U.S. Air Force Expands Specular Theory’s EARL Virtual Reality Air Refueling Trainer Across B-52 Operational Wings

Proven at the B-52 FTU, EARL VR air refueling training now expands to operational wings, extending high-fidelity XR training that strengthens mission readiness.

VENICE BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, November 25, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The U.S. Air Force is expanding access to Specular Theory’s Experiential Air Refueling Lightweight Sim (EARL) virtual-reality trainer across B-52 operational wings, marking another major step toward enterprise-level deployment across multiple MAJCOMs.

This new funding will be used to deliver additional EARL trainers to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, extending training beyond the Formal Training Unit (FTU) to operational squadrons. This investment builds on Specular Theory’s longstanding partnership with Air Force Global Strike Command and reflects the Air Force’s growing commitment to scalable, high-fidelity XR training that reduces cost and fuel use while enhancing readiness.

"Air Force Operational Energy’s support for EARL reinforces our commitment to identifying and rapidly fielding energy-optimized technologies that increase combat capability across the Department of the Air Force,” said Roberto Guerrero, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Operational Energy, Safety & Occupational Health. “The expansion of this training solution to B-52 operational wings will reduce fuel consumption and enhance warfighter preparedness, ensuring our Airmen are ready to fight and win in an increasingly complex global battlespace.”

Specular Theory’s EARL is a state-of-the-art, lightweight virtual-reality part-task trainer that enables pilots and boom operators to practice air refueling—individually or as a crew—with unmatched realism and precision. Roughly the size of a desk, the system replicates boom and receiver dynamics with physics-level accuracy, allowing airmen to train anywhere—reducing costs, fuel use, and aircraft wear while increasing proficiency and access.

Built for realism and performance, EARL delivers authentic control feel through control loading, force feedback, and fine-tuned friction adjustment to accurately replicate the B-52 flight control environment. Its hardware features swappable throttle sides, 120-volt operation, foldable and removable seating, and tool-less assembly for compact stowage and rapid setup—ensuring it can be deployed, transported, or reconfigured within minutes.

The system’s exclusive software capabilities include multi-crew remote training, allowing boom operators and pilots to train together across locations, and a playback and simulation mode that lets instructors or students review full missions for post-sortie analysis. This powerful trainer also features a built-in AI instructor, instructor-recorded lesson capability, custom courseware, adaptive learning, and a comprehensive analytics platform that tracks performance, benchmarks progress, and gamifies learning through leaderboards and real-time feedback. These capabilities have proven to enhance engagement, accelerate learning, and provide actionable insights to instructors and commanders.

Originally developed for the B-52 Stratofortress community at Barksdale AFB, EARL is already integrated into the official B-52 air-refueling syllabus at the FTU and is now being delivered to operational wings that requested the system after seeing its effectiveness in training. EARL’s accuracy, portability, and data-driven feedback have generated strong demand across the bomber community and laid the groundwork for future use in maintaining air-refueling proficiency and mission readiness.

Air refueling is one of the most complex and mission-critical skills in the Air Force—essential to sustaining global reach and fueling deterrence. By enabling B-52 crews to refine refueling techniques in an immersive, high-fidelity environment that feels like the real aircraft, EARL directly supports the readiness, reliability, and strategic endurance of the nation’s long-range strike fleet.

“The B-52 community has been instrumental in shaping EARL from the start,” said Ryan Pulliam, Cofounder of Specular Theory. “This new wave of funding ensures that both the FTU and operational wings have continuous access to high-fidelity, repeatable training that translates directly to mission readiness.”

Headquartered in Venice Beach, California, with a hardware facility in Livermore, California, Specular Theory continues to scale its XR Aircrew Training Family of Systems—including EARL, BART, and MATT—across the Air Force. Its products are now deployed across fourteen U.S. Air Force aircraft and supported by seven of nine MAJCOMs, including AFGSC, AFSOC, AETC, AMC, ACC, AFMC, and AFRC.

About Specular Theory
Founded in 2013, Specular Theory is an award-winning immersive technology company redefining how the U.S. Air Force trains, qualifies, and sustains aircrew. Rooted in Hollywood visual effects, AAA gaming, and Big Tech, the company combines creative and technical expertise with mission insight to deliver XR training systems that drive measurable gains in readiness and cost efficiency. Since partnering with the Air Force in 2018, Specular Theory has grown from a single Direct-to-Phase II SBIR into one of the service’s most successful small-business innovators—with more than thirteen consecutive Phase III awards, an AFWERX TACFI, and enterprise adoption across fourteen U.S. Air Force aircraft.

Communications Team
Specular Theory
press@speculartheory.com
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