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Virtual Reality (VR) in Defence

5 MAY, 2021

Home / Blogs / Virtual Reality (VR) in Defence

VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) IN DEFENCE

The landscape of war is evolving more rapidly than

ever before. Globally, the military and defence sector
has always been keen to use emerging technologies
to adapt to evolution and enhance their personnel’s
training and combat readiness. In fact, militaries
invented many cornerstone technologies that were
later adapted for civilian use, such as RADAR, nuclear
technology, jet engines, digital photography, satellite
navigation, and a computer networking system that
we now know as the internet!

So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the defence

sector is actively looking at VR and AR solutions to
train their personnel, keep up with the latest military
‘trends’, and gain the first mover advantage in
technological aspects of war. Also, with the scope
and application of data and graphics processing
expanding at a faster rate than ever before, the
volume of virtual reality applications in the military is
growing exponentially.

From modernising tactical training for soldiers or

training personnel for maintaining aircrafts digital
training is disrupting the way people engage and
learn . Both global and local players are actively
involved in developing relevant solutions for the
industry.

In India , the Indian Army, paramilitary, police forces,

DRDO labs, CSIR labs, PSUs, and Indian Railways will
benefit immensely from the VR and AR solutions .AR
can be used to help military o!cials with equipment
maintenance and repair. The VR technology
replicates environments during times of crisis such
as war, devastation, or in the aftermath of bombing ,
and use those environments virtually with remote
personnel to better plan personnel deployment and
crisis management strategies.

In this article, we will touch upon key ideas and

arguments that define the role of VR and AR in the
21st century defence sector, such as:

What challenges necessitate the use of VR and

AR in defence?

What problem does VR and AR help you solve?

How is VR transforming the defence sector?

Key uses and applications of VR technology in the

3 core branches of military

What does the future hold for adoption of VR

technology in defence?

VR AND AR IN DEFENCE – MEANING &

RELEVANCE

For the uninitiated, Virtual Reality is a technology that

simulates real-life experiences by creating realistic
sounds, images, and other sensations that shape a
person’s physical presence in a virtual environment.
To put it more simply, it allows people to don their
own cyber avatars in a virtual world and interact with
it like they would in the real world. The concept of VR
in defence is simply the application of VR technology
in the military paradigm to make trainees and
o!cers better at using equipment, navigating a
mode of transport, gaining experience of potential
combat situations, medical training and more

One of the more exciting advantages of applying VR

in the military is that it o"ers the functionality to
immerse users in a virtual yet safe world. This
feature is what makes it so relevant in the defence
sector, as it o"ers militaries and defence contractors
a way to gain invaluable experience of dealing with
high-stress, life threatening environments from the
safety of a training room.
AR is often used to solve challenges or for training
purposes. AR is e"ective for warfare simulations,
military sand tables, battlefield visualisations, and
other applications that require a realistic
representation of defence activities.

WHAT TRAINING CHALLENGES DOES

VR/AR HELP TACKLE FOR THE DEFENCE &
MILITARY?

Technologies like Virtual Reality and Augmented

Reality resolve multiple pain points that have
plagued military training for years, besides negating
specific obstacles to training. Here’s how:

Providing ‘First-Hand’ Experience to Trainees:

Advances in technology and communications have

engineered a shift from hardware-driven defence
solutions to data-driven strategies. But the enemies
of a 21st century military force are as technologically
sophisticated as the forces themselves. So, the key
di"erence in combat could be the experience of
being in battle-like situations. Unfortunately, most
training ranges don’t o"er opportunities to train in
such an environment. This is where VR comes into
the picture. VR takes computer-based training to
another level by providing personnel a chance to
train in a safe, controlled environment with fully
immersive, multi-user experiences.

Consistent & Scalable Training:

The military sector requires scalable training that can

train large number for troops or personnel at the
same time . Hence, it is crucial to build capacity for
practical training at that scale, which is what VR and
AR o"ers. Besides, these platforms ensure
consistency of training across thousands of
personnel, while also allowing for e"ective
monitoring and evaluation of individual performance.

Training in The Covid-19 Era:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic if not all, most

physical training exercises have been put on hold
because of the obvious restrictions on movement.
VR and AR training platforms, naturally, o"er the
most logical and practical solution for this pain point.

