ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Red 6, a hardware-enabled software company revolutionizing military flight training, today announced it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force to integrate its ATARS (Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System) into the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Awarded through Air Combat Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory, this milestone positions Red 6 as the first company in the world delivering real-time, in-flight synthetic air combat training directly into the cockpits of operational fighter jets.
"This is more than a contract - it's a validation of our vision and a signal that the future of air combat training has arrived," said Daniel Robinson, Co-founder and CEO of Red 6. "ATARS is the only system capable of replicating the cognitive complexity fighter pilots face in real-world engagements - and now we're delivering it in the cockpit of a frontline tactical jet. The F-16 is just the beginning."
The contract builds on Red 6's successful integration of ATARS into the T-38 Talon and signals a major expansion of the company's growing footprint across the U.S. Air Force and beyond. ATARS allows pilots to train against intelligent, maneuvering virtual adversaries in real-time during live flight - delivering immersive, repeatable, and measurable training that blends the realism of live operations with the flexibility of simulation.
Built on a low-latency, network-agnostic architecture, ATARS delivers high-resolution, full-color synthetic entities without compromising performance or safety. The system supports next-generation collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) development, enables training in constrained airspace, and generates structured datasets to objectively assess pilot readiness.
In addition to the F-16 and the T-38, ATARS is already integrated into the MC-130 with the U.S. Air Force and the BAE Systems Hawk T-2 with the U.K. Royal Air Force. Red 6 also holds active integration partnerships with Boeing, Aeralis, Palantir, SNC, and Northrop Grumman.
About Red 6
Red 6 is a hardware-enabled software company solving the worldwide military flight training crisis through the creation of completely realistic synthetic training experiences, delivered outdoors. The company's ATARS platform creates virtual outdoor worlds that deliver threat-relevant, near-peer level training scenarios at speed and scale-affordably increasing safety, easing airspace limitations, enabling next-generation collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) training and providing significant environmental benefits.
About Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 11,000 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit: www.afresearchlab.com.
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