A ground-breaking partnership between Aerospace Company and prominent game developer advances military simulations
It is an interesting day for the military and gaming community alike. This week Collins Aerospace, an RTX business announced the release of Arcus™, a new image generator that utilizes Collins’ advanced rendering and processing tools with Epic Games Unreal Engine Technology for training new pilots.
Simulation training is a tool in use in the military already. Back in 2011, AIT for 14T (Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainers for those not savvy with the MOS) included an iPhone (no network access and a pre-loaded app). In this training sim, soldiers could run through the procedures for staging a PATRIOT missile site through a game. (A poorly executed game with bad textures and awkward controls but a game nonetheless.) It was a good effort, but most preferred to be out in the field learning with the actual equipment.
Likewise, there were also the virtual range qualifiers. Instead of having to lay prone on the cold wet, rainy days units had the option to qualify on a digital simulator. This was a wide screen in a dark room, where soldiers received a “dummy rifle” of their qualifying weapon (The M16 in many cases). The weight feels like the real thing and there is recoil when you fire, taking aim at the large screen with a laser. Though the system was state-of-the-art, soldiers had a bit of a tougher time achieving qualification when firing on the digital range versus a real carbon rifle on the range.
It’s been a decade since the release of the digital range simulators so realism and responsiveness can only have improved for simulators of this nature. Though Arcus™ was created for flight simulations, there are talks of future support for customers with other needs. Currently, it has a suite of applications including, full-flight simulators, flight training devices and VR/MR systems.
Reflecting on those early days of simulated training on iPhones to the current cutting-edge flight simulators it is evident that the aerospace company is leading the charge with innovation. The release of Arcus™, not only signifies a leap forward in flight simulation but also hints at a future where this technology extends outside of the realm of military training and readiness. The potential applications harken to versatile tools for honing skills across diverse career paths as well.
The future is indeed bright and high-fidelity in the light of the partnership with Collins and Epic Games. We wait with bated breath for the effects of Arcus™ to propagate various industries. In the meantime, let’s continue to embrace the infinite potential that lies at the crossroads of innovation and persistence.
This was an interest read. I’ve seen flight simulator technology come quite a way over the years. It is really interesting to hear about other simulation programs being used by the military in coordination with game makers and what that could mean for both the military and games in the future. Command Modern Operations is one that comes to mind as a military control sim. Maybe this could lead the way towards more immersive games of the future?
I genuinely believe we are heading towards an ever immersive gaming experience. As hardware, procedural instances and advanced lighting techniques get better and cheaper we’ll see improvements wherever they can be applied. An exciting time to be sure! CMO is an interesting comparison-from what I understand it truly is a military sim and very data heavy. Never played, but my interest has been piqued.