ST. LOUIS, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy recently began F/A-18E/F
Super Hornet flight testing of the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS),
technology that allows airplane crews to aim weapons and sensors by looking at
targets.
The United States will install JHMCS on U.S. Air Force F-15, F-16 and F-22
fighters as well as the Super Hornet. A Boeing-Vision Systems International
team is developing JHMCS. The U.S. Joint Program Office at Ohio's Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base oversees the program.
"I expect good results on the Super Hornet, just as we achieved on other
airplanes," said Boeing JHMCS program manager Steve Winkler. "U.S. and allied
crews that use JHMCS will set remarkable new standards of combat
effectiveness."
Three Super Hornet JHMCS flights have occurred, with about 10 more
planned. Flight testing on the Super Hornet occurs primarily at Naval Air
Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif.
The Navy last year placed an initial JHMCS order for its Boeing-built
Super Hornets. Later this year, Boeing will begin delivering those systems.
Also later this year, JHMCS will have its first flight test on an F-16.
JHMCS allows users to track and attack targets more quickly than enemies
that don't have the capabilities it provides, greatly increasing combat
effectiveness.
It does so by synchronizing aircraft sensors with the user's head
movements so they automatically point where the pilot looks, and displaying
flight information on the inside of the helmet visor so data is always in
view. When tied to a high off-boresight weapon like the AIM-9X missile, JHMCS
allows a crew to attack airborne targets at extreme angles from their aircraft
without having to maneuver into line with the target.
SOURCE The Boeing Company
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