Simulator training has already established itself as an excellent approach for many combat training purposes. High-fidelity air and land simulations allow for safe, efficient, transferable skills training that covers both low-frequency/high-risk situations as well as the routine day-to-day tasks where complacency can prove deadly.
Similarly, existing simulation-based firearms and marksmanship training systems allow trainers to create more comprehensive exercises. These integrate tactics, knowledge of policy and procedure, situational awareness, and communication skills alongside marksmanship and weapons skills development in projector/screen-based virtual simulated environments and live-fire shooting ranges.
But projector-based and screen-based simulation training isn’t always right for every scenario. This is especially the case when the desired training environment—low-light conditions, close-quarters battle, a roadside location where the threat can come from any direction—plays a significant role in your training objectives and desired outcomes.
The latest generation of head-mounted VR solutions can offer a superior training experience for developing and maintaining skills that soldiers need in today’s combat environments: situational/spatial awareness, tactical movement and the ability to quickly move and scan areas for threats and indicators, communication skills under pressure, stress management and inoculation, and emotional resilience.
This becomes apparent as soon as a trainee puts on a MILO VR headset: When soldiers use VR training, they immediately begin to interact with the environment and the human subjects presented in the scenario. The psychological immersion brings deeper spatial and situational awareness. The exercises are also more emotionally realistic and create a higher degree of “presence,” which helps trainees develop the critical thinking skills necessary for information gathering and tactical decision-making under pressure.
