I have kept close tabs on Varjo since its inception and have always been impressed with the company’s technology and what it could enable. Varjo’s headset tech has been embraced by the aerospace industry to help with training thanks to its high-resolution displays, reducing the cost of a training simulator while still creating amazing immersion. Auto manufacturers and companies in other fields have also used Varjo’s headsets to get the best image quality when working in a virtual- or mixed-reality space. So it really comes as no surprise that Varjo’s technologies are finding their way into the mainstream of the aerospace industry after being available for more than five years.
Varjo Gains FAA Certification Status
Varjo’s headset is part of a larger VR flight simulation training device made by Loft Dynamics. The Loft Dynamics H215 FSTD uses Varjo’s VR headset to create an immersive environment for helicopter pilots hoping to gain a specific type of rating. According to Loft Dynamics, this system is the first VR flight simulation device to receive FAA qualification. The device should help considerably reduce equipment costs and increase access to simulators, improving safety and reducing training costs as well. Varjo is already quite familiar with VR training for helicopter flights because the U.S. Army’s Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer Air Program already selected Varjo’s XR-3 last year for its Apache, Chinook and Blackhawk training.
Loft Dynamics is also the first and only VR simulator to achieve qualification status in the EU. This is a massive development for the industry and something that has been a long time coming; hopefully, we’ll see more VR headsets enter the fray and more providers join Loft Dynamics in offering VR headset-based training solutions. With aviation safety always being a primary concern and the costs of training pilots going up and up, solutions like the one from Loft Dynamics and Varjo will be critical for the future.
Varjo Trains Ukrainian F-16 Pilots
A Czech cockpit simulator company, Dogfight Boss, has bought itself some valuable PR with a donation of a complete F-16 training cockpit—accompanied by a Varjo XR-4 headset—to help train Ukrainian pilots to use their new F-16s. The company’s CEO says he worked with EU F-16 pilot instructors and delivered the first fully functional F-16 simulator in Ukraine. Since Dogfight Boss makes highly realistic cockpits, it makes sense that it would opt for an XR-4 with mixed reality rather than an entirely virtual VR headset. I have to think that an XR-4 paired with an entirely realistic cockpit will be a valuable training tool.
According to Dogfight Boss, the simulator was delivered to a Ukrainian military unit in the spring of this year, indicating that the Ukrainian military will officially use it. The Ukrainian commander is quoted by Dogfight Boss as saying, “Our pilots and cadets were deeply impressed by the advanced and realistic features of the F-16C Viper simulator. These features are essential for pilot training, providing an effective environment to practice with sophisticated flight systems, fine-tune their strategies and prepare for future missions.” Dogfight Boss must be doing something right, because the Ukrainian military has already requested eight additional simulators but is seeking partnerships with government and private entities to fund them.
XR Continues To Grow In Training
While the industry focuses on many new use cases and we continue to see lots of interesting new AR devices from Snap, Meta and others, training continues to be the real moneymaker for the XR industry. There are other successful applications for XR collaboration such as Campfire 3D, which is available on both Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro—but training is where the rubber meets the road today for most of the industry.
Effectively addressing expensive and challenging training scenarios will ultimately help industrial customers improve safety and drive down costs, which are immediate needs today. I believe that we will eventually see AR take off in more meaningful ways, but today VR and mixed reality are doing wonders to generate real ROI and keep the XR industry going.
Moor Insights & Strategy provides or has provided paid services to technology companies, like all tech industry research and analyst firms. These services include research, analysis, advising, consulting, benchmarking, acquisition matchmaking and video and speaking sponsorships. Of the companies mentioned in this article, Moor Insights & Strategy currently has (or has had) a paid business relationship with Meta.
