Blended Reality for Live, Virtual, and Constructive Field Training

A Battlefield Airman (BA) has one of the most challenging positions in the military. BA personnel are tasked with the dual roles of being warfighters as well as Combat Controllers, Pararescuemen, Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) members and Special Operations Weather Technicians often while behind enemy lines. These complex duties require high fidelity training. In some cases, such as pararescuemen, training on real pilots is impossible and even training on other servicemen carries a logistical burden and in many cases is not realistic. A blended reality head mounted display (HMD) that could overlay virtual wounds on mannequins, avatars or other airmen would significantly increase the fidelity of training. Combat Controllers and TACPs require access to expensive assets such as aircraft, which may not always be available. SA Photonics will develop a blended reality solution for live, virtual and constructive field training for Battlefield Airmen. This system will consist of a ruggedized wide field of view, high resolution, see-through head mounted display that can be used by BA personnel in the field. Our system will provide visibility of color imagery and symbology even in high ambient light environments and is based on a TRL 7 eyepiece we developed for helicopter pilotage.