King Crow Studios recently announced it had won a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract from the United States Air Force (USAF) to develop immersive training solutions.
The studio is the first extended reality (XR) firm in Louisiana to earn the award, which was launched in May and will run up to 2025. The contract, worth $6.5 million, will back the development of B-52 pilot training programmes using mixed reality technologies over four years time.
The USAF, along with Nexus Louisiana and Precision Procurement Solutions (PPS), supported the bidding process for the contract.
The B-52 Virtual Reality Procedures Trainer (VRPT) uses a mixed reality platform, simulating the aircraft and its equipment, to train pilots and technicians on procedures before on-site instruction.
King Crow Studios’ VRPT programme aims to cut on-site training costs for the USAF along with fuel expenses and equipment downtime, the company explained.
Codi Louviere, King Crow Studios Founder and President, said:
“We are excited to continue collaborating with the Department of Defense and Air Force to use mixed reality training solutions to increase safety, productivity, and efficiency for the United States Air Force pilots, maintainers, and support staff”
Grant Rogers, Precision Procurement Solutions Chief Executive, added King Crow Studios continued to “bridge the gap for the American warfighter” and the company’s success would continue to boost jobs and the economy in Louisiana as well as increase the USAF’s return on investment.
The announcement comes after previous collaborations between the Baton Rouge-based studio and USAF made significant progress on the B-52 virtual reality training programmes.
Maj Mark Budgeon of the Air Force Global Strike Command, Maj Brandon Wolf, 307th Operations Support Squadron, and Maj Justin Stephensons, Chief Pilot and Chief of Innovations for the 11th Bomb Squadron, initially developed the training programme.
According to Maj Budgeon, adversaries of the United States were “getting much better, much faster” but the new training programme could potentially “revolutionize the entire training process and make our student graduates better.”
XR Today reported in November last year on the potential military applications of AR technologies. Tactical Augmented Reality advancements such as the inclusion of Heads Up Displays (HUDs) in helmets, night vision goggles, and other devices used by soldiers, have become critical tools in combat. Such AR tools have been proven to help track staff, locate targets, and improve situational awareness.
Along with military collaborations, King Crow Studios also rose to fame after releasing the video game Hive Slayer for the Oculus Rift, Oculust Rift 5 as well as HTC Vivo and Vivo Pro virtual reality headsets.
