Military parade in modern era: How AR transformed traditional spectacles

With a military parade, such as the one that is about to take place in Washington DC on June 14 in the face of the looming immigration protests in Los Angeles, holding a special place for a country’s tradition, many things have changed with the arrival of the digital age.

As it happens, these national displays of military prowess are now embracing augmented reality (AR) and other cutting-edge technologies to captivate global audiences and project power in new ways. Indeed, South Korea’s Seoul Defense Exhibition in 2019 already offered a glimpse into this future.

A modern military parade

Specifically, the country’s military incorporated AR overlays to provide real-time data about weapon systems and troop formations, and viewers watching remotely could access interactive feeds showing everything from missile specifications to the historical context of particular units.

Similarly, China’s annual military parade in Tiananmen Square has adopted state-of-the-art digital enhancements in recent years, combining traditional elements with AR and advanced graphics to amplify the parade’s diplomatic impact and engage international observers.

The United States, too, has experimented with digital adaptations, starting in the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, the 2020 Independence Day parade replaced physical crowds with virtual live broadcasts and drone footage to reach a global audience and maintain public engagement despite restrictions.

Meanwhile, modern technology continues to shape armed forces’ weaponry, including for the US military, which is set to receive a batch of unmanned airborne solutions, spanning from one-way attack drones to F-16 aircraft, based on artificial intelligence (AI), courtesy of technology companies Booz Allen Hamilton and Shield AI.

Earlier, defense technology company QinetiQ started working alongside the US Army to develop a next-generation AI-powered long-range sensor system called the Future Advanced Long-Range Common Optical/Netted-Fires Sensor (FALCONS), which can detect and identify targets from distances farther than ever before, even in poor weather conditions.