In a groundbreaking development, Combatica, an Israeli startup, has partnered with ionir, a leading data storage and services provider, to bring cutting-edge XR (extended reality) training to Special Forces and Security Forces globally. 

The platform is already being rolled out to Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF) and Emergency Response Units, with approximately 1,500 soldiers, police officers and special forces operators having completed training since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. 

With a focus on hyper-realistic training scenarios, Combatica’s innovative XR training platform, combined with ionir’s advanced Kubernetes data storage, is radically transforming military unit preparedness.

Seamless Deployment and Mobility

Speaking exclusively to NSN, Erel Herzog, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Combatica, explains, “Combatica runs entirely on the headset. This means we don’t need bulky backpack PCs, cables or sensors on the trainee and no need for cameras in the room. This also means it is a fully mobile system that can be deployed in minutes instead of hours, a stark contrast to traditional setups that require hours for preparation”.

Combatica’s XR training enables trainees to move freely within a designated space, mirroring real-life actions such as walking, running, and operating service weapons safely, including recoil. Large combat teams can train together in the exact same scenario, with instructors able to switch and control different aspects of the simulation, including the environment, time of day, weather conditions, and enemy behaviour. 

The system’s intelligent AI adversaries provide a diverse range of scenarios, while its analytics tools track users’ actions, delivering meaningful insights into individual or squad performance.

The Combatica-ionir Alliance

Combatica’s Co-Founder, Erel Herzog, told NSN, “The Combatica-ionir partnership is a powerful combination. ionir’s Kubernetes data services software will play a crucial role in Combatica’s seamless and rapid deployment.” 

“Ionir provides storage for stateful container apps, along with data protection, mobility, and deduplication services,” Herzog explained. “Its unique feature is its ability to transfer large volumes of data in record time, approximately 40 seconds, regardless of capacity or distance meaning that destination systems have almost instant access to fully functional read / write copies of the source volume empowering Combatica to simulate any urban environment worldwide accurately”.

Jacob Cherian, CEO of ionir, speaking on the solution said, “The integration enables Combatica to parallelise data management, scale deployments seamlessly, and support multiple environments across public and private clouds with one integrated solution stack”.

As Special Forces adopt this revolutionary XR training, soldiers worldwide can expect improved unit preparedness and response for the challenges they may face. 

The fusion of advanced VR technology and robust data storage and transfer capabilities that we are seeing in the Combatica-ionir partnership ushers in a new era in military training, where realism, adaptability, and insights converge to save lives on the front lines.