Military

BAE Systems announces Striker II HMD for combat pilots

BAE Systems announces Striker II HMD for combat pilots
The Striker II helmet packs the latest tracking and night vision capabilities
The Striker II helmet packs the latest tracking and night vision capabilities
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The Striker II is platform agnostic
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The Striker II is platform agnostic
The Striker II integrates with digital and analog display systems
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The Striker II integrates with digital and analog display systems
The Striker II is developed from the Striker helmet
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The Striker II is developed from the Striker helmet
The Striker II has a high-resolution visor display
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The Striker II has a high-resolution visor display
The Striker II is lighter and has a lower center of gravity than previous systems
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The Striker II is lighter and has a lower center of gravity than previous systems
The Striker II made its début at the Farnborough Airshow
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The Striker II made its début at the Farnborough Airshow
The Striker II uses a digital night vision camera
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The Striker II uses a digital night vision camera
The Striker II needs no manual configuration for day-night transition
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The Striker II needs no manual configuration for day-night transition
The Striker II has 1280x1024 resolution
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The Striker II has 1280x1024 resolution
The Striker II has a new head-tracking technology
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The Striker II has a new head-tracking technology
The Striker II provides targeting data and situational awareness
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The Striker II provides targeting data and situational awareness
The Striker II integrates with a wide variety of platforms
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The Striker II integrates with a wide variety of platforms
The Striker II has 40-degree binocular vision
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The Striker II has 40-degree binocular vision
The Striker II allows the plane to track the pilot's exact head position
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The Striker II allows the plane to track the pilot's exact head position
The Striker II has a high-resolution visor display
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The Striker II has a high-resolution visor display
The Striker II helmet packs the latest tracking and night vision capabilities
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The Striker II helmet packs the latest tracking and night vision capabilities
The Striker II is designed to reduce pilot fatigue
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The Striker II is designed to reduce pilot fatigue
The Striker II can project 3D imagery
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The Striker II can project 3D imagery
The Striker II helmet
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The Striker II helmet
The Striker II side view
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The Striker II side view
The Striker II front view
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The Striker II front view
The Striker II has digital zoom
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The Striker II has digital zoom
The Striker II operates even if optical tracking is lost
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The Striker II operates even if optical tracking is lost
The Striker II side view
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The Striker II side view
The Striker II oblique rear view
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The Striker II oblique rear view
The Striker II rear view
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The Striker II rear view
The Striker II oblique rear view
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The Striker II oblique rear view
The Striker II side view
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The Striker II side view
The Striker II is equivalent or better than current HMD night vision systems
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The Striker II is equivalent or better than current HMD night vision systems
The Striker II is "future proof"
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The Striker II is "future proof"
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This week at the Farnborough Airshow, BAE Systems showed off its latest Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), the Striker II flight helmet. The unit not only provides digital, visor-projected night vision and tracking systems that are equivalent or better than current HMD systems, but it has also seen a weight reduction for greater safety and comfort.

The Striker II HMD is based on BAE’s Striker HMD system used in the Typhoon and Gripen fighters. BAE says that the Striker II is "platform agnostic" and integrates easily with a variety of platforms, including both digital and analog electronic displays.

The night vision system mounted inside the helmet makes the helmet lighter than previous units and lowers its center of gravity. This makes the helmet more comfortable (relatively) and puts less stress on the pilot’s head, neck, and shoulders resulting from the g-forces pulled during the tight turns that fighter planes are famous for. The system needs no manual configuration for day to night transitions and, along with the plane’s system and targeting displays, feeds into the integrated visor-projected system.

The Striker II helmet
The Striker II helmet

The high-resolution visor-projected system has a 40-degree binocular field of view with 1280x1024 resolution and an independent channel for each eye to provide 3D images. BAE says that the display has near-zero latency and is fully visible in day and night conditions.

In addition, the Striker II boasts new hybrid opto-inertial technology that constantly monitors the position of the pilot’s head even if optical tracking fails. So the plane’s computer always knows where the pilot is looking and can position symbols on the display accurately for high-precision target tracking and engagement.

"As the industry transitions from analogue to digital display solutions, Striker II brings a superior, fully digital capability to multiple platform types," says Joseph Senftle, vice president and general manager for Communications and Controls Solutions at BAE Systems. "Designed to address evolving mission requirements with advanced digital night vision technology, our new HMD was built to be 'future proof' and seamlessly adaptable to technology advancements in the years ahead."

Source: BAE Systems

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