Capt. Harrison Daniel, B-52 student pilot, utilizes the Experiential Air Refueling Lightweight Simulator (EARL) sled during a B-52 air refueling training session at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, June 5, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Gabrielle Terrett)
By Sean Green| STRIKEWERX Facilitation and Outreach Manager
BOSSIER CITY, La. — A new trainer that can save millions of dollars for Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) has been delivered via a partnership with STRIKEWERX and Specular Theory.
As the innovation hub for AFGSC, STRIKEWERX partnered with Specular Theory to mature their Experiential Air Refueling Lightweight simulator (EARL). This aims to accelerate how B-52 Stratofortress pilots learn air-to-air refueling (AAR) and can potentially save $5.8 million annually in real-world training costs.
A STRIKEWERX B-52 Air Refueling Trainer Challenge event performed market research to find a new simulator that adequately provides the platform for pilots to learn the fine motor skills and visual perception necessary for AAR. The company’s EARL technology is a small footprint sled design utilizing virtual reality mixed with physical hardware to simulate AAR.
“Delivering EARL was a massive effort that brought together every part of our team to build a fully integrated system from the ground up. That level of integration is a major reason EARL performs so well,” said Morris May, CEO and founder of Specular Theory. “We worked side-by-side with instructors and students in the training pipeline — watching how they trained, identifying what wasn’t working, and continuously evolving the system based on real-world feedback — to go beyond a prototype and deliver something truly mission ready.”
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Brandon Wolf, B-52 air refueling trainer project champion from the 93rd Bomb Squadron, said this project allows accessibility to practice the most difficult part of air refueling while providing a substantially improved starting point for new students.
“It has been rewarding to see this project gain momentum because the students benefit from this,” Wolf said. “This new trainer will alleviate long delays between flights due to weather, scheduling, or maintenance issues.”
Testing for the EARL has also been conducted by the Total Force Airmen who make up the B-52 Formal Training Unit at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, which is comprised of Reserve Airmen from the 307th Bomb Wing’s 93rd Bomb Squadron and active-duty Striker Airmen from the 2nd Bomb Wing’s 11th Bomb Squadron. The testing has expanded even further to include other partners such as Air Mobility Command.
Wolf hopes to see EARL scale across more platforms with new training capabilities. May adds that EARL is the future of immersive lightweight simulators.
“With continued support from AFGSC and partners like STRIKEWERX, we are able to move at the speed of technology and continue delivering even more value to the units,” he said. “EARL isn’t a one-off — it’s the future of meaningful flight training for the Air Force.”