Cutting-edge, multi-scenario experience provides hands-on look into Navy technology and teamwork

This weekend, Friday, October 4 – Sunday, October 6, at the Reno Airshow, the U.S. Navy will unveil the “Strike Group,” a cutting-edge, multi-scenario, mobile mixed-reality experience that represents the latest innovation in the realm of U.S. military recruiting. The Reno Airshow will be the first time the Navy shares its new asset with the public.

The Strike Group experience was designed to showcase the breadth and depth of Navy STEM careers — a range of opportunities that no other military or private sector path can match. And through leading-edge VR, the “Strike Group” provides users with a fully immersive, hands-on look into the technology and teamwork that are central to every role in the Navy.

“From the depths of the sea to the heights of the stars, America’s Navy is the most highly skilled, technologically advanced military force in the world,” says Rear Admiral James P. Waters, Commander, Navy Recruiting Command. “A career in the Navy provides a life-changing experience filled with adventure, teamwork, and support, and the ‘Strike Group’ brings all of these aspects to life in the most realistic ways possible.”

Strike Group comprises 3 distinctive, interactive challenges and experiences:

·      All Hands

Players will test their skills on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in a five-person virtual reality game. Participants will don a Meta Quest 3 headset and be transported out to the USS Gerald R. Ford where they will team up to launch an F-35C Lightning II jet. Working together in different roles – from loading fuel to flying helicopters to piloting the aircraft itself – each player will be immersed in the experience of what it is like to serve aboard an aircraft carrier and have their efforts influence a Navy mission.

·      Support

The Navy conducts humanitarian missions around the globe through a variety of ship platforms and communities. Participants will navigate an interactive map of the world with a range of Navy ships and vehicles to explore the breadth and depth of these operations at strategic, geographic locations. Each vehicle will trigger an educational experience, not only about the mission, but also about the potential careers to help provide aid to communities worldwide.

·      Fly

Players will experience Naval aviation like never before. This full-motion flight simulator will drop participants into the cockpit of an F-35C Lightning II, where they’ll launch from an aircraft carrier with their wingman on a training mission. With some up-front tutorials, users will learn to maneuver the aircraft prior to engaging in a mission to drop munitions on a practice target, and then land safely back on the carrier.

Beginning fall 2024 at the Reno Airshow, Navy Recruiting Command will begin showcasing the “Strike Group” throughout the country at high schools, colleges and universities, Navy Fleet Weeks, and other events that attract prospective Sailors and their primary influencers. The “Strike Group” will be formally commissioned at this year’s Army-Navy Game at Northwest Stadium in Washington D.C., Saturday, December 14.

Why It Is Called the Strike Group

The new Strike Group interactive experience is named after the Navy’s forward deployment formation known as a Carrier Strike Group. Comprised of roughly 7,500 personnel, 1 aircraft carrier with an air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft, 2 Guided Missile Cruisers, 2 Anti-Aircraft Warships, and 1-2 Anti-Submarine Destroyers. Carrier Strike Groups epitomize the leading-edge technology and teamwork that are synonymous with Navy life. The Navy currently maintains 11 Carrier Strike Groups, 10 of which are based in the United States and one that is forward deployed in Japan.