Police1’s Spotlight articles introduce the products and services of a valued sponsor in their own words. This article shines a spotlight on Operator XR, a Virginia-based company that provides law enforcement agencies with highly immersive and interactive scenario-based virtual reality training. Maria Mughai, Marketing Director, provides background on the company.
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Where did your company name originate from?
Operator XR was built for operators, by operators. Incorporating the word “operator” into the name was a natural fit reflecting the connection between our founder and end-users. “XR” stands for extended reality, which captures the immersive virtual reality (VR) environments we use to train them. The name reflects our mission to deliver real training for real-world operators.
What was the inspiration behind starting your company?
Our founder, a former special operations commander, saw firsthand the gaps in traditional training methods. High-consequence scenarios were often dangerous, expensive and too complex to rehearse effectively. Operator XR was born from the idea that VR could complement existing training methods and safely replicate those moments to allow officers to build muscle memory and confidence translating to increased safety in the field.
What is your signature product, and how does it work?
Our signature product is OP-2, a portable, secure and immersive virtual reality training system designed specifically for law enforcement and military. The system enables end users to conduct realistic training in any location using their own service weapons, in mission-specific, fully customizable scenarios tailored to skills such as de-escalation, use-of-force decision making, active shooter response, CQB, crisis intervention, mission rehearsal and more.OP-2 is renowned for:
- Portability: Fits into a single rugged case weighing less than 40 pounds.
- Immersivity: Integrates with users’ service weapons using dry-fire recoil.
- Security: Operates completely offline with no need for backpack computers or IT support.
Why do you believe your products are essential to law enforcement?
Our products are essential for police training because they fill critical limitations experienced by live training exercises. OP-2 addresses the constraints of traditional training by providing a safe, flexible and cost-effective alternative. Agencies can conduct high-throughput training without requiring dedicated venues, live ammunition or props. The after-action review captures data analytics that are often unavailable in traditional training, allowing for specific and measurable improvements.
What has been the biggest challenge your company has faced?
Changing mindsets. Introducing VR requires agencies to rethink how readiness can be achieved. Traditional training has been the norm for decades, but direct experience with the system often shifts their perspective. Seeing the impact on trainee performance makes the value immediately clear.
What makes your company unique?
We’re not just a tech company, we’re a team of military veterans, ex-servicemen and simulation experts with deep understanding of operational environments and complexities. That background shapes every part of our system design, to create a product that specifically addresses the training needs of law enforcement and public safety officers. Our focus is always on operational realism, ease of use and measurable training outcomes.
What do your customers like best about you and your products?
Our customers consistently highlight how quickly they can deploy and run scenarios, the realism of the training environments and the ability to integrate their own weapons. Many also appreciate our responsive support and how we continually evolve the system based on real feedback.
What is the most rewarding part of serving the first responder/local government community?
Knowing that the product we provide directly contributes to better prepared officers, leading to improved safety outcomes. When a trainee tells us that a scenario they rehearsed helped them in a real-world scenario, that’s the most meaningful impact we could hope for.
Do you support any charitable organizations within public safety/community? Tell us more.
At present, Operator XR is focused on advancing training technology directly for law enforcement organizations. While we do not currently partner with charitable organizations in the traditional sense, we actively support the public safety community through strategic collaborations. In 2025, we began a research collaboration with the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, underscoring our commitment to evidence-based approaches that enhance officer readiness and community safety. Learn more here: https://operatorxr.com/insights/operatorxr-alerrt-research-collaboration
Is there any fun fact or trivia that you’d like to share with our users about you or your company?
- Our entire system fits into a single case under 40 pounds, meaning agencies can take it anywhere, from a conference room to a gymnasium, and be fully set up and training in under an hour.
- Operator XR was founded in Australia and is now used globally, with our primary focus being the United States.
What’s next for your company? Any upcoming new projects or initiatives?
We are launching a permanent installation of our renowned OP-2 system, designed for large-scale, high-load VR training for tier 1 police academies and training centers. The system will deliver complex, high-consequence training environments at scale.