Cost-effective Training:

Training in VR and AR brings down the cost of

training drastically because the replicas of weapons
or vehicles that are simulated in a virtual training
application cost way less than actual inventory. For
instance, training flights for fighter pilots are more
expensive than a VR flight simulator or actual
weapons are more costly to train than a simulated
weapon training simulator

Measurement and Performance Tracking:

With Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality training

platforms, instructors can receive real-time
information on their trainees’ performance in a
simulated scenario, allowing them to pass on instant,
detailed feedback to each trainee. This helps trainees
identify their personal strengths and work on their
weaknesses a lot better.

Better engagement:

Both AR and VR training modules provide an

engaging environment that feels like a serious
games. So soldiers and personnel find the training
more enjoyable. More often than not, this translates
into higher engagement and greater understanding
of what they are learning.

USES & APPLICATIONS OF VR AND AR IN

MILITARY AND DEFENCE TRAINING

VR training and AR training both have a plethora of

use cases for military training, which will ultimately
enhance the quality of personnel training and
increase their chances of carrying out successful
missions. Some of these applications are common to
all 3 branches of the military while some have a
specific use case in a particular branch.

Here’s an overview of VR uses in the military.

A. Pan-sector Use of VR and AR

Firearm Training:

From using handheld firearms to launching

torpedoes from a submarine or a missile from a

fighter jet, Virtual reality and Augmented reality

solutions are used to train potential recruits how

to use various firearms on battlefields. Firearm

training is particularly important as it saves the

military a lot of dollars on the cost for real-life

equipment training (and particularly firing

weapons from jets and submarines).

Immersive Training:

VR applications provide a great platform for

activity related training in di!cult conditions . Say

for example in parachute jumps training . trainees

can experience the sensations and disorientation

of jumping from a plane or helicopter without

actually incurring real costs. VR training can also

use it to acclimate personnels to working in

claustrophobic environments and confined

spaces such as in submarines or tanks.

Unit Training:

Working in teams and relying on your colleagues

is key for the functioning of military units. With

Augmented Reality (AR ) and Virtual Reality (VR)

training, units can train together, and develop a

close understanding of team dynamics when

working interdependently and understanding how

their actions can impact their colleagues.

Treating PTSD:

PTSD, unfortunately, is a common condition

among war veterans. There are programs to help

veterans combat PTSD but they still leave a lot to

be desired. However, this is another area where

the calls for applying VR are growing louder. With

VR, it is possible to recreate the scenarios that

caused the trauma to a soldier, albeit in a

harmless way and with the objective of helping

doctors understand them better and for the

veterans to overcome their fear and anxiety.

B. Uses of VR and AR in the Army

Electronic Warfare training:

The warfare landscape is changing faster than ever

before. Wars are now being fought and won, not only
on the physical battlefield but also across complex
digital landscape spanning information manoeuvre
and electronic, cyber and space warfare. Radar and
communications operators must be able to rapidly
recognize and react to the latest electronic attack
methods in order to keep pace with growing threats.
The VR training solution for Electronic warfare
simulates the latest electronic warfare (EW) threats
to train operators to identify and quickly respond to
them.

Sniper Training:

Sniper operations require the soldiers or marksmen

to have highly specialised skills like stalking,
observation, map reading, camouflaging and
concealment, as well as precision marksmanship
under various operational conditions. The VR Training
system allows trainees to immerse themselves in a
virtual battlefield and shoot thousands of rounds in a
completely safe environment , while learning these
core skills. Trainees can be immersed in a wide range
of scenarios that are normally impractical to simulate
due to cost or manpower.

Situational Awareness & Experience:

VR platforms create a framework for trainees to

hone their skills in an incredibly realistic and intuitive
way, replicating a wide range of real-life scenarios.
For instance, trainees can experience what a jungle
boat incursion or a guerilla warfare feels like and how
they could react in that particular situation. VR
training helps trainees to perfect their thought
process and responses to ever changing scenarios
that are abound in combat situations.

Armoured Vehicle Simulator:

The simulator system is a replica of an armored

vehicle that provides comprehensive technical
training for driver, gunner, commander and crews.
The 3D geo-typical graphical database ensures
immersive training in multiple environment types like
desert, jungle, urban areas and multiple training
zones like cities, o"-road, countryside, test tracks,
trial areas, base camps.

Vehicle Repair and Maintenance in the

Battlefield:

Augmented Reality (AR) can be used to train

personnel on Vehicle Repair and Maintenance
Instead of printed manuals , AR training
environments allow the user to see instructions as
an overlay onto the actual object in three dimensions,
including specific symbols indicating which part to
repair or replace. AR training for vehicle maintenance
reduces time and cost of repair for army trucks and
weapons.

