In the past military technology was synonymous with cutting edge, but these days many consumers have more advanced gadgets that most regiments.
That’s why sourcing from the consumer sphere is getting more common in the defense departments around the world (so-called Mil-COTS products), and Microsoft’s HoloLens has been a popular purchase on those procurement lists.
The latest division to pick up a few has been the US 412th Electronic Warfare Group who plan to use the mixed reality technology in their Modeling and Simulation Flight section, where it could be used in tasks such as visualizing test setups and “seeing” test scenarios while testing wing and airplane designs.
They would also explore other more prosaic uses, such as loading AR systems with 3-D renderings of the internal structures, wiring, hydraulic and fuel systems of aircraft to aid maintainers in their work and streamline aircraft maintenance operations.
We have seen the headsets find other wider applications in the military, from turning battlefield tanks see through to allowing commanders to have a god’s eye view of an engagement.
The Modeling and Simulation Flight intends to explore these possibilities using the HoloLens and other AR headsets, and may be the first to reap the benefits of what the father of the HoloLens, Alex Kipman, calls the biggest revolution after the Internet.
