Category: Military05.11.2025
Virtual and augmented reality have become a growing staple of gaming technology, and as these technologies advance, new applications for them have arisen in a military context. VR and AR are experiencing exponential growth as military training tools due to their ability to create safe, immersive environments that can improve soldiers’ reaction time, operational awareness, and stress regulation. These technologies are poised to revolutionize military training and have already seen application in various ways.
Virtual reality, abbreviated VR, is a form of audio-visual technology that creates an immersive digital environment through the use of hardware such as VR goggles. VR devices work by pairing a digitally-created, full-scope environment. VR environments feature 360-degree simulation, and wearing a virtual reality headset allows for users to interact with the digital environment as if it were real, often through the aid of sensory immersion.
There are many different applications of virtual reality in military training. Virtual reality is used to simulate various urban and natural environments that soldiers may encounter in actual combat scenarios. By constructing elaborate training grounds that match the realistic appearance of the virtual environment, the technologyallows trainees to experience a highly-realistic simulation of urban warfare or high-stress combat situations in order to improve their skills.
Military applications of VR also go beyond combat. VR headsets and devices can be used to replicate the interiors of military vehicles such as tanks, Humvees, and even fighter jets to assist in vehicle or flight simulation training. VR can even be used to assist in medical training by creating a realistic digital scenario in which a field medic must treat injuries in high-stress scenarios, all while putting the trainee in no active danger.
The use of VR technology as a military training asset is incredibly beneficial. Virtual reality is highly effective as a training tool because it creates a realistic, safe environment without the associated risks of live-action drills. It is also more cost-effective due to the reduced need for expensive training equipment and its ability to create customizable, on-demand training sessions.
In contrast to virtual reality, augmented reality (AR) is a form of extended reality that adds digital overlays to real-world environments. Key features of AR include interactive overlays that “replace” features of a physical environment via digital images and real-time data uploading.
There are a few different types of augmented reality that are common in military training. Tactical Augmented Reality (TAR) is one of the most common AR applications, and involves the integration of real-time data such as GPS systems with goggles (inlcuding night vision), allowing soldiers to see critical information overlaid against the real world in real time.
Another major form of AR is a Synthetic Training Environment (STE), a type of complex augmented reality that provides full immersion and adaptable, synthetic visual surroundings which soldiers can navigate as if they were real places. AR can also be used to assist in training for equipment repair and maintenance, offering soldiers digitally-overlaid visual guidance to help them correct key equipment damage or failures.
Like VR, AR is a benefit in military training for a variety of reasons. Augmented reality helps soldiers enhance their operational and situational awareness during missions. It also creates safer and more efficient training environments with real-time guidance, allowing for improved mission rehearsals, targeting, and decision-making capabilities. All of these benefits help to better prepare soldiers for real combat scenarios.
While VR and AR are very similar in many ways, there are a few differences between them when it comes to immersion, interactivity, focus, and environment:
Virtual reality and augmented reality differ notably in their level of immersion and interactivity. VR devices offer complete immersion into a simulated environment with 360-degree realism and the ability to navigate freely. AR, by contrast, overlays virtual elements onto the real world, allowing for enhanced situational awareness.
VR and AR are slightly different in the ways they are focused as applications. With virtual reality, the military primarily executes combat, vehicle, and medical training through the use of realistic simulations. Augmented reality, on the other hand, focuses on supplementing real-world environments with virtual data and insights during operational tasks.
Another key difference between VR and AR is in the specific environments they require. Virtual reality requires the use of a dedicated space for the immersive, interactive simulation, complete with props to mimic virtual objects. By contrast, augmented reality can be used in real-world settings, providing real-time data overlays during live operations.
As AR and VR technologies continue to improve, further applications for them as military training aids continue to arise. Constantly developing hardware and software are creating more realistic and immersive training experiences, and are being combined with VR and AR with other emerging technologies, such as haptic feedback and AI, to create even more realistic and effective training methods.
New developments in VR and AR technology can open the door for even more complex sensory immersion in virtual training. New wearable technologies, such as scent simulators and haptic gloves, promise to enhance immersion even further by providing simulations of olfactory and tactile sensations. As further developments occur AR and VR technologies can easily be merged with newer systems to retain the safety of training methods while enhancing realism to the utmost.
Naturally, superior AR and VR military technology will have a tremendous impact on the market for these technologies overall. Projections indicate that the AR/VR market for military technology will grow from $2.71 billion in 2025 to as much as $4.9 billion in 2029, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16%. This presents a prime opportunity for militaries to capitalize on these newtechnologies to revolutionize training and improve military readiness.
Virtual and augmented reality devices are fast becoming key training tools in military settings. VR can allow trainees to experience full-scope immersion in simulated tactical settings, while AR provides real-time data overlay and critical support during live-action operations. As these technologies evolve, they will continue to enhance military readiness and operational efficiency, and with the future prospect of integrating new innovations and improved immersion technologies, military training is going to be taking a huge step into the future over the course of the coming decades.
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