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Oct.
24, 2007: Vision Systems International, LLC (VSI), a joint
venture between Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT) and Rockwell
Collins, recently added over $60 million in new contracts for
some 300 units of its flagship product the Joint Helmet Mounted
Cueing Systems (JHMCS). The recent award represents the eighth
production contract since 1996. Since 2000, Boeing has contracted
for more than 2,500 systems. VSI is the JHMCS subcontractor
for Boeing, acting as the prime contractor for the joint services
program.
The recent orders will satisfy domestic (US) requirements
for the U.S. Air Force F-15 and F-16, Air National Guard F-15,
and U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F. Additional orders represent export
programs, including foreign military sales for Greece (F-16),
Poland (F-16), Belgium (F-16), Turkey (F-16), Australia (F/A-18),
Switzerland (F/A-18) and Canada (F/A-18).
more...
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The
JHMCS allows flight crew members to rapidly acquire and designate
a target simply by looking at it. Warfighters used the JHMCS
operationally for the first time during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
By placing an aiming cross, projected on the helmet visor, over
the desired target and pressing a button, pilots can quickly
and easily aim weapons and sensors to designate and attack airborne
or ground targets. JHMCS also displays tactical information,
aircraft altitude, airspeed, gravitational pull and angle of
attack on the visor to increase the crew members' situational
awareness.
JHMCS in Tandem
Earlier this month Boeing delivered the first dual-cockpit
F/A-18F Super Hornet Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS)
to the U.S. Navy, providing significant improvements to in-flight
crew coordination. The two-seat variant places a JHMCS helmet
on both crew members, giving each the capability to aim weapons
and sensors as well as a visual indication of where each crew
member is looking.
Boeing is scheduled to deliver 77 of the two-seat JHMCS-equipped
aircraft to the U.S. Navy over the next three years. "The
extension of the JHMCS capability into the aft cockpits of F/A-18
Hornets and Super Hornets has been eagerly awaited for several
years," said Phil King, Boeing JHMCS program manager.
The inclusion of JHMCS in the aft seat of two-seat aircraft
gives the weapons system officer the same weapons management
capabilities as the pilot. The system vastly reduces the amount
of required verbal discussion and improves the ability to react
rapidly to targets and/or threats that are visually detected
by either crew member.
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