How the F-35 Demon Helmet Looks Inside

I don't really keep up with all the new military fighters technology all that much, but this helmet that they are working on, to apparently work with the F-35 is something else, it allows the pilot to see everything around his plane, including directly behind his plane and below his plane.

The plane the pilot is flying actually becomes invisible to him!

How the F-35 Demon Helmet Looks Inside

Ever since I saw the F-35 demon helmet—which gives a 360-degree spherical view of the battlefield—I have wondered how it really looks inside, for the pilot. No more: Jump to minute 3:50.

The helmet projects an augmented reality world inside its visor. This image is created by a visualization, targeting, and situational awareness marvel called Electro Optical Distributed Aperture System, which combines the feeds from six advanced infrared digital cameras located around the aircraft and other sensors—like radar—into a seamless 360-degree spherical panorama, all in real time.

The panorama inside the helmet effectively makes the F-35 completely invisible to the pilot.

And here's a video about the helmet and it also shows exactly what the pilot would be seeing using this "helmet".



Pretty cool, but I would think it might get a little dangerous at times not being able to see any gauges or any other thing in the cockpit while your flying.

[edit on 5/11/2009 by Keyhole]

Thats pretty impressive

Interesting choice for fighters in the first dogfight I assume that the gauges would be or could be projected onto the helmet display

Wow that helm makes things look nice flying a plane eh? I'd like to have one of those in my car....with some missles of course

Seriously though I was impressed with the whole missle turning while in a dogfight they showed (assuming it works properly) and the moving targets on the ground identified.... that reminds me of some video games where it shows targets and such. Very impressive.

Best of all I suppose would be the multiple enemy combat scenario with buddies in the sky. Being able to identify hostiles vs. your friends like that would be great. I'd hate to shoot down a partner by accident just because you're in a swarm.

The video looks like something NG made to sell it to the F-35 buyers. I can't wait to see how this tech actually plays out in the field.

Last note: You guys think they have a more advanced helm for the F-22?

Now that is cool.

How much you want to bet that system is really been put in place for when these plans are remote controlled without a pilot in them.

Here's a picture of the helmet itself.



Looks like something straight out of a Star Wars movie.

Thought I'd add the title of this article to this post and a little quote from it to go along with my above comment!

F-35 Helmet Display System To Scare the Bejeezus Out of Enemies

Beyond making the pilot look like a spooky insect (comic book nerd moment: the Morpheus helmet from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comes to mind),

[edit on 5/11/2009 by Keyhole]

reply to post by Keyhole


This is a great thread. Thanks for the pic.

However can it be shut off at the pilots discretion? Somehow I'm thinking sensory overload here.

The helmet displays on priority. As such, most features will be visible when they are critical, yet it still allows for smooth transition to different options (think touchscreen LCDs). All this is done very well, plus the overwhelming number of pilots who will fly the F-35 have not been born yet. They will be trained from day one with these revolutionary technologies having reached maturity. The familiarity and comfort level will become greater. It really is the way of the future, the human body is too limited for today's science of war.

The F-22 is undergoing mapping and cockpit/aircraft consideration for eventual placement of a mature Helmet Mounted Display and the sensors to support such via a DAS like system. Expect such changes to come later with additional upgrades to the F-22 fleet. Currently the F-22 does not need most of these features. It has it's own phenomenal abilities that allow it to be head and shoulders above in capability and lethality. By the time the F-35 reaches meaningful US production and use it will be circa 2016. This is when the eventual Block 50 F-22 (by then F-22C) will begin it's development. At this point the Raptor will match the F-35 in avionic situational awareness and still exceed it in everything else.

Currently the F-22 is funded until increment 3.2 (Block 35). After that there is increment 3.3, still Block 35. Increment 4/5 includes the F-35 like features and is the Block 40 development (F-22C) configuration. After that is Block 50 which is the ultimate desired Global Strike configuration for the F-22. But expect this after 2016. After this period is when a select few others will just be getting their own 5th generation fighters. They will be at that point, where we are now with our own 5th generation fighters, program wise.

[edit on 11-5-2009 by WestPoint23]

Wow, that target tracking at 4:40 is where the video gets good. Amazing power projection and dominance. It's hard not to be impressed with tech like this.

The pilot becomes like a roller coaster passenger, with the computer simply checking in every few seconds and queuing him what to do, and who to shoot.

Computer becomes like a mother within the cockpit.

And then the fact that the missiles and drones are actually the leading edge of the fight. missile tech is becoming so aggressive.

Remember that video game "Afterburner"? Once you've locked on, they are going down. Any plane will do, but the Raptor will do it best.



[edit on 11-5-2009 by smallpeeps]

Pardon the off topic comment here.. But did those su-27s just shoot down a Typhoon before the F-35 cavalry arrived?! (3:53m into the videos)
I wonder which set of countries this videos was released to

I did wonder what that Typhoon was doing in there, and the video did strike me as marketing although I haven't got sound so I can't comment much. The video does get the concept across well which I assume is it's purpose and a neat concept it is :-)

Wow. That is absolutely insane. How do we have such technologies to do what this helmet does, but we can't cure a common cold?? Mind boggling.

reply to post by P1DrummerBoy


Well two reasons:

1)Curing the common cold does not bear the incentives that this helmet probably does in the eyes of whoever allocates funding.
Actually curing the common cold could be the key to monopolizing the pharma market for whoever has the means to do so, thus inviting earnings in the form of sales and royalties which should be much more than this helmet could provide in the short term..
but you get my point

2)The common cold isn't quite so simple as a this helmet is

Impressive. Gives me the feeling of when I first learned of the HUD when I was a kid. I wanted one...for what I don't know.