Scorpion will be worn USAF Reserve and Air National Guard F-16 pilots. (Photo: Thales)
Thales is to supply US Air National Guard F-16 Block 40/50 pilots with Scorpion HMDs to replace the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), under a new contract issued via the NATO Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA).
Scorpion will eventually become ‘the common HMD solution’ for the Air National Guard and USAF Reserve’s fleet of F-16 Block 30/40/50 aircraft, Thales claimed in a 10 May announcement, noting that its HMD is already worn by USAF A-10 pilots.
The NSPA contract ‘will empower NATO customer nations to equip their pilots with Scorpion’s advanced HMD technology’, Thales added.
Claimed to be the world’s first full-colour helmet-mounted display, the Scorpion provides dynamic flight and mission data into line of sight, allowing the pilot to remain head-up and eyes-out with real-time situational awareness.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, full-colour symbology allows matching to colour multifunction display schemes for lower pilot workload and higher safety.
Scorpion also uses a Hybrid Optical-based Inertial Tracker for accuracy, zero latency and jitter-free symbology.
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.
DARPA’s Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC) programme was set up to develop an autonomous tactical network and enable critical data flow in contested environments.
Why space is an essential part of modern military capabilities
Defence-secure mixed reality headsets can save hours, or even weeks, of travel time to fix defunct equipment or get subject experts effectively “on-site” where they are needed.
The Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) and Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) counter-UAS (CUAS) systems are mounted and dismounted RF jammers.
Adarga’s Vantage information analysis tool is in service with the UK MoD and individual UK forces. It builds on the company’s Knowledge Platform which processes, organises and analyses open source material, as well as information held by the user’s military, security and intelligence services.
Connect with us on socials
