We recently went down and spent the day at RAF Cosford setting up a Virtual Reality arena for the RAF Cosford Air Show 2024. As part of the RAF’s initiative to introduce a range of immersive technologies to assist in the training of Air Cadets, we travelled to Cosford alongside Spawnpoint to ensure that the arena was ready to showcase during the show.

The Air Show

Held annually in Shropshire, the RAF Cosford Air Show is the largest one-day event in the West Midlands. The show attracts over 50,000 visitors and provides Royal Air Force personnel with a fantastic opportunity to engage with the public, showcase their skills and support recruitment efforts. This year, we supplied the RAF with a fleet of HTC VIVE Focus 3 headsets with wrist trackers and, with the support of Spawnpoint, deployed them in time for the Air Show.

We have also been supplying the RAF with bespoke Xbox-based kits for a new method of conducting flight simulation training. These kits, designed specifically for the RAF, empower staff to train Air Cadets using flight simulation software in a much more portable form factor at a fraction of the cost.

Our Visit to Cosford

During our visit, we demonstrated the potential of the HTC VIVE Focus 3 to the RAF when paired with StrikerVR‘s Mavrik Pro Haptic Blaster and Spawnpoint’s proprietary software. We played RE:COIL, a laser tag-esque game where Cadets work together to beat the opposing team. We also showed a couple of other VR experiences to highlight how VR experiences can be used to promote positive qualities of RAF personnel such as leadership, teamwork and perseverance.

Outcome of the Air Show

The RAF set up the arena in an outside tent for the Air Show, showcasing VR experiences to staff and the public.

Martin Larwood-Hughes, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, said that the partnership has been a:

Great collaboration with various partners that delivers a really engaging capability for the RAF Air Cadets to experiment with. Yet another item in the tool box to bring the latest technologies to life. This went down really well with the crowds at the RAF Cosford Air Show and can’t wait for more people to see and experience it at The Royal International Air Tattoo in a few weeks. Then we start the real work; how does this make the RAF Air Cadet experience even better.

We are honoured to once again collaborate with an organisation as prestigious and important as the Royal Air Force.

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