Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed a technology collaboration agreement (TCA) with an Israeli firm Elbit Systems Ltd for licensed manufacture of Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS)/ Helmet Pointing System (HPS) Version 02 to be used by Armed Forces pilots. The two companies signed the agreement at the Aero India 2019 which took place between February 20-24 in Bengaluru.
As per reports, under the agreement, BEL will make and integrate HMDS with night-flying vision goggles, Colour day and night display, 3D symbology, head-tracking, sensors and weapon cuing. “We have signed an agreement with Elbit to make helmet-mounted display system and helmet-pointing system under license for Indian Naval and rotary wing platforms of the armed forces,” the statement said.
The HMDS will be manufactured for Indian Naval and rotary wing platforms (helicopters).
It is notable here that under India-Israel defense agreements, Elbit Systems Ltd had opened India’s first UAV manufacturing factory in Hyderabad’s Adani Aerospace Park last year. An Adani-Elbit joint venture will produce the Hermes 900 medium altitude long-endurance UAVs for the Indian and global markets.
The HDMS will be helpful in the day as well as night flying. As per reports, it has the capability to display helicopter’s flight and platform information, mission data, target information and additional enhanced capabilities such as Low Visibility Landing and Take-off, flight within Degraded Visibility Environment, Optional Weapons Management and Synthetic Vision.
It has a ‘Heads-UP- Eyes Out’ concept which reduces the need for ‘Heads-Down’ in-cockpit instrumentation observation for critical information as altitude, velocity, engine performance, warning indications and also allows the crew to concentrate on mission performance which will increase the situational awareness and survivability in all naval operations.
