The £40m 'super helmets' that helped Typhoon pilots destroy Iranian drones
The helmets are understood to have helped pilots down airborne weapons fired by Iran into Israel.
Pilots shot down up to 20 Iranian drones heading for Israel with the help of bionic helmets that allows them to “see” through the body of an aircraft.
The Helmet-Mounted Symbology System (HMSS) lets the pilot look at multiple targets, lock-on to them, and then use voice command to fire.
Mark Bowman, BAE systems chief test pilot, said: “This is a major advance in terms of combat capability and is something that gives Typhoon pilots a significant advantage when it comes to air combat.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the Eurofighter Typhoon leads the world in terms of this kind of capability – and this is something that all who have worked on the system can feel extremely proud of. It is a major advance in aviation capability.”
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Conventional systems mean pilots have to point the aircraft in the direction they want to fire to get the enemy in a field of view before they engage their weapons.
The “super helmet” system allows the pilot to let his helmet do the pointing without having to waste vital time manoeuvring the aircraft - giving a big advantage in combat.
BAE Systems said: “The bumps (infra-red LED’s) are used to calculate the pilot’s head position and its angle. The LEDs on the helmet flash and the three sensors in the cockpit detect the flashing.
“The data is then used to calculate where the pilot is looking. As the pilot turns his head, the system continually re-configures to use the best sensor and LED combination to give the most accurate result. Accurate targeting is immediate; there’s no delay.”
The “lightning-fast system” means the pilot can make rapid decisions without ever having to take their eyes off the target.
The Ministry of Defence has invested at least £40million into developing cutting-edge fighter jet helmets for pilots within the Typhoon fleet.
