Blog: Accelerating Augmented Reality Tools, Advancing Aviation for Tomorrow’s Military

The U.S. military is at a major crossroads, as the services face budgetary uncertainty while navigating major technology transitions. Pivoting between crewed and uncrewed systems, shifting from platform-centric to open systems sensor- and network-centric operations, and broad goals for transformation are among many factors promising big changes.

While it’s still largely unclear how impending transformation initiatives will be implemented and what their effects may be, Defense Department leaders remain steadfast in prioritizing force readiness.

“When the phone rings, we’ve got to be ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges today,” Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, said May 14 at the Army Aviation Association of America Summit in Nashville.

Collaboration is essential in answering that call – including with and among industry partners. That’s why ScioTeq, as a longtime trusted DOD partner, recently teamed with Vision Products LLC in providing next-gen situational awareness capabilities to fortify military aviation readiness with flexibility and agility.

The Army aviation community, already a key area for the service’s modernization efforts, is set to undergo a major overhaul in culture and training, Gill said. This sentiment was a theme throughout this year’s event, held annually and commonly known as “Quad-A.”

Quad-A attendees and participants got the chance to see in action the new augmented reality (AR) helmet-mounted displays (HMDs) developed by Vision Products and powered by ScioTeq’s Arinc 653 compliant MOSArt® computing platform. The companies held a live demonstration at the event, showcasing the immersive HMDs that combine advanced optics and wearable tech with powerful data processing for transformative visualization. 

Training is a core element in modernizing aviation, underscored by increased adoption of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies that simulate operational environments and reduce risk. Preparing pilots more effectively and with more innovative capabilities – including HMD visualization tools – remain top priorities.

Much of future military aviation comes down to training and readiness, and HMDs that leverage augmented reality represent a major component of modernized, combat-ready pilot forces. The complex technologies behind aircraft HMD’s have evolved over the years, at times hamstrung by problems with tech integration, interoperability, and functionality.

But HMD capabilities have come a long way and continue to advance. Today, immersive, real-time augmented experiences help train and prepare military pilots. Compact, high-powered computing renders sophisticated displays, including vividly clear avionics visualization.

The cutting-edge HMD, developed by Vision Products, features adaptable, high-resolution displays that, powered by ScioTeq's ruggedized multicore computing and rendering capacity, can provide immersive visualization for complex operations, even in harsh environments.  Moreover, underpinning these critical capabilities are highly interoperable software frameworks built on a high-performance, modular open system approach (MOSA) – ideal for rapid integration across the aviation community and with U.S. military partners and allies. ScioTeq's Certified Avionics Display Computer can reliably host multiple high-demand software applications developed to varying Design Assurance Levels, up to and including DAL A, maintaining compliance and alignment with DOD's strict standards.