AFA 2012 : F-35 HMDs to Undergo Further Testing

The two helmet-mounted display (HMD) systems now under development for the F-35 Lightning II will undergo flights tests on a dedicated aircraft to overcome remaining technical issues, it has been revealed.

The deputy executive officer of the Joint Strike Fighter programme, Maj Gen Christopher Bogdan, told reporters at the Air Force Association's Air & Space conference that a number of issues with Vision Systems International’s (VSI) HMD were still to be ironed out.

Bogdan said issues with the HMD provided by VSI - a joint venture between Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems -  include a lack of acuity, latency, 'jitters', alignment and queuing.

The ongoing problems led to BAE Systems being awarded a contract in October 2011 to deliver a HMD system for the programme for use with detachable night vision goggles.

Bogdan said the alternative helmet was introduced in order to meet programme requirements should the VSI HMDS fail to deliver. 

Now, a dedicated aircraft has been set aside at Patuxent River Naval Air Station for 60-90 days of tests of both HMDs. This is likely to lead to a critical design review and a possible down-select to one helmet,

‘The problem we have at the moment is a lack of data so we need to learn as much about the [VSI] helmet as we can. This will include night flying, flying in weather and coming up with fixes for some of these issues,’ Bogdan said.

He noted that the tests would also determine whether BAE Systems’ Night Vision Goggle Helmet Mounted Display (NVG HMD) system, which includes the Q-SIGHT waveguide display and detachable NVGs, was a suitable ‘back-up plan’.

Lockheed Martin has previously outlined its own solution to the HMD issues, including 'small tweaks in technology' to remedy latency issues; the addition of micro-IMUs to stabilise imagery for the pilot; and integration of a night vision, near-IR cameras to be mounted in the nose of the aircraft.