Vertex Solutions Earns Contract to Provide Immersive Training to Air Force

Officially, the program is known as VTRAD FBF, short for Virtual Training for Air Dominance Fighter Bomber Fundamentals program.

Vertex Solutions officials note the contract is a directed award by the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) under authority of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) through an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA).

“This award reflects the performance of our team and the trust that DIU and the USAF continue to place in Vertex Solutions,” said Dennis Wikoff, president and chief operating officer of Vertex Solutions. “From initial prototype to full-scale production, we've demonstrated that our immersive training systems deliver value, adaptability, and training effectiveness that meet the evolving needs of pilot training.

The Gen 2 eITD is reconfigurable and enables student pilots to conduct cockpit familiarization, emergency procedures, and rehearse mission scenarios at a fraction of the price of an actual aircraft or more expensive traditional simulator. 

The company said the scenarios can be customized, and the devices have built-in instructor oversight. They can be used for both individual and team-based learning. Using mixed reality applications, the flight students can practice for situations both normal and abnormal, so their actions and reactions become learned behavior. The scenarios can be repeated as often as it takes for good habit patterns to form.

Vertex Solutions’ ITDs are utilized for the U.S. Air Force and Navy’s undergraduate pilot training enterprise, and the firm said they continue to demonstrate measurable performance outcomes.

“Vertex now has more immersive training device configurations in operation than any other provider,” said Sandra Reiter, principal owner and CEO of Vertex Solutions. “That speaks to our ability to innovate, adapt, and scale solutions that not only meet mission requirements, but also get results.”

Vertex said it has delivered more than 500 training devices to both military and commercial aviation entities. For more information, go to the company website.