HIGH-TECH HELMET TESTED HEADGEAR LETS FIGHTER PILOTS AIM WEAPONS WITH EYES.Byline: Daily News EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - A high-tech Boeing helmet that lets a pilot aim a missile by looking at his target has started testing its compatibility with Air Force F-16 fighters. The Boeing-Vision Systems International Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System is already nearing completion of testing on the Air Force's F-15 and the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F E/F Educator/Facilitator . The F-16 testing began last month with missions focusing on the system's air-to-air and air-to-ground operation. ``F-16 flight-testing continues our progress toward providing the transformational capabilities of the JHMCS JHMCS Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System ,'' said Stephen Winkler, Boeing's JHMCS program manager. Alan Brown, F-16 JHMCS integration team leader at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. , said the main helmet functions operated as expected, and the missions went well. F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin is responsible for integrating the system on that aircraft. The helmet combines a magnetic head tracker with a display projected onto the pilot's visor, giving the pilot a targeting device that can be used to aim sensors and weapons wherever the pilot is looking. With JHMCS, the pilot can aim the radar, air-to-air missiles, infrared sensors and air-to-ground weapons merely by pointing his head at the target and pressing a switch on the flight controls. Additionally, the pilot can view any desired data - such as airspeed, altitude or target range - without having to look down into the cockpit, an advantage during combat. In addition to being the JHMCS prime contractor, Boeing integrates the system on its F-15 and F/A-18. Vision Systems International is the principal subcontractor and supplier of JHMCS system components. A joint program office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 8,023 acres (3,247 hectares), W Ohio, NE of Dayton; est. 1917. One of the largest airport installations in the world, it is the air force's main research and development base, and the headquarters of the , Ohio, manages the JHMCS program. Last year, Boeing was awarded a second low-rate production contract for 131 JHMCS systems, with units ordered for all three aircraft. Customers outside the United States include Greece's Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) (Greek: Πολεμική Αεροπορία (ΠΑ), Polemikí Aeroporía) is the air force of Greece. and Australia's Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF began in March 1914 as the Australian Flying Corps and became a fully independent Air Force in March 1921. . A third low-rate production order is expected in March. JHMCS flight-testing on the F-15 and F/A-18 is to be completed by March. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) This is the Boeing-Vision Systems International Joint Helmet- Mounted Cueing System. |
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