The British Army has awarded a software developer a £1m contract to explore how virtual reality can be integrated into soldier training.

The Virtual Reality in Land Training (VRLT) pilot has been created by Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BiSim), a global developer of military simulation and training software. The aim of this pilot is to enhance future Army training by exploiting the benefits of this technology.

The contract was awarded through the £800m Defence Innovation Fund which helps develop cutting-edge ideas to benefit front-line services. The VRLT pilot is one of many successful Army bids into the Fund, part of the Defence Innovation Initiative.

The pilot will test specific VR applications including:

• High Resolution VR Headsets to improve environmental immersion.
• Mixed Reality which will allow soldiers to see and interact with physical objects.
• Avatar customisation replicating realistic facial features and body shapes allowing users to recognise their fellow soldiers.
• After-Action Review Enhancement which provides data capture and analysis so that soldiers can better understand their own performance.