VR and simulation training for military pilots

Last updated October 21, 2026

From full flight simulators to portable VR trainers and augmented reality in the cockpit.

This guide lists 10 providers of immersive pilot training and flight simulation, in alphabetical order: ASTi, Boeing, CAE, FlightSafety International, King Crow Studios, Lockheed Martin, Loft Dynamics, Moth+Flame, Red 6 and Vertex Solutions. The order is not a ranking. Each provider is described with the same fields, from its own materials and public records, with sources.

1. Questions buyers ask

2. Overview

Military pilots and aircrews practice procedures, emergencies and missions on the ground in devices that range from virtual reality headsets paired with replica controls to full flight simulators. The FAA defines a full flight simulator as a replica of a specific aircraft cockpit with an out-the-window visual system and motion cues.

The Air Force has fielded lower-cost devices at scale. In 2022 the Defense Innovation Unit helped Air Education and Training Command field 225 immersive training devices across all four undergraduate training sites, and in spring 2025 DIU moved higher-fidelity devices for the T-38C Fighter/Bomber Fundamentals course into production.

Other tools reach into the air and the radio. Airborne augmented reality shows pilots synthetic aircraft during real flights, and simulated air traffic control uses AI role-players so students can practice radio calls. The Navy and Army also buy immersive devices and contractor simulation services for their flight schools.

The problem

Military aviation has been short of fighter pilots. GAO found the Air Force's gap was 27 percent of authorizations and the Marine Corps' 24 percent in fiscal year 2017, while the Navy's gap at first operational tours grew from 12 percent in 2013 to 26 percent.

Remotely piloted aircraft crews face similar pressure. GAO reported in 2020 that the Air Force has had fewer RPA personnel than authorized since fiscal year 2016 and had not fully identified the RPA pilot and sensor operator instructor positions it needs.

Flight hours and simulator time are costly and scarce. DIU says legacy simulators are expensive to build and maintain, which limits student contact time, and that students often spend most of their training in classrooms or 'chair flying' without good training media.

Mandates and programs

• Pilot Training Transformation (Air Force). A multi-phase Air Education and Training Command and DIU effort to modernize pilot training with commercial XR headsets, PCs and replica cockpits. In 2022 it fielded 225 immersive training devices at all four undergraduate training sites, with data feeding a cloud-based learning management system.
• Virtual Training for Air Dominance (VTRAD, Air Force). Sponsored by 19th Air Force Detachment 24 ('Pilot Training Next') and DIU, VTRAD builds enhanced immersive training devices for the T-38C Fighter/Bomber Fundamentals course and an F-16 capability. DIU says the Air Force ordered 31 devices in spring 2025 to train 500 students a year.
• Naval Aviation Training Next (Navy). The Chief of Naval Air Training lists Naval Aviation Training Next, including Project Avenger, on its website. NAWC Training Systems Division set up the XR STASC IDIQ for extended reality simulator products in 2023 and ordered T-6B XR immersive training devices in 2025.
• Flight School Training Support Services (Army). The Army buys contractor-provided simulation services for the Aviation Center of Excellence flight training mission under Flight School Training Support Services; USAspending shows a 2026 task order, and a 2022 order supporting Flight School XXI.
• FAA simulator qualification (14 CFR Part 60). Part 60 sets the rules for qualifying flight simulation training devices used to meet FAA crewmember certification or qualification requirements. It matters to some military buyers: DIU said a mixed reality TH-1H helicopter simulator it helped prototype was poised for potential FAA certification.

3. Providers compared

Every provider below is described with the same fields and the same length limits, from its own published materials and public records. Where a provider does not publish something, the entry says “Not published.” Providers are in alphabetical order.

4. What to ask a vendor

1. Which aircraft, configuration and software baseline does the device replicate, and how will it stay current? A device that lags the aircraft trains outdated habits. Some trainers run the actual or emulated operational flight program, and some vendors maintain concurrency with the aircraft baseline alongside the aircraft maker.
2. What evidence shows that skills learned on the device transfer to the aircraft? DIU reports that the Air Force's enhanced immersive training devices reduce necessary training flight hours by 20 percent; ask for comparable data from courses like yours.
3. What performance data does it capture, and can that data feed our learning management system? The Air Force's immersive devices send data to a cloud-based learning management system that helps instructors manage grades, syllabus progression and schedules.
4. Does the program need FAA qualification under 14 CFR Part 60, and can the device achieve it? Part 60 governs devices used for FAA crewmember certification or qualification, and DIU noted potential FAA certification for a mixed reality TH-1H simulator.
5. Which networks, cloud services and security approvals does the system need to run on base? Network and cloud connections can add accreditation steps and time, so confirm the path, and who pays for it, before award.
6. How many devices can you deliver, to how many sites, and how quickly? Scale matters: in 2022 the Air Force fielded 225 immersive training devices across its four undergraduate training sites.
7. Which existing contract vehicles already cover this purchase? Standing vehicles such as the Air Force's TSA IV IDIQ, NAWC Training Systems Division's single-award XR STASC IDIQ, GSA's flight training category or a DIU follow-on award can shorten the time to contract.
8. What will hardware refresh, software licenses, instructors and support cost over the device's life? DIU notes that legacy simulators are costly to build and maintain; a lower purchase price can still carry recurring license, refresh and support costs.

5. How buying works

Air Force training-system programs often buy through standing IDIQs. Training Systems Acquisition IV is a multiple-award IDIQ to streamline training system acquisition and support for AFLCMC/WNS and other Air Force programs; the Navy's NAWC Training Systems Division runs vehicles such as FTSS V and the XR STASC IDIQ.

The Defense Innovation Unit solicits prototypes through Commercial Solutions Openings and awards them under Other Transaction authority (10 U.S.C. 4022) in as few as 60 to 90 days. After a successful prototype, follow-on production contracts can be awarded without new competition.

Small businesses can enter through SBIR and STTR. Phase I builds a proof of concept and Phase II continues development; Phase III, which the program does not fund, can involve follow-on production contracts for products the government uses.

GSA's Multiple Award Schedule includes a flight training category (SIN 611512) for aviation and flight training. Federal agencies buy from the schedule; state and local governments use it through set GSA programs, such as Cooperative Purchasing for IT, security and law enforcement, and Disaster Purchasing.

For SBIR, GSA schedules, OTAs and other routes in general, see How buying works.

6. More questions