Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System enters full rate production

[Aussie Digger]

Elbit Systems JV with VSI Awarded $75.6 Mn Contract from Boeing for First FRP Lot of JHMCS


(Source: Elbit Systems; issued Aug. 10, 2004)


HAIFA, Israel --- Elbit Systems Ltd. today announced that Vision Systems International, (VSI), Elbit Systems’ joint venture with Rockwell Collins, has been awarded a $75.6 million contract for over 300 JHMCS systems from Boeing, St. Louis. This award is the first Full Rate Production (FRP) of JHMCS following four Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) lot deliveries.

Under the contract, VSI will provide JHMCS display systems, spares, technical support and support equipment for the Full Rate Production (FRP) lot 1 acquisition. This procurement fills additional U.S. government domestic requirements for the USAF and Air National Guard F-15, F-16 and USN

F/A-18 platforms as well as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) production commitments for Australia (F/A-18), Finland (F/A-18), Poland (F-16), Greece (F-16) and Switzerland (F/A-18).

Deliveries under FRP 1 will commence in March 2005 and continue through December 2006. This order brings VSI’s total JHMCS production quantity to more than 1000 systems with more than 500 systems delivered to date.

JHMCS provides pilots with a “First look, first shot†capability when employed with high off-bore sight weapons under high-G conditions. The system allows pilots to lock-on and fire at enemy aircraft without having to maneuver their aircraft into position. The pilot needs only to point his head at the target and weapon systems are automatically cued to the target. JHMCS is also highly effective when used in air-to-ground target engagements and was used extensively in this manner in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In both air-to-air and air-to-ground modes, targeting cues and aircraft parameters are displayed on the pilot’s visor.

VSI President Ken Stansell stated that, “The transition to full rate production for JHMCS demonstrates the high level of confidence which both the U.S. Government and Boeing have in VSI’s ability to deliver a high performance, quality product on-timeâ€. He further commented that “This production program milestone for JHMCS, combined with our continuing design work on an advanced binocular HMD for the F-35 JSF program and our ongoing production deliveries of the DASH (Display and Sight Helmet), clearly illustrates that VSI is the supplier of choice for Helmet Mounted Display Systems for fixed-wing fighter aircraft.â€

Joseph Ackerman, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, commented: “This new contract from Boeing for full rate production of JHMCS further reinforces VSI’s leading role in providing cutting-edge Helmet Mounted Systems to U.S. and international front-line fighter aircraft, and is a testament to the successful cooperation between Rockwell Collins and Elbit Systems.â€

VSI was established in 1996 as a joint venture between EFW Inc., a subsidiary of Elbit Systems and Rockwell Collins to develop, manufacture and support fixed wing HMDs worldwide. With a heritage of more than 35 years of design and development experience in display systems, VSI today is the leading supplier of fixed wing HMDs.

Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of defense-related programs throughout the world, in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (“C4ISRâ€), advanced electro-optic and space technologies. The company focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms and developing new technologies for defense and homeland security applications.

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Obtained from:

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cg....1092028767.QRcJX8Oa9dUAABm2XOM&modele=jdc_34

This system as mentioned is being procurred for the RAAF's F/A-18's and are due to be installed by 2006. At this time the RAAF will be able to use the full off-bore sight capability of it's new ASRAAM missiles and it's air to air capability will be greatly improved...

 

[Awang se]

that's quite a shock to me. U mean Australia don't have JHMCS capability all this while? RMAF already have that capability and so is RSAF. i thought RAAF should be in lead.

 

[gf0012-aust]

that's quite a shock to me. U mean Australia don't have JHMCS capability all this while? RMAF already have that capability and so is RSAF. i thought RAAF should be in lead.

It was pushed for a number of years and the govts of the day weren't interested. IIRC it was only when the RMAF tangled with the RAAF that we were able to convince the Govt that it was essential.

So in effect, we have the RMAF to thank! :

 

[adsH]

what about Inducting Speech recognition Technology like the One in EF2000. I think the EF2000 is the first to have a user interface that is so SCiFi. the F-35 should have such an Interface.

Adacel to supply fighter software

http://www.ferret.com.au/articles/a9/0c01e7a9.asp

Melbourne-based Adacel Technologies will supply speech recognition software systems for the $US200bn global Joint Strike Fighter program.

"This is a significant achievement for Adacel, with the potential to generate work during the production phases of the program in which more than 4500 of the multi-role stealth fighters are expected to be manufactured" Defence Minister Robert Hill and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said on Friday.

Under a Memorandum of Agreement signed with JSF prime contractor Lockheed Martin, Adacel will develop a speech-enabled cockpit control system as part of the 10-year system development and demonstration phase of the JSF program.

"Speech-controlled cockpit functions are a new feature for fighter aircraft and are expected to give pilots the ability to control critical mission systems such as radars and radios without having to move their hands from the controls" the Ministers said.

Adacel is headquartered in Melbourne, with offices in Sydney, Canberra, and Albury-Wodonga. It employs over 430 staff, primarily software and systems engineering professionals. Adacel established an office in the US in 1988 and has since expanded with operations in Montreal, Orlando, Los Angeles, Washington and the UK. The JSF work will be undertaken in Melbourne and Sydney.

To date 11 Australian companies have won work on the JSF program.

 

[Aussie Digger]

Awang, no-one not even the USA has fully inducted the JHMCS. It has only been in the initial low-rate production until now. Malaysia might have other similar helmet mounted cueing systems, but I doubt they've got this one. As mentioned, the US Navy Airforce and Marine Corps aren't even fully kitted out with it yet.

 

[Awang se]

well, at least at some point they have. The helmet mounted cueing system used by Mig-29s and SU-27s was actually controling the rotation of the IRST system in front of the cockpit. When the pilot head rotate, so is the IRST camera. The camera will point in the same direction as the pilots head. I don't know how JHMCS work. are they work the same way as the russian one?

 

[Aussie Digger]

I guess they are pretty similar, they both display the targetting data on the helmet for the pilot to see easily and im the weapons whereve the pilots happen to look.