Raytheon, one of the largest U.S. defense contractors that manufactures a wide range of products, from cruise missiles to combat-proven air defense systems, has unveiled a new cutting-edge military training product at I/ITSEC, the world’s largest modeling, simulation and training event.

According to a recent Raytheon news release, the Synthetic Training Environment Soldier Virtual Trainer uses virtual reality to train squads of soldiers in multiple scenarios while using real and virtual weapons.

The Synthetic Training Environment, or STE, will provide immersive and intuitive capabilities that keep pace with a changing operational environment.

This will give Commanders the ability to overcome today’s limitations and take on the challenges of tomorrow.

The STE will leverage advancements in virtual reality, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and terrain representation to make this possible.

The new virtual simulator is designed to train dismounted infantry and uses the latest technological advances to deliver highly effective training at a moment’s notice from any location. It delivers unmatched realism and accessibility while dramatically reducing the cost and logistical challenge of high-consequence training missions.

“Raytheon tech helps specialists around the world prepare for the world’s most important missions,” said Bob Williams, vice president of Global Training Solutions at Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “We are blending our understanding of training with emerging technologies – augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and big data – to connect and secure military training like never before.”

The vision for the U.S. Army’s Synthetic Training Environment is to create a common synthetic environment for soldiers to train together from anywhere in the world. Raytheon’s STE SVT answers that call and will completely change the way military training is done. The current room-sized simulators will be replaced by portable laptop-powered AR/VR headsets that easily can be transported to soldiers for use anywhere at any time.