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WASHINGTON — Marking a milestone for the joint strike fighter program, Rockwell Collins this week delivered the first Generation 3 helmet for the F-35.
The Generation 3 Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS), which was handed over to the Joint Program Office Tuesday in a ceremony at the company's headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is crucial to the F-35's advanced suite of technologies. It provides a 360-degree digital view of what's going on around the aircraft, essentially letting the pilot "look through" the cockpit floor and walls. All the information pilots need to complete their missions is projected on the helmet's visor.
Developed and built by the Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems joint venture, the new helmet includes an improved night vision camera, improved liquid-crystal displays, and automated alignment and software upgrades, according to an Aug. 11 company statement. The Gen 3 helmet will be introduced to the fleet as part of the low-rate initial production lot 7 in 2016.
News of the delivery marks a victory for the futuristic helmet program, which has faced challenges over the years. After a series of technical failures on the original system, the Pentagon requested that BAE Systems develop a back-up, lower-tech helmet, in case the kinks could never be worked out with the primary system.
The helmet, like the aircraft itself, is also enormously expensive. The cost of each helmet, which is custom-made to fit the individual pilot, is more than $400,000.
The F-35’s Helmet-Mounted Display Systems provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems also developed the Generation 2 helmet F-35 pilots currently use. The Marine Corps recently used the Gen 2 helmet to declare initial operational capability for the F-35B variant at the end of July.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who served in the Iowa Army National Guard, attended the Aug. 11 delivery ceremony, according to the statement.
"We're pleased to be able to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of the F-35 Lightning II at Rockwell Collins today to Sen. Ernst and members of the Cedar Rapids community," said Steve Callaghan, director, F-35 program, Lockheed Martin Washington Operations. "The employees at Rockwell Collins are contributing to the F-35s flying today, and we're pleased to have the opportunity to showcase the superior performance capabilities of this aircraft with them."
The Generation 3 Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS), which was handed over to the Joint Program Office Tuesday in a ceremony at the company's headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is crucial to the F-35's advanced suite of technologies. It provides a 360-degree digital view of what's going on around the aircraft, essentially letting the pilot "look through" the cockpit floor and walls. All the information pilots need to complete their missions is projected on the helmet's visor.
Developed and built by the Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems joint venture, the new helmet includes an improved night vision camera, improved liquid-crystal displays, and automated alignment and software upgrades, according to an Aug. 11 company statement. The Gen 3 helmet will be introduced to the fleet as part of the low-rate initial production lot 7 in 2016.
News of the delivery marks a victory for the futuristic helmet program, which has faced challenges over the years. After a series of technical failures on the original system, the Pentagon requested that BAE Systems develop a back-up, lower-tech helmet, in case the kinks could never be worked out with the primary system.
The helmet, like the aircraft itself, is also enormously expensive. The cost of each helmet, which is custom-made to fit the individual pilot, is more than $400,000.
The F-35’s Helmet-Mounted Display Systems provide pilots with unprecedented situational awareness. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems also developed the Generation 2 helmet F-35 pilots currently use. The Marine Corps recently used the Gen 2 helmet to declare initial operational capability for the F-35B variant at the end of July.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who served in the Iowa Army National Guard, attended the Aug. 11 delivery ceremony, according to the statement.
"We're pleased to be able to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of the F-35 Lightning II at Rockwell Collins today to Sen. Ernst and members of the Cedar Rapids community," said Steve Callaghan, director, F-35 program, Lockheed Martin Washington Operations. "The employees at Rockwell Collins are contributing to the F-35s flying today, and we're pleased to have the opportunity to showcase the superior performance capabilities of this aircraft with them."
