Rockwell Collins [COL] on Wednesday delivered the first Gen III F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS), the super-high tech custom headgear that allows pilots to see through the fuselage of the fifth-generation fighter.
The helmet feeds instrumentation data directly to the pilot’s visor, eliminating the need for a traditional heads-up display and night vision goggles.
In conjunction with the Northrop Grumman– [NOC] built distributed aperture system (DAS), which feeds full-motion video from six cameras outside the aircraft to the helmet, it affords the pilot the ability to “see through” the airframe in 360 degrees.
Eventually, an F-35 pilot will be able to fire a guided missile and aim it after launch by simply turning his head and target an enemy using only the helmet.
“The system gives F-35 pilots unsurpassed situational awareness by displaying critical flight information and sensor video throughout the entire mission. The HMDS serves as the virtual head-up display, enabling the F-35 to become the first tactical fighter in 50 years without a traditional head-up display,” Rockwell Collins says.
Each helmet, which includes an improved night-vision camera, liquid-crystal displays, automated alignment and software upgrades, is custom designed to fit each pilot and costs about $400,000. They will become standard on F-35s in Lot 7, which will be delivered beginning next year.
The Marine Corps in July declared its first unit of F-35Bs operational with the less-capable Gen II helmet, which has lower resolution night vision capability and lacks the ability to target weapons. Rockwell Collins has built at least 200 helmets total for pilots training to fly the F-35.
Like the larger F-35 program, the helmet’s development had its own growing pains. Its delivery was delayed by several years because of concerns over lags in the display of sensor data and interoperability with the DAS. The Pentagon hedged its bets by launching a parallel helmet development effort with BAE Systems in 2011, but ditched the plan two years later when the Rockwell Collins system began to show promise. The F-35 Joint Program Office at the time said dropping the BAE helmet would ultimately save $45 million.