The newest iteration of the ultra smart helmet-mounted display (HMD) -- Generation III -- developed specifically for pilots of the Northrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most advanced of its kind in the world, and gives F-35 pilots a huge edge in air-to-air combat over their Russian and Chinese opposite numbers.

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The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) said the helmet provides a 360-degree view of enemy targets, day or night, giving U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marine fighter pilots unrivaled situational awareness.

The helmet's ground-breaking technology equips the pilot with mission-critical information on the helmet's visor and fuses the F-35's cutting-edge communications and sensor suite to form a clear picture of the operating environment. This gives F-35 pilots unrivaled situational awareness and a decisive advantage over their Chinese and Russian foes.

The Generation III HMD also resolves fit, comfort, and convenience problems associated with helmets worn by pilots of legacy aircraft. It's easily realigned and readjusted based on the individual pilot's needs. Legacy F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 Super Hornet helmets are rigid, cumbersome, and require manual upgrades.

"The helmet-mounted display allows critical flight data to be viewable anywhere I look," said Maj. John Dirk, a Marine F-35 fighter pilot.

""In addition to the aircraft's flight symbology, I can display tactical data and even live, night vision video," he added. The helmet helps me find friendly and enemy aircraft, locate targets on the ground, and can even point out the ship."

The helmet's display is fully integrated with the aircraft's systems and enables a seamless transition between tactical display and the outside world, said Maj. Dirk.

The helmet enables pilots to toggle through different modes of data visualization. It also delivers a more efficient video feed than the F-35's Generation II helmets.

Generation III equips pilots with symbology correlated inside the cockpit, as well as outside the aircraft with the use of the Distributed Aperture System (DAS).

Using multiple DAS cameras installed around the aircraft, the pilot is able to display various modes of imagery such as thermal, night vision and actual, and achieve the unprecedented capability to look-through the sides ad floor of his jet to see what's in the sky around him.

All modes are beneficial to pilots as they deliver a clear 360 degree picture during daylight and lowlight settings. Thermal images portrayed through DAS enable pilots to view heat signatures emitted by various objects.

With his Generation III HMD, a pilot can identify a ship running a hot engine against the vast darkness of the cold ocean. Night vision can also assist in magnifying low-visibility objects against areas of very little to no light. 

TagsNorthrop Grumman F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, helmet-mounted display, HMD, Distributed Aperture System, Generation III