C. Uses of VR and AR in the Air Force

Flight Simulation:

VR flight simulators can be used to train pilots in

navigating dangerous scenarios in highly realistic

simulated environments that are likely to occur in

a live aircraft. In fact, some VR simulators are

equipped with comprehensive hardware and

software sets that recreate a particular aircraft’s

cockpit, controls, dynamics, etc. to improve

cockpit familiarization. The American Air Force

has already incorporated VR into its next gen Pilot

Training Next program. They believe that this step

will make aviator training more e!cient and push

trainees through the pipeline much faster.

Maintenance Training:

Proper aircraft maintenance is crucial to extend

the operable life of the aircraft and minimize the

possibility of mechanical failures. VR training

modules can be deployed to give maintenance

engineers a chance to apply textbook knowledge

practically and helps the Air Force roll out more

confident and ‘experienced’ maintenance

personnel.

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Medical Training:

It is crucial to provide the best training to medical

military o!cers to reduce on-the-field fatalities.

VR is a great way to provide e"ective and

practical training to such personnel and help

them adapt quickly to military life. Frantic

battlefield scenarios could be replicated to give

medical personnel a feel of the environment they

are likely to work in and help them learn how to

practice their skill in such an environment with

greater precision and less anxiety.

D. Uses of VR In the Navy

Virtual Ship Bridge:

Naval institutions have introduced VR training to

familiarize their personnel with complex

equipment. One such training platform is a virtual

ship bridge. A ship’s bridge is essentially its

mission control and it houses a variety of

instruments that are crucial to handle the ship

and are a little complex to master. A virtual ship’s

bridge allows naval instructors to teach

seamanship, navigation, ship handling, etc to the

trainees. Hostile enemy attacks can also be

simulated and trainee crews can learn how to

respond to such emergencies.

Virtual Submarine Simulator:

VR environment allows the Navy to conduct

Submarine training in a Virtual world rather than

in real submarines .Trainee crews are given

experience of navigating, maneuvering, and

operating a submarine in VR. Interactive control

panels , equipment and machinery allows

trainees to practice crucial operational procedures

in a simulated environment. Their performance is

tracked automatically through the system.VR

Training helps trainees gain an understanding of

their instruments, which is so crucial to a

submarine crew as the e!ciency operation solely

relies on the operators skill.

VR TRAINING SOLUTIONS THAT ARE

POISED TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE DEFENCE
SECTOR

Governments and Militaries across the globe have

already started investing resources to integrate VR
and AR in their military training processes. For
instance, the US Army Fort Bragg, N.C. is actively
developing a realistic training program to allow their
o!cers to prepare for new missions. The
government of Australia, too, is developing a similar
program for their soldiers. In Norway, trials are
scheduled to test how VR can help train army
personnel drive tanks.

At the same time, VR simulator development

companies are also expanding their focus on
developing more and more sophisticated products
for the defence sector. For instance, at Tecknotrove,
the R&D team is developing bespoke training
solutions using AR and VR for its clients in the
defence and military sector. The company is working
on developing simulation prototypes for applications
like target training , electronic warfare training and
armoured vehicle training .

Tecknotrove has developed an MRO training for

Aircrafts in a VR environment. This module is used
for training the line maintenance and MRO teams for
conducting a comprehensive inspection of military
aircrafts. Trainees are able to identify faults and take
corrective actions, which ultimately enhances flight
safety.

Final thoughts

The huge potential of Augmented Reality (AR) and

Virtual Reality (VR) is being tapped to create large
volume simulation environments for military and
paramilitary domains. The VR training and AR
training platform is not restricted by the availability of
training sites, weather conditions, or the
consumption of equipment. This means training can
be provided e!ciently in a short period of time. As
we discovered in this article, VR training and AR help
military and defence to combat many training
challenges.
Virtual reality takes battle training to the next level by:

Allowing trainees to practice and improve their

skills in safety

Simulating real life situations with precision to

help soldiers develop cognitive skills

Fostering teamwork, situational awareness and

increased stress resistance

Training personnel to use weapons, navigate

aircraft and naval vessels

Facilitating situations to train medical military

personnel

Resolving logistical roadblocks to training

Minimizing costs incurred on real world training

Tecknotrove is Asia’s premier Augmented Reality

(AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) company with a
specialization in developing applications for mining,
aviation, automotive and military, defence and
nuclear training. Our team of experts will develop
bespoke scalable and immersive VR applications
that will elevate the e!ciency of your personnel
training programs. Get in touch with us to discuss
your VR integration plans and to deploy revolutionary
VR training applications for your personnel

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