BAE Systems has implemented a number of modifications to its Striker II helmet-mounted display (HMD), following night trials conducted on board a Eurofighter Typhoon in May.
Those trials form part of the development effort for the HMD and were to validate the design's night vision capability.
The helmet was launched during Farnborough air show in 2014 and is a digital upgrade to the model currently used by Typhoon pilots.
Four flight tests were carried out near the Lake District in the north of England using a two-seat Tranche 1 Typhoon, and followed a series of ground trials on the Striker II.
The optical performance, image clarity, lighting and symbology were evaluated, as were the controls and displays, workload, and any physiological effects.
Peter Kosogorin, test pilot for BAE Systems, says that while the objectives were “very ambitious”, the testing went well. Overall the company is pleased with the results, he says, believing that it reduces the workload for the pilot.
However he says the testing conditions were not ideal, having been carried out when there was still some ambient light present.
“We didn’t have the best conditions,” Kosogorin says. “It wasn’t as dark as we’d have like to have trialled.”
There was an image overlay issue that caused duplicates, but this was rectified following the testing, he says.
Full moving symbology was not tested, but this will be in the next, and final, set of trials that are expected to take place “at the turn of the year”.
BAE Systems
“There was a higher latency than expected, but it was good that we found it and fixed it almost straight after the trial. We didn’t anticipate some issues, but having early access to these means we’ve already incorporated them into the design.”
The Typhoon does not currently have a digital cockpit, so a conversion is required to allow the digital helmet to be integrated. In the May trials, the helmet was not connected to the aircraft's avionics, but will be in the final test phase, BAE says.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
