Lockheed tweaks F-35 night helmets

HERZLIYA, Israel - Reuters

Two F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft are seen in this file photo. REUTERS photo

Lockheed Martin Corp said on Oct. 30 that it was making progress on resolving technical issues facing the cutting-edge helmet being developed for use by F-35 fighter pilots, and it cited positive initial reports from night flight tests of the system.

Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President Tom Burbage said that night vision performance was the “only real question” left on the helmet, which was designed by a joint venture of Rockwell Collins Inc and Israel’s Elbit Systems to display all the information F-35 pilots need to fly the plane.

The question was whether the helmet system would allow pilots to see well enough at night to carry out precision tasks such as refueling or landing on a ship, Burbage told Reuters before an event at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies in Herzliya.

The helmet is an ambitious effort since it will integrate data from all of the F-35’s sensors and cameras, allowing pilots to essentially see through the plane’s floor and all around it. It must update the data constantly even when the plane travels at supersonic speeds and carries out complex maneuvers.