US Navy has awarded the company with a $16M contract for new F/A 18 pilot helmet-mounted display systems

Collins Elbit Vision System (CEVS, a joint venture between Collins Aerospace and Elbit Systems of America) has launched its Zero-G Helmet mounted Display System+ (HMDS+), the lightest helmet ever, which enhances the speed of decision-making, effectiveness, lethality and survivability of pilots, designed to fit on sixth-generation fighter jets such as the US NAVY F/A-XX or the FCAS, as well as previous generation fighters, such as the F/A 18 or the Eurofighter.

“As the complexity of the aerial warfare has remarkably evolved in the last decade [the HDMS+ […] this helmet is really a generational shift in how we how we manage information, and how we process information,” said John Rogers, Associate Director of Requirements and Capabilities for the 6th Generation Fighter Aircraft Programs at Collins Aerospace and former USAF fighter pilot, during a press briefing.

He described the Zero-G as a clean sheet design that leverages a binocular waveguide to provide high-resolution colour image with an ultra-wide field of view. The ultra-wide angle display, he said, provides the capability to present a high-definition and undistorted image across the entire field of view to enable high and augmented reality virtual reality and extended reality training. The helmet also has an ultra-lightweight design, and while the precise weight of the HMDS+ was not revealed, Rogers explained that “it is significantly less than any other alternative on the market today”.

The Zero-G uses an advanced multi-core processor, runs future airborne capability environment-compliant software, and is designed to easily interface with the open systems architecture found in our advanced and future weapons systems, he added. Indeed, the system is designed to enable the demanding future mission sets of the six jet fighter aircraft, such as the US NAVY F/A-XX and the Franco-German FCAS. It could easily be adapted into other tactical platforms, such as Eurofighter – with which CEVS is currently working. At the same time, the Tempest programme’s intentions are not clear yet.

Despite the product being launched by CVS ahead of the DSEI in London, it will not be showcased during the exhibition, Rogers said.

In parallel with the launch of the Zero-G, CEVS has announced that its first client is the US Navy, which has awarded a $16M contract for the development, engineering, logistics, and test support of the Improved Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System used in Block III F/A-18E/F and E/A-18G aircraft.