ROCHESTER, England, Sept. 8 -- BAE Systems Platform Solutions has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin for the initial design of an alternate helmet-mounted display (HMD) system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The helmet design is based on the design of the Eurofighter Typhoon binocular helmet, which is in development.
The F-35 JSF alternate HMD will be a high-resolution binocular system driven by powerful processor and graphics processor modules. The head tracker is a high-speed, high-accuracy, low-latency optical system. The helmet will be designed to display "virtual HUD" symbology and video imagery from F-35 sensors and will be compatible with helmet-mounted, high-resolution night-vision cameras.
The Eurofighter helmet that serves as the basis for the F-35 design recently passed a series of tests, including impact and penetration to UK and European standards, 600-plus-knot windblast and 600-plus-knot ejection.
Of three aircraft types being developed under the multinational Joint Strike Fighter program, the UK Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will fly the short take-off and vertical landing version, designated F-35B.
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