Eurofighter Typhoon has awarded BAE Systems a 133-million-pound ($168 million) contract to advance its Striker II Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD).
The initiative was led by a consortium of nations, including Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, and it also provides flight-testing.
The latest investment will fund the next stage of development of the helmet with the aim of achieving production-ready standards.
BAE Systems is already developing Striker II under a 40-million-pound ($50.6 million) contract announced by the UK Ministry of Defence in September 2023.
The deal is expected to secure more than 200 highly-skilled jobs at the company’s air facility in Warton, Lancashire, in the UK, and its Electronic Systems site in Rochester, Kent, which specializes in developing helmet-mounted displays.
Striker II “will ensure that Typhoon pilots continue to fly a world-leading aircraft, wearing a world-leading all-digital helmet,” said Giancarlo Mezzanatto, Chief Executive of Eurofighter.
“The contract award is also great news for the program, as the international commitment to the development of the helmet will provide full synergies across our Air Forces,” he added.
Features
The Striker II combines an all-digital night vision system with a daylight-readable color display to provide pilots with real-time mission-critical information directly on their helmet visors.
The system uses color symbology indicators across a 40-degree binocular field of view, allowing for differentiation between various elements, such as friendlies in blue and hostiles in red.
The visor can also receive live video feeds from UAVs or ground-based support via a data link, offering additional operational awareness in time-sensitive scenarios.
The HMD includes 3D audio technology and active noise reduction, which provides directional audio cues aligned with the pilot’s surroundings.
This function boosts spatial awareness complementing the visual data displayed on the visor.
