The hi-tech 'X-Ray helmet' that can let fighter pilots see through their plane
For anyone with a fear of flying, it could be their worst nightmare
Yet a new ‘Top Gun’ helmet for fighter pilots can allow them to see through their aircraft – even if they are looking down.
The BAE Systems Striker system, made by the UK firm, interacts with cameras dotted all over the plane.
Sensors in the helmet are able to tell exactly where the pilot is looking.
When matched up with cameras around the plane, the system is able to superimpose a picture from the outside of the plane onto the pilots display – allowing them to see through the plane.
‘If a pilot wears a Striker helmet – which is essentially a helmet with an integrated display – when he sees something on the ground he can just turn his head, put a symbol across on to the point of interest, press a button, and the system will calculate the object’s co-ordinates,’ Alan Jowett of BAE Systems told the BBC.
The technology can even pass the information to a weapon such as an unmanned drone, said Peter Robbie, vice-president of business development at European aerospace and defence firm EADS, which also makes advanced helmet system.
‘The UAV would be an additional weapons carrier, and the pilot could pass targeting information to it,
‘So if he sees a target, by pressing a button it would become the unmanned vehicle’s target.
‘The pilot could authorise it to drop a missile and then monitor through his helmet where it is going to go.’
The Striker helmet can also be fitted with dual night vision goggles, and BAE says it is even developing a 3D audio system to allow pilots to hear information from all around them.