Super-vision for fighter pilots

Vision Systems International Helmet-Mounted Display

Pilots of the F-35 Lightning II, the U.S. military’s newest fighter plane, read targeting and flight data right inside their helmet. The Helmet-Mounted Display System, first flight-tested in April, uses sensors outside the plane to let the pilot see enemy jets, even if he’s looking down at the cockpit floor or at the instrument panel. A magnetic head-tracking system supplemented by a cockpit camera keeps track of the pilot’s head movements—that helps him select targets with three times the accuracy of previous systems. High-resolution LCDs fed with images from exterior infrared cameras provide binocular night vision without bulky goggles. And with its carbon-fiber shell, the helmet weighs only about four pounds.