Flight testing of the first dual-cockpit Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) installation is under way in a US Navy Boeing F/A-18D Hornet, writes Graham Warwick.
The dual installation is expected to improve crew co-operation in the two-seat strike fighter. Already operational in the front cockpit of single- and two-seat F/A-18s, the JHMCS is modified for the dual installation with the addition of symbology that lets each crew member know where the other is looking.
In initial flight tests, this enabled the visual hand-off of targets between the pilot and rear-seat weapon systems officer in seconds - rather than minutes by voice - says Todd Harper, JHMCS F/A-18 team lead.
The dual-cockpit installation includes a new electronics unit that drives both visor-projected helmet displays, says Mike Rietz, programme manager for JHMCS prime contractor Boeing.
The head-tracked JHMCS can cue any steerable sensor or weapon on the aircraft.
Source: Flight International
