The use of augmented, virtual and immersive reality technologies for the training and maintenance of aircraft in the Italian Air Force: this is the theme dealt with on Tuesday 15 June at the Auditorium of the School of Specialists of the Italian Air Force, in the presence of the Rector of the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, prof. Giovanni Francesco Nicoletti, of the Chief of Staff of the Schools Command / 3rd Air Region, Gen. B.A. Luigi Casali, as well as representatives of the university world, scientific research and industries.
The event was an important opportunity for cultural updating for course-goers and teachers of the Specialist School, many connected remotely, together with the specialists of the maintenance departments of the Air Force and Leonardo’s technicians, in Italy and all over the world.
For the Italian Air Force School of Specialists, the event is part of the development and innovation projects of the Command of the Italian Air Force Schools aimed at promoting the “digital transformation” of activities. That of resorting to cutting-edge technologies in the field of aircraft maintenance, right from the initial theoretical training phase and training of specialist personnel, is a choice aimed at improving and making the training processes more effective for obtaining the Military Aeronautical Maintenance License ( LMAM), with operational, organizational, economic and safety advantages.
Initiatives such as this have the purpose of preparing personnel for the use of augmented, virtual and immersive platforms that are already being tested in the Italian Air Force as part of the research projects promoted with the “Logistics 4.0” plan: a vast innovation program organizational and technological processes developed thanks to a close and fruitful creative collaboration with universities, start-ups, SMEs and major players in the national aero-space industry sector.
CIRA, the Italian Aerospace Research Center, is a company with a prevalent public participation established in 1984 to carry out research activities in the aeronautical and space disciplines. CIRA’s Virtual Reality research group has been working on applying VR to aeronautical maintenance since 2004 and has developed immersive simulation techniques and software and demonstrative applications in this field of application.
CIRA has a laboratory equipped to conduct experiences in the development of techniques and applications of Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality of a prototype nature with and for industrial and institutional clients.
The Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania promotes a professionalizing and integrated training offer with the territory, supports quality research, favors the birth of new entrepreneurial initiatives born from research groups, in a constant perspective of internationalization and cultural exchange with other universities.
Since July 2020, the Italina Air Force and the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli have signed a framework agreement aimed at carrying out training, research and experimentation activities in sectors of common interest such as, among other things, aerospace and technical training, aeronautical maintenance engineering, the details of which are defined from time to time in further collaboration agreements.