[SFDXA] Fwd: {Collins} Rockwell Collins shows off future of fighter jet helmets

[Bill]

For those who like Collins Radios, this may be if interest. From the Collins List
> 
> CEDAR RAPIDS, Ia. - A fighter jet helmet so advanced it can allow pilots to
> see "through" their plane is on its way to being standard issue for the
> nation's new F-35 fighter jets.
> 
> On Tuesday, Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins unveiled the third version
> of its Helmet Mounted Display System, with executives touting the technology
> as the next generation for the nation's fighter pilots.
> 
> While past fighter pilot helmets were mainly for protection, Rockwell
> Collins' version is all about tactical advantage, they said.
> 
> "It's going to change the game in how fighter jets are flown in the future,"
> Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg told a crowd that came to check out the
> helmet and test an F-35 flight simulator.
> 
> Information on air speed, altitude, threat detection and more is displayed
> directly on a pilot's visor, instead of on a dashboard that requires pilot's
> to take their eyes off the sky.
> 
> The cost for each helmet? About $400,000, according to a
> <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/04/01/meet-the-most-
> fascinating-part-of-the-f-35-the-400000-helmet/> Washington Post report in
> April.
> 
> Rockwell Collins executives announced Tuesday the defense contractor has
> started delivering the new HDML helmets to Lockheed Martin, which is
> manufacturing the F-35 jet.
> 
> In development for the better part of 15 years, the F-35 has been touted by
> its supporters as the future of warfare and air supremacy - even as the
> program has faced criticism for high costs, delays and software glitches.
> 
> While Maryland-based Lockheed is building the jet, Rockwell Collins is
> contracted to manufacture the helmet display systems and provide simulators
> for training pilots.
> 
> "This jet does not fly without Rockwell Collins being involved in it, and
> the pilot does not fly without Rockwell Collins involved in it," said Phil
> Jasper, executive vice president of government systems for Rockwell Collins.
> 
> "I think that's pretty cool, being from Iowa, that we're so involved and
> integrated with such leading-edge technology."
> 
> Visor as video screen
> 
> The helmet's core feature on display Tuesday is its ability to display
> information directly onto the helmet's visor.
> 
> It allows pilots to track that information no matter where they turn their
> heads, Jasper said.
> 
> That technology requires custom helmets be built for each pilot and two days
> of fitting.
> 
> Steve Callaghan, director of F-35 Washington Operations for Lockheed Martin,
> said the helmet was a significant upgrade from traditional gear.
> 
> "Back in the day when I was flying planes, a helmet did two things: kept
> your head from banging against the canopy, kept the sun out of your eyes,"
> said Callaghan, who formerly flew F-14s, F-16s and FA-18s. "This one does a
> whole lot more."
> 
> Pilots can also use the visors to virtually see through their plans to the
> sky around them and the land below, thanks to sensors and cameras around the
> F-35's exterior.
> 
> "The pilot can really see anywhere what is outside the aircraft just by
> turning his head . that's really revolutionary," Jasper said.
> 
> Rockwell Collins has already shipped 200 second-generation versions of the
> helmet display system, but Tuesday marked the first delivery of the third
> generation.
> 
> Ready for war
> 
> Executives also celebrated a recent decision by the U.S. Marine Corps to
> declare an initial operational capability with 10 F-35Bs.
> 
> The declaration deems the jets ready for war, Callaghan said.
> 
> It means "they're manned, trained and equipped and ready to deploy the F-35
> when their country determines to do so. That was a big, big moment for
> Lockheed Martin," he said.
> 
> Callaghan said Lockheed has delivered 36 jets this year and is on track to
> deliver 45 next year. In a few years, he said Lockheed plans to deliver 150
> jets annually.
> 
> Challenges remain
> 
> While executives touted Tuesday's developments, the F-35 program has faced
> its share of criticism, particularly surrounding the jet's huge pricetag.
> 
> Costs to the U.S. alone will require $12.4 billion in funding a year through
> 2038, according to an April report from the U.S. Government Accountability
> Office. That cost is for developing and buying about 2,450 aircraft.
> 
> The Department of Defense, the report reads, has estimated it will cost $1
> trillion to operate and support the F-35 fleet over its lifetime.
> 
> In its report, the GAO said it is concerned the F-35 program won't be able
> to receive and maintain "such a high and unprecedented level of annual
> funding." The program also has to compete with other U.S. defense priorities
> for funding.
> 
> Other concerns have arisen due to engine failures, late delivery of parts to
> manufacture the planes and the need for extensive software testing,
> according to the GAO.
> 
> Jasper, from Rockwell Collins, said every new piece of technology faces
> problems while undergoing tests.
> 
> "What I would say though is, anytime you introduce a brand new weapons
> system and you go through the development and low-rate production, there are
> always growing pains," he said. "It's just that this program is so large and
> visible, people take notice."
> 
> Senator Joni Ernst steps aboard an F-35 Lightning II cockpit simulator while
> visiting Rockwell Collins during a presentation of the company's F-35 helmet
> and heads up display in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015.  Rachel
> Mummey/The Register
> 
> Looking to the future
> 
> U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who joined company officials for her visit to
> Rockwell Collins, said she recognized the importance of the F-35 program.
> 
> "As a ground-hugger and a transportation officer, a logistician, it was so
> important for me and my soldiers to understand that when we were cruising
> down the roads in Iraq . we knew we had cover from the air," said Ernst, who
> served as a company commander in Iraq and is now a member of the Senate
> Armed Services Committee.
> 
> "Whether that was from a rotary wing aircraft or from a fixed wing aircraft,
> it made all the difference in the world to know that if we ever needed it,
> there was always assistance out there for us."
> 
> Lockheed's Callaghan said the company readily admits the program's past
> challenges and increased costs.
> 
> "But, . judge us now (on) how it's been going for the last several years and
> how it's going to go in the future," Callaghan said. "We can't fix the
> challenges of the past, but we did get past them."
> 
> Planned F-35 deliveries
> 
> *    1,763 to the U.S. Air Force
> *    680 to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps
> *    138 to the U.K. Royal Air Force/Royal Navy
> *    589 combined to 10 other countries including Italy, Turkey, the
> Netherlands and Israel.
> 
> Source: Lockheed Martin