Vertex Solutions is focused on improving individual and organizational performance by expertly integrating the latest in learning science with innovative technologies. We're proud that for more than 25 years we've helped millions of students in hundreds of organizations learn faster, remember longer, and perform better.
June 21, 2023
DIU Selects VERTEX SOLUTIONS for THE NEXT-GENERATION MIXED REALITY TACTICAL JET TRAINING DEVICE
DIU has again selected Vertex Solutions, a leading developer of high-fidelity learning technology, including virtual and mixed reality (VR and MR) pilot training for its third consecutive advanced pilot training program. The Virtual TRaining for Air Dominance (VTRAD) MR simulator will support the USAF’s new Fighter/Bomber Fundamentals (FBF) tactical jet training course, training the next generation of fast-jet pilots. This project will transform the common immersive training devices (cITDs) Vertex delivered under the Pilot Training Transformation program into a MR simulator with integrated hardware avionics and a new advanced T-38C aircraft model. Vertex will produce an upgrade kit to modify existing cITDs into the VTRAD configuration providing higher fidelity training at lower cost. This is exciting news for the fighter and bomber pilot communities, who can now interact with critical hardware avionics components integrated into Vertex Solutions’ proven cITD platform currently in use at all undergraduate pilot training locations.
“The introduction of 5th Generation aircraft fundamentally changed the nature of air warfare and the training required for U.S. military pilots,” DIU said. “Specifically, this evolution revealed major limitations in the legacy pilot training ecosystem, which relies heavily on monolithic simulator systems and live-flights and suffers from limited network interoperability and content-delivery capabilities.”
“VTRAD marks the next generation of training technology for fighter jet aircraft and a glimpse into the future for Vertex Solutions. MR provides a genuine pathway for a lightweight advanced fighter flight simulator. Vertex is proud to be at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology. It’s exciting to build on our past successes by offering cost-effective, modular, and immersive flight simulators to the USAF in support of their future training requirements.”
— Dennis Wikoff, President and COO, Vertex Solutions
The initial contract requirement is to deliver a T-38C tactical trainer aircraft simulator for 19AF’s new FBF course under AETC. The unique modularity of Vertex Solutions’ design, however, allows DIU and Vertex Solutions to develop a capability that can be rapidly extended to multiple other tactical jet trainer aircraft, like the F-16, and soon, the T-7A.
Vertex Solutions is developing the innovative reconfigurable VTRAD simulator under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract vehicle. OTAs allow this and other projects to succeed in an environment that is faster to field—think having an “Easy Button” for contracting. Similar contracts in the past would typically take two to three years to bring the capability to the end user. This concept will deliver a prototype within one year from announcement of the solicitation, and a full solution (five devices initially) within a 19-month period of performance. Success on this OTA means other organizations can purchase any successful component of the prototype technology via streamlined OTA production contracts.
Contact Vertex Solutions to discuss how we can help you field an MR solution for your aircraft far faster than the standard acquisition process.
About Vertex Solutions
A woman-owned small business that has been providing award-winning training support services to the U.S. Government and private-sector firms for nearly 30 years. We specialize in integrating the latest in learning science, hardware, and software to produce the most effective training possible. As a prime contractor for DIU’s Pilot Training Transformation (PTT) and Multi-Place Mixed Reality (MPMR) Flight Simulator programs, for which we’ve successfully designed, developed, and delivered more than 260 fixed- and rotary-wing XR flight simulators to the USAF, as well as hundreds of smaller XR training devices, we are already making great strides toward revolutionizing pilot training. The US Navy has also adopted these same reconfigurable simulators for their T-6 and T-45 training programs.
Vertex can help your personnel Learn Faster, Retain Longer, and Perform Better.
