BATON ROUGE – Software development company King Crow Studios, which specializes in virtual reality training and video game development, said it has been awarded a $6.5 million federal contract to support B-52 pilot training over the next four years.
The contract comes after the company collaborated with the United States Air Force to develop a custom virtual training solution that creates “digital twins” of aircraft and equipment. The tool saves money by allowing B-52 pilots and mechanics to learn procedures before interacting with physical aircraft.
“We are excited to continue collaborating with the Department of Defense and Air Force to use mixed reality training solutions to increase safety, productivity and efficiency for pilots, maintainers and support staff,” said King Crow Studios Founder and President Cody Louviere in a press release.
The contract, which began May 17 and extends through 2025, is the first of its kind for Louisiana. Nexus Louisiana, an economic development nonprofit, and Precision Procurement Solutions advised King Crow Studios throughout the bid process.
“King Crow Studios continues to bridge the gap for the American warfighter,” said Precision Procurement Solutions CEO Grant Rogers. “Their success and determination will continue to create jobs, have a positive return on investment for the United States Air Force and grow the economy in the state of Louisiana.”
King Crow’s lead “cross reality” engineer, Daniel Norman, said King Crow’s games and training programs are built more or less same way.
“What the industry is learning is that game creators leverage understanding of user interaction and gamification to create more meaningful training simulations,” he said. “The biggest difference between gaming and training would be the real-world implications of cost effective and safe training. XR training is just an evolution of gaming, and we are only seeing the beginning.”
