Collins Elbit Vision Systems to build night vision helmet-mounted displays for jet fighter-bomber pilots
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. – Combat avionics experts at Collins Elbit Vision Systems (CEVS) in Fort Worth, Texas, will provide the U.S. and allied militaries with 132 head-up helmet-mounted displays for high-performance jet fighter-bomber aircraft under terms of a $22.1 million contract announced Friday.
Officials of the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking CEVS to provide 132 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) Night Vision Cueing and Display Systems (NVCD); 56 in support of Navy, 55 in support of the government of Australia and 21 in support of the government of Switzerland.
In addition, CEVS will provide technical data, non-recurring engineering, and supplies and services install and test the JHMCS/NVCD systems. CEVS is a joint venture between Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Elbit Systems of America in Fort Worth, Texas.
The JHMCS projects symbology and imagery onto the jet fighter-bomber pilot's helmet-mounted visor to help meet the workload of operating the aircraft; detecting, tracking, and engaging targets; and dealing with emergency situations. It enables high-performance jet fighter and bomber pilots to cue weapons and sensors at night.
The NVCD portion of the system is designed to enable near daytime tactics at night, while also providing the system's head-up display data over the eye in addition to camera video recording of the pilot’s viewpoint.
The NVCD enables aircrews simultaneously to display radar and navigation symbology on the helmet's display and cue short-range air-to-air missiles. This night vision capability helps pilots identify terrain, targets, and other aircraft at night.
The JHMCS and NVCD are mounted on a lightweight HGU 55/P helmet shell that can accommodate the day or night modules. The system offers a 100-by-40-degree field of view or 40 degrees circular, with symbology or video inserted into the night-vision scene.
On this contract CEVS will do the work in Merrimack, N.H.; Wilsonville, Ore.; Atlanta; and Fort Worth, Texas, and should be finished by February 2021.
For more information contact Collins Aerospace online at www.rockwellcollins.com, Elbit Systems of America at www.elbitsystems-us.com, or Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
