BAE Systems Awarded Contract for Eurofighterâs Striker II Helmet Mounted Display
The Eurofighter Consortium has awarded BAE Systems a contract worth £133 million to further develop its Striker II Helmet Mounted Display (HMD).
BAE Systems announced on Dec. 11, 2024, that it has been awarded a new £133 million contract to further develop its Striker II Helmet Mounted-Display (HMD). Under this new contract, awarded by the Eurofighter consortium made by Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K., the company will continue to mature the helmet’s capabilities and start flight testing.
The Striker II is already being developed by BAE Systems under a £40m contract issued in September last year. The contract is expected to create over 200 jobs at the company’s combat air facility in Warton, Lancashire, and its Electronic Systems site in Rochester, Kent. The latter specializes in developing helmet mounted displays, according to the manufacturer.
The next big leap for Eurofighter Typhoon.
A £133M contract has been awarded to @BAESystemsplc to push the boundaries of the Striker® II Helmet Mounted-Display.
With all-digital night vision and mission-critical data projected onto the visor, this helmet is the future pic.twitter.com/lYhlASQhRO
— Eurofighter Typhoon (@eurofighter) December 11, 2024
“The Striker II helmet aims to give the next generation of Typhoon pilots a crucial advantage in what is an increasingly congested and contested battlespace,” said BAE Systems Air’s Managing Director – Europe & International, Richard Hamilton, “This continued investment by the Eurofighter nations secures highly skilled jobs and enables our teams to further develop the helmet’s capabilities and move it another step closer to production.”
Simon Ellard, General Manager of the NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) also said that the new contract “will ensure that the Eurofighter remains cutting edge and at the forefront of innovation,” meeting current and future threats as the operational environment continues to evolve.
We’ve secured a new contract by the four-nation @eurofighter Typhoon consortium to further develop our most advanced fighter pilot helmet, Striker II®
This will fund the next stage of development, ensuring the helmet achieves a production ready standard.https://t.co/R0rRPE48df pic.twitter.com/YVccgZ7V62
— BAE Systems (@BAESystemsplc) December 11, 2024
The new contract to further develop the Striker II HMD will ensure that the Eurofighter Typhoon continues to be one of the most advanced fourth-generation fighters in the world, with a “world-leading all-digital helmet”. The contract award also highlights the international commitment to the development of the helmet, which is projected to provide full synergies across air forces who choose to put the Striker II into service with their aircraft.
The Striker II HMD
The Striker II HMD is a further development of the first-generation Striker HMD, which is currently deployed with the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Saab Gripen aircraft. The Striker II gives Typhoon pilots an edge in situational awareness over any potential adversary, says the manufacturer.
Unlike its predecessor, the Striker II is designed to allow for easy integration across a wide range of different aircraft. According to BAE Systems, it is “compatible with aircraft that have analog display drive electronics, via a low latency converter.” Its different features work together to provide pilots with a greater situational awareness.
According to the manufacturer, “the Striker II HMD is one of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft helmets”. This is based on the fact that it uses “the latest technologies, integrating an all-digital night vision system and daylight readable color display” in a “fully digital solution.”
The HMD is equipped with next-generation EBAPS (Electron Bombarded Active Pixel System) night vision system, manufactured by the Intevac Corporation, alongside an optional 3D audio system integrated into the helmet. It also has battle-proven target tracking technology, with experience carried on from the legacy Striker HMD.
Key flight data is displayed directly onto the pilot’s helmet visor, much like the Gentex JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System) used on various US aircraft. However, the EBAPS system allows for a truly 24/7 capable HMD with no need for heavy, obtrusive night vision goggles.
Thus, there is no trade-off between situational awareness provided by the visor-projected display and the utility of the night vision goggles, unlike the JHMCS. The only HMD known to integrate night vision capability like Striker II is the F-35’s helmet. The entire helmet is much lighter than traditional HMDs, says BAE Systems, meaning less fatigue for the pilot.
The Striker II displays high-res sensor systems such as imagery from a DAS (Distributed Aperture Systems), which allows pilots to see through the body of the aircraft (like the F-35’s HMD) giving pilots a vital advantage for split-second decision making. Using optical sensors embedded in the aircraft’s cockpit, the Striker II can calculate the pilot’s exact head position and angle – and thus displaying accurate targeting information and symbology onto the pilot’s visor with little to no error.
The helmet most likely will undergo flight testing in the coming months, presumably on a RAF Typhoon aircraft at the Warton facility. The latest contract will fund the next stage of development for the HMD leading to the possible fielding to the Eurofighter fleet.
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