Posted on 02/24/2012 5:06:40 PM PST by U-238
You’re looking at what may well be the helmet worn by the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilots at the plane’s schoolhouse at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl. It’s the basis for BAE Systems’ alternate JSF helmet that is being developed due to issues with the plane’s futuristic — and kind of crazy – looking helmet made by Vision Systems International.
BAE’s brain bucket is based on the one used by Eurofighter Typhoon pilots. However, for F-35, BAE will remove the Typhoon’s display system — housed in the giant forward part of the helmet — and will replace it with a pair of night vision goggles and a single eyepiece showing Heads-Up Display-style info (shown below).
Now, VSI’s helmet was supposed to project HUD info — and most impressively — infrared imagery from the F-35’s Distributed Aperture System onto the pilots’ visors, giving them an almost bubble-like view around the aircraft in any weather ( the system would literally allow the pilot to look down and see below the aircraft.) However, projecting very high-quality images onto the visor is proving difficult.
So, with the F-35 schoolhouse standing up, F-35-maker Lockheed Martin gave BAE a contract this week to quickly develop an alternate helmet that will provide Heads-Up Display and night vision should VSI’s helmet fail to be ready in the near future.
(Excerpt) Read more at defensetech.org ...
Whoa...ET comes to mind looking at that
Very Cool
It looks like Mikey Dukakis’ tank helmet to me.
ET phone home?
I think you have nailed it, the thing will probably be in just as big of demand. If the cost is like the plane it should be about 5 million per Mikey.
Does anyone know what a fighter pilots helmet would have cost in 1982?
Want
Looks like the helmet of an Imperial Tie Fighter pilot.
It does. That is probably where the engineers got their inspiration from.
Same helmet I wore riding on my old Tote Gote.....okay, okay, maybe it wasn’t that hi-tech!!!
IIRC the USMC/Navy helo pilot's helmet 1974-78 time frame was about $300.
The helo helmet was a dual visor and a bit heavier than the fighter pilot helmet. They had a single visor which had to be swapped for night flying. We had both stored in the helmet at all times.
It weighted about 3 lbs, IIRC.
Thanks, I traded a newer model for some knives around 1982.
This has been a known problem for a long time. It seems as though this turkey is looking more and more like a turkey buzzard.
It should not be the sole aircraft for fighters. It should be evenly spread out between the F-15SE and F-22 fighters. There are multiple fighter airplanes in the USAF. Never put your eggs in one basket
Attached is an overview of the technological advancements that had been introduced in the aviation community in 1912. References are made to the superiority of the Pneumatic Flying Helmet (pictured below), and the installation of the W. I. Twombly Safety Harness, oil gauges, self-acting gas pumps, double-cables, self-starting motors and heavily re-enforced wheels.
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