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London – November 15, 2007 – In 1977, the movie Star Wars allowed viewers to glimpse a future in space. Thirty years later, that future is here, at least in helmets.
Instead of today’s “head’s up” technology where information is projected onto the canopy of the aircraft for the pilot to see, these new helmets will project information on the visor and allow even more capability than pilots’ have today.
The London Daily Telegraph reported that Royal Air Force pilots flying the next generation of jet fighters will wear special helmets that display cues for flying, navigating and fighting inside the visor.
"It will superimpose infrared imagery on to the visor to allow the pilot to look through the cockpit floor at night and see the world below," a Ministry of Defense spokesman said. You read it right — pilots will be able to look through the cockpit floor at night and see what’s below.
The helmet-mounted display, resembling the equipment used by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, is being tested at RAF Boscombe Down in Wiltshire.
Vision Systems International, located in California’s Silicon Valley, and Helmet Integrated Systems, of Britain, are developing the Helmet Mounted Display System for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
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Artist renditions of the day and night configuration of the next generation helmet for jet fighter pilots. The new display will allow pilots an unprecedented view of the world around them.
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