- Elbit America showcased the X-Sight helmet for helicopter pilots at the AFA Warfare Symposium. The X-Sight helmet projects high-resolution, full-color displays through a binocular visor, providing pilots with a wide field of view to see more information and symbology while looking outside the aircraft.
- The X-Sight enhances safety by using real and augmented reality, along with active sensors like LIDAR and radar, to help pilots recognize threats and avoid obstacles such as power lines and mountainous terrain.
- Although the X-Sight helmet costs less than the F-35 helmet, its affordability is expected to improve with increased production.
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Regular viewers of Weapons and Warfare are familiar with the helmet system used by F-35 pilots. With a price tag of $400,000 and incredible capabilities, it was even featured in a special on the Lightning II assembly facility.
Elbit America displayed a similar product for helicopter pilots at this year’s Air & Space Forces Association’s Warfare Symposium. That makes the X-Sight helmet the weapon of the week.
What makes the X-Sight special?
First things first, the X-Sight looks cool. But it’s what’s inside that makes this tech so appealing to anyone who has ever flown a helicopter.
“The X-Sight is a binocular visor projected helmet,” Eric “Delta” Burke, senior director of Marketing and Business Development at Elbit America, said. “Before, I flew a monocle-based helmet-mounted display. It was a single, monochrome, very small HMD. It’s matured over the last 15 to 20 years to high resolution, full color, with a field of view over 60 degrees. This allows you to see more information and symbology while still looking outside the aircraft.”
Burke, a former Marine helicopter pilot, has unique insight into what the X-Sight brings to the table.
“A helicopter pilot typically flies between 100 and 300 feet above the ground, which is very dangerous,” Burke explained. “Fixed-wing pilots fly between 3,000 to 20,000 feet and don’t worry about power lines or mountainous terrain. For helicopter pilots, these obstacles are very hazardous.”
How does it help helicopter pilots?
The X-Sight allows pilots to recognize threats sooner and plan their flight paths accordingly.
“It has both real and augmented reality,” Burke said. “It knows where power lines, power poles, and other obstacles are. This symbology on the helmet helps helicopter pilots avoid obstacles.”
The X-Sight also uses active sensors like LIDAR, T-F/T-A radar and obstacle warning systems to give pilots a 3D representation of what’s in front of them. All this information displays on the advanced X-Sight screen, designed to meet the needs of today’s pilots.
“As a helicopter pilot, you constantly look down at the instrument panel,” Burke said. “With the X-Sight, you can look outside the aircraft, and all the information displays in 3D symbology. If the numbers are green, everything’s good, if it’s yellow, you’re close to danger; if it’s red, it gets your attention quickly.”
Will the military use these new helmets?
The big question is always the cost. While Burke didn’t provide a number, he said it costs less than the F-35 helmet. With the X-Sight not belonging to a specific aircraft, he hopes increased production numbers will make it more affordable for operators.
The X-Sight represents a significant advancement in helmet technology for helicopter pilots. Its combination of real and augmented reality, along with advanced sensors, provides pilots with critical information to enhance safety and mission effectiveness. Elbit America’s innovation continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in aviation technology.
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