New award builds on ForgeFX’s expanding role in immersive CBRN training and simulation for U.S. defense programs
Issued by Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA), the subcontract supports the development of a U.S. defense training program that incorporates simulated devices within the Enhanced Warfighter Adaptive Training (EWAT) platform. For ForgeFX, this award represents both an important new phase of work and a continuation of the company’s broader commitment to delivering immersive, high-fidelity training systems for complex operational environments.
At the center of this effort is a difficult and mission-critical challenge: how to prepare personnel to detect, analyze, and respond to chemical and biological threats in environments where live training is costly, constrained, and often impractical to repeat at scale.
Addressing a Training Challenge That Physical Equipment Alone Cannot Solve
Training for chemical and biological threat response requires more than device familiarization. Personnel must be able to operate sophisticated detection equipment under pressure, interpret changing readings, and make rapid decisions in environments where exposure risk, timing, and situational awareness all matter.
In real-world training programs, however, access to physical devices is often limited. Equipment can be expensive, specialized, and difficult to distribute widely across training populations. Live hazardous conditions are also inherently constrained, making it challenging to provide repeated, hands-on experience in realistic scenarios.
That is where simulation delivers meaningful value.
Under this award, ForgeFX will develop interactive digital replicas of critical chemical and biological detection devices, delivered as modular components within an Unreal Engine-based application designed for integration into existing Department of Defense training environments. These simulated devices are intended to provide validated behavior without relying exclusively on physical equipment, helping training organizations expand access while maintaining realism.
The solution will support a broader training environment in which chemical and biological threat conditions evolve dynamically. As simulated plumes disperse and environmental conditions change, the digital instruments will generate corresponding readings and alerts. Trainees must then interpret the data, follow procedures, and take appropriate protective action in response to unfolding conditions.
This transforms training from passive device exposure into a more complete form of operational preparation.
Bringing Real-World Devices Into a Scalable Digital Training Environment
As part of the program, ForgeFX is developing digital replicas of devices that include the MultiRAE Pro multi-gas monitor and the MX908 handheld mass spectrometer. These are the kinds of tools used in serious detection and response workflows, and their inclusion reflects the importance of realism and fidelity in immersive training.
Exposure Report’s coverage of the award also identified these instruments as Honeywell’s MultiRAE Pro and 908 Devices’ MX908, further underscoring the real-world relevance of the systems being brought into the training environment.
For ForgeFX, building simulations of devices like these is not simply a visualization exercise. It requires accurately translating device logic, interaction design, feedback, readings, and user workflows into a form that supports effective learning. The goal is to help users build confidence and procedural fluency before they encounter comparable demands in the field.
By making this training more repeatable and more accessible, simulation can help organizations extend training reach across more users, more locations, and more scenarios than would be practical through physical equipment alone.
Building on ForgeFX’s Experience in CBRN and Defense Training
This award also builds on ForgeFX Simulations’ prior and ongoing work in support of U.S. defense initiatives, including programs associated with the Capability Program Executive for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (CPE CBRND), formerly JPEO-CBRND.
ForgeFX’s public work in this space includes mixed-reality and augmented-reality training systems developed in collaboration with organizations such as SciTech Services, Inc., and MRIGlobal. Previous EWAT and HoloTrainer efforts have focused on delivering high-fidelity digital twins of CBRN detection devices, networked multiuser training, guided instruction, and sandbox-style simulation experiences designed to improve readiness for distributed defense teams.
That experience matters.
Chemical and biological training is not just about creating visually realistic software. It requires an understanding of complex workflows, equipment behavior, scenario design, and the operational demands placed on trainees. Over time, ForgeFX has continued to deepen its work in this area by helping transform specialized procedures and equipment interactions into scalable immersive learning systems.
This latest award extends that trajectory by expanding the role simulation can play in helping defense organizations prepare personnel for demanding chemical and biological scenarios.
Why This Work Matters
The importance of this work lies in its practical impact.
When training organizations are constrained by limited hardware, restricted access to live hazardous environments, and the challenge of delivering consistent instruction across distributed teams, simulation offers a way to close critical gaps. It can reduce dependence on scarce equipment, increase opportunities for repetition, support standardized training outcomes, and make high-value instruction available to a broader set of users.
Just as importantly, simulation enables training to be adapted over time. Scenarios can be repeated, adjusted, and expanded without recreating the full logistical and safety burden of live exercises. That flexibility is especially important in mission areas where readiness depends on exposure to varied, high-stakes decision-making situations.
For warfighters and defense training leaders alike, the value is clear: more realistic preparation, more frequent practice, and more scalable access to complex training experiences.
A Continued Commitment to Immersive Training for Mission-Critical Readiness
ForgeFX Simulations has spent more than two decades developing immersive 3D training solutions for enterprise, industrial, and defense organizations. Across those sectors, the company’s work has focused on the same core objective: helping people master complex equipment, procedures, and environments through realistic simulation.
This new award reflects the continued evolution of that mission within the defense space.
ForgeFX is honored to contribute to a program that addresses some of the most difficult training demands in chemical and biological readiness, and grateful for the opportunity to support this effort alongside Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) and the broader U.S. defense training community.
As immersive technologies continue to mature, the role of simulation in defense readiness will only become more important. ForgeFX is committed to helping lead that progress by building solutions that are not only technologically advanced, but operationally useful, scalable, and grounded in the realities of how people train.
For the original announcement, read the press release and the Exposure Report article covering the award.
