Open Call for Innovative Defense-Related Dual-Purpose Technologies/Solutions with a Clear Air Force Stakeholder Need

The 338th Training Squadron trains the entire population of 800 cyber transport specialists in the Air Force through lectures, discussions and software simulations. A gap in training arises when students transition from working on simulations to working on actual equipment. Powers Media will create a virtual reality training experience that will fully immerse a user in a virtual lab where they will replicate the tasks executed in the actual lab, on virtual equipment that replicates actual network equipment. Network Training Next fully immerses cyber transport students of the 338th Training Squadron in a virtual reality lab where they replicate tasks executed in an actual lab, on virtual equipment that replicates actual network equipment. Training in VR allows students to learn from mistakes with fast iterations that accelerate the learning cycle. Students work within a risk-free environment, and they train in a virtual environment regardless of their location. The introduction of VR can abbreviate the final training program from three days per student to three hours per student, at a cost savings of up to $600,000, and increasing trainee throughput exponentially. With 1100 annual students projected by 2022, this increase in capacity is critical to the 338th TRS.