This is what it will look like
Enhancing Fighter Pilot’s Vision with JHMCS Night Vision System
Posted on
November 23, 2015 by
TWPconnectronics
Fighter pilots are a rare and specialized group of airmen. They work in conditions that
would put most of us under: supersonic speeds, gravitational forces, and split-second decision making. The tools they rely on to help them do their jobs are designed with cutting edge technology and state of the art components. Our specialized
connectors and
interconnection systems are integral parts of many of the innovative electronic equipment used throughout the defense industry.
One such specialized electronic system is found in pilot helmets. Pilots flying fighter jets rely on technology known as the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS) for targeting and firing weapons. The system incorporates a heads-up display (HUD) that is projected onto the pilot’s visor to cue weapons and sensor the target. A magnetic head tracker and display are synchronized with aircraft sensors to aim and fire a missile where the pilot is looking. Flight information is continuously displayed on the inside of the helmet visor for the pilot to monitor incoming data.
While this system is ideal during daylight hours, cueing the system at night was a problem. To upgrade the current system with night vision technology, the Department of Defense has contracted for
JHMCS Night Vision Cueing and Display (NVCD) systems in support of the Aircrew Systems program. We were awarded a contract to supply the cables for this new system and are extremely proud to be affiliated with the defense industry and this project.
Connectronics comes to the project being very familiar with working with the defense industry. Through our long history we have gained the expertise to engineer and manufacture specialized electronic connectors that consistently meet the requirements of tough defense industry regulations and military standards. Our innovative solutions reliably perform in the harshest environmental conditions (high altitudes, g-forces, extreme temperatures). Engineering expertise combined with manufacturing excellence ensures delivery of consistently high-quality components.
As a supplier of the connectors for the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) Night Vision Cueing and Display (NVCD) system being developed, we continue our mission of delivering the power to keep “all systems a-go” for our fearless pilots!
To learn more about our work on the JHMCS Night Vision Cueing and Display System, please feel free to contact us at 800-965-0020 or through
email.
US Navy orders Elbit’s QuadEye-based NVG cueing and display system
- 14 SEPTEMBER, 2015
- SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
- BY: JAMES DREW
- WASHINGTON DC
The US Navy has placed its third order with Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems of America (ESA) for a night vision cueing and display system that allows pilots to fly and fight as if it were daytime.
The system lets pilots using Elbit’s four-lens panoramic night vision goggle visually cue weapons and sensors and see head-up displaysymbology in the dark, giving them the ability to engage in high off-boresight air-to-air shots and air-to-surface strikes as they would visually during the day.
Under a$21 million ceiling contract awarded by the navy last month, theRockwell Collins-ESA Vision Systemsjoint venture will produce120 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) Night Vision Cueing and Display (NVCD) systems, and 30 helmet-mounted display test sets.
ESA president and CEO Raanan Horowitz tells Flightglobal that the navy has already ordered 220 NVCDs, bringing the total to 340.
The navy lists the night vision cueing and display system as achieving initial operational capability in December 2012, while full operational capability is expected this December.
“The US Navy has been using the NVCD over the past couple years in various operational settings. We have supported these deployments and received positive feedback from the customer and the users,” says Horowitz.
The night vision system is produced by Elbit in Merrimack, New Hampshire, with several components supplied by Rockwell Collins and ESA’s Israel-based parent company Elbit Systems.
Elbit Systems of America
Horowitz says the navy’s NVCD is based on the company’s QuadEye Panoramic Night Vision Goggle (PNVG) that is designed for US rotary and fixed-wing pilots.
QuadEye goggles provide a 100° by 40° wide-area picture through four splayed 16mm image-intensifier tubes, according to Elbit’s product specifications.
Rockwell’s Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System is used by pilots operating the Boeing F/A-18, F-15 and Lockheed Martin F-16.
The Rockwell-Elbit team offers an international version of the night vision cueing and display system for F-16 users, although it is based on the twin-lens Exelis F4949 night vision goggle.