HTX Labs Awarded SBIR Phase II Contract to Support Remotely Piloted Aircraft Aircrew Training Program

HOUSTON, April 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- HTX Labs, the creator of the EMPACT® immersive training platform, today announced it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract with the US Air Force (USAF) to adapt and deploy EMPACT to facilitate the development of immersive training content relative to Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) aircrew training.

One of the primary objectives of this effort will be to collaborate with the 558^th Flying Training Squadron (FTS) and the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG) to integrate EMPACT with the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Vigilant Spirit Control Station to more effectively and efficiently train RPA pilots and sensor operators through advanced immersive content creation and analytics capabilities.

"We're excited to continue our work with the Air Force and specifically with RPA instructors at Randolph Air Force Base," said Chris Verret, co-founder, and CTO of HTX Labs. "We look forward to delivering a capability that provides an adaptive, future-proofed, student-directed learning environment to better prepare RPA students for remotely piloted aircraft such as MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Formal Training Units (FTUs)."

HTX Labs' EMPACT Platform will be leveraged to satisfy RPA Initial Qualifications (RIQ) syllabus items for T-6A systems academics, emergency procedures and pattern flying procedures while also unlocking additional immersive visualization and analytics capabilities via integration with Vigilant Spirit. EMPACT provides portable, multi-modal learning that will enable RPA aircrew to experience training on Virtual Reality (VR) head mounted displays (HMDs), laptops, and tablets, allowing students to effectively train anytime, anywhere, on any device in order to more broadly scale and sustain immersive training across the AF.

"Our new SBIR contract advances HTX's collaboration with the Air Force and continues the expansion of our EMPACT immersive training capabilities to support unmanned pilot training initiatives and elevate the level of proficiency and readiness of RPA aircrew," commented Scott Schneider, co-founder and CEO of HTX Labs. "We're eager to continue our partnership with the USAF to help achieve the national defense mission to increase the aircrew production demands for RPA pilots and sensor operators." 

About HTX Labs 
HTX Labs delivers immersive learning software to corporate and government organizations, employing XR technology and high-fidelity simulations to elevate the level of proficiency and preparedness of the next-generation workforce.

Our EMPACT^® Platform enables organizations, regardless of technical know-how, to rapidly create, deploy, measure, and sustain realistic immersive learning content anytime, anywhere, and on any device, resulting in improved efficiencies, cost savings, and more effective learning outcomes.  

Discover how HTX Labs is 'Powering the future of learning today' here and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

About the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and AFWERX SBIR Program 
AFRL and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants and decrease bureaucratic overhead. Beginning in SBIR 18.2, and now in 20.R, the Air Force has begun offering 'Special' SBIR topics that are faster, leaner, and open to a broader range of innovations.

Media Inquiries:
Ashleigh Lenamond
HTX Labs | Director of Marketing
[email protected]

SOURCE HTX Labs, LLC