Rockwell Collins-Elbit Systems JV Hands F-35 Helmet to Lockheed; Ranaan Horowitz Comments

A joint venture of Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems has handed a helmet-mounted display system to Lockheed Martin for integration into the F-35 aircraft.

Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems LLC developed the Gen III HMDS for F-35 Lightning II pilots to gain situational awareness of the battlefield during operations, Rockwell Collins said Tuesday.

“Providing an accurate and readable virtual HUD with high resolution night vision, combined with low latency, is essential to the execution of the F-35 complex missions during day and night operations,” said Raanan Horowitz, president and CEO of Elbit Systems of America.

“It is the first to have a fully integrated head-up display, which gives pilots all the critical information they need on the helmet’s visor,” said Phil Jasper, executive vice president and chief operating officer of government systems at Rockwell Collins.

Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems designed the display system with a 40×30 degrees field-of-view function and an integrated digital night vision.

Fighter pilots will be able to view the structure of the aircraft and the ground underneath through the Northrop Grumman-developed Distributed Aperture System imagery.