BAE Systems is beginning night trials of its newly developed helmet-mounted display to assess its digital night vision capabilities.
The Striker II is BAE's advanced new helmet for pilots that comes with night vision built into the visor, negating the need for separate night vision goggles. Built for the military, the visor could allow pilots to see 24-hours a day. "Traditionally we've been constrained by having to put night vision goggles in front of the pilot's eye," said BAE's chief test pilot Mark Bowman. "Now we've managed to integrate that into the helmet, which means the pilot gets very high definition in front of his eyes as well as a very wide field of view."
The helmet is equipped with a high-definition and lightweight night vision camera module that captures details, which are then displayed on the visor. According to BAE the technology has several benefits for pilots, including the visor's ability to transition seamlessly transition between night and day, with no need to manually configure goggles. Traditional night-vision goggles also increase g-force pressures of the head and neck, restricting movement.
Following the completion of the current phase of trials, taking place in Lancashire, a second testing phase will take place, in which BAE evaluates the helmet's plug and play compatibility with its Typhoon fighter jets.
While advancements in in night-vision technology could one day be adapted for non-militaristic purposes, the Striker II has been designed for combat. The start of BAE's trial of the system comes as London's Excel Centre hosts the biannual Defence and Security Equipment International Exhibition. Taking place at the Excel Centre it sees the buying and selling of military equipments and, according to Amnesty International, others that are used for torture.
The event is attended by arms development companies and defence delegations from countries around the world. BAE Systems will be among the 1,500 exhibitors at the conference. Protests against the event have already taken place, but the show is expected to attract 30,000 visitors this week.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
