The helmet worn by F-35 fighter pilots are real hyper-technological weapons but with exorbitant costs – DEFENSE AND INTELLIGENCE

Developed and super-powerful countries invest huge amounts in defense research and development. On top of these, needless to say, there is the United States of America. A few months ago, the country is on the headlines in India for something other than what its president, Donald Trump has tweeted. For an offer to India to abandon Russia's S-400 systems to get the internally developed F-35 stealth fighter.

But the media hype that followed the Prime Minister's visit to the United States, speculating for the same, has now passed. And that's not why we're here. The fact that the controversy-driven aircraft was so generously offered to India is just a novelty this time. Because we're here to talk about the helmet for all its riders. And its huge costs. About 4 thousand dollars a day.

At a press conference held in 2015, Chief of Air Force Chief US Air Force Mark A. Welsh III stated that the F-35 pilot helmet is much more than a helmet, it is a work space and it is a interpretation of the battle space.

The helmet of the new F-35 fighter is a weapon in its own right. So here are some features of the helmet that motivate its price.

Visual feed

To begin with, an F-35 helmet offers the wearer an X-ray vision and access to the six cameras integrated into the aircraft's skin. During a flight, while the pilots move their heads, the feed is sewn together in real time, allowing them to see through the plane what is under or behind them. Not only that, as the feed is also covered with crucial information on the flight path and displays information on ground targets, all in real time.

This advanced vision is transmitted to the wearer's helmet, monitoring the rider's head in relation to a magnetic field transmitted by the seat. Then, as the pilot moves, the helmet detects a change in the field and sends new information. While the early versions of this system showed delays, the new ones are declared to be completed without being canceled.

Tactical data

Unlike the fighter jets of the previous generation that had a head-up display on the nose of the cockpit, the F-35 helmet allows the pilot to have the same target data in his helmet. This means that the pilot could look anywhere and still have access to vital targeting data. The helmets adapt to future-oriented infrared cameras and infrared search and track the radar providing information on the target's identity and distance.

Night vision and other tricks

In addition to X-ray vision on the helmet, an F-35 helmet also has a night vision that does not require the need to lower night vision goggles during the flight.

Furthermore, the helmet also supports thermal vision which searches and tracks heat signatures. In short, there is no way to get away from an F-35 pilot.

Similar to other modern fighter jet helmets, an F-35 helmet also has a display image which means pilots can see small windows that can be used for a variety of purposes such as a video feed from another plane or data UAVs perhaps friendly.

bulletproof

As mandatory as it should be, an F-35 helmet has Kevlar-reinforced designs that make it bullet-proof during heavy combat or emergency ejection. Furthermore, the helmet also isolates the pilot and helps reduce noise to help him concentrate. They also use spatial audio technology to improve situational flight awareness. For example, if a fighter is targeted from the left. The pilot will hear an audio ping from that side.

A long process of adaptation

The process of adapting an F-35 is exclusive for each pilot, which means that a 3D scan of the pilot's head is first performed and inserted into a database. This database is then accessed by a group of technicians who design software that guides the milling machines that cut the foam coating with the laser. Next, the pilot measures his eyes in a pupilometer to align the optic package just two millimeters from the center of each pupil. This helps project the image right into the pilot's field of view, reducing eye strain. After this, the pilots should return for a final adaptation of the lining so that the vision and its display feeds are adjusted to ensure that a single fused image appears.

The technicians then spend 2 days shaping the helmet lining to trigger the single pilot's noggin to make sure the optical sensors are perfectly aligned with the pilot's pupils. In addition, these minimum measurements also ensure that the center of gravity of the helmet is always aligned with the pilot's spine in order to prevent neck injuries during ejection or high-speed maneuvers.