In Mixed Reality News
September 5, 2024 – Dogfight Boss s.r.o., a provider of aviation simulation technology, has recently announced the successful donation of a fully operational F-16 simulator to Ukrainian Fighter Pilots.
Dogfight Boss develops next-generation mixed reality (MR) aviation simulators and instrument panels, offering an immersive and realistic flight training experience. Based in Brno, Czech Republic, the company specializes in creating custom-designed simulators and advanced software solutions, catering to flight training programs for professionals and individual users.
Commenting on the announcement, Dogfight Boss CEO and founder, Lukas Homola, stated: “After nearly a year of detailed fine-tuning and extensive testing with the help of EU F-16 pilot instructors, we are honored to deliver Ukraine’s first fully functional F-16 simulator. This simulator is a testament to our commitment to precision and excellence, which is being developed and produced in-house. From construction to electronics, every component, including the complete instrument panels, throttle quadrant, pedals, and force-sensing stick base, has been crafted to meet the highest standards.”
According to Homola, by developing all of its hardware in-house, Dogfight Boss is able to retain flexibility when it comes to making custom modifications to its simulators, in order to ensure that they meet the specific needs of their customers, and in this case the needs of Ukrainian pilots. Additionally, this approach allows the company to precisely control the sourcing of every PCB and microprocessor, in order to better ensure quality and accuracy.
A critical component and key feature for enhancing the realism of its simulators is the use of mixed reality headsets from Varjo, a provider of industrial-grade extended reality (XR) solutions. Varjo’s immersive technology is currently used by 60 defense customers worldwide – including the U.S. Army’s Reconfigurable Virtual Collective Trainer (RVCT) program, which utilizes Varjo’s solutions for portable training for the Apache, Chinook, and Blackhawk helicopters.
Varjo’s headsets are well suited for aviation training use cases, thanks to their ability to provide ultra-high-resolution visuals and seamless real-world integration, enabling the delivery of highly immersive, realistic simulations for both pilots and trainees.
Dogfight Boss stated that its F-16 cockpit was delivered to Kyiv in the spring of 2024 by the company’s CEO, where he provided comprehensive training to Ukrainian technicians. Following this, the simulator was officially handed over to the Ukrainian military unit.
Commenting on the simulator, the Chief Commander of the Ukrainian military unit stated: “Our pilots and cadets were deeply impressed by the advanced and realistic features of the F-16C Viper simulator. These features are essential for pilot training, providing an effective environment to practice with sophisticated flight systems, fine-tune their strategies, and prepare for future missions.”
Dogfight Boss added that the Commander highlighted an urgent need for additional units in order to support cooperative training scenarios, prompting the company to seek partnerships with government and private entities to fund at least eight more simulators.
For more information on Dogfight Boss and its custom-designed mixed reality simulators for flight training, click here. For more information on Varjo and its XR headsets and solutions, click here.
Image / video credit: Dogfight Boss / Varjo / YouTube
Related Posts
About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.