Breaking news
Pentagon stops work on BAE Systems alternative F-35 Helmet Mounted Display.
| a | |||
| |
|||
World
Air Force News - F-35 - BAE Systems - USA |
|||
| Pentagon stops work on BAE Systems alternative F-35 Helmet Mounted Display. | |||
The
Pentagon said on Thursday it would halt work on a second pilot helmet
being developed for the F-35 fighter jet by Britain's BAE Systems Plc,
and focus exclusively on the main helmet built by Rockwell Collins Inc
and Israel's Elbit Systems Ltd. |
|||
 F-35 Helmet Mounted Display (photo credit: BAE Systems) |
|||
| The move is projected to save about $45 million in avoided development costs, according to Joe DellaVedova, a spokesman for the program. “The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has decided to stop the development of an alternate helmet and focus solely on bringing the ‘Gen 2' helmet – now being used in testing and training – up to a fully compliant Gen 3 standard,” he said in an e-mailed statement. On BAE USA side: “We are disappointed at today’s decision by Lockheed Martin and the Joint Strike Fighter Joint Program Office to discontinue the pursuit of a second helmet for the F-35 aircraft,” Liz Ryan Sax, a spokeswoman for the company’s Electronic Systems unit, said in an e-mail. The team “has achieved every milestone to date, providing a critical viable alternative for the customer,” she said. The move to develop two helmets was made to save 12% in the first place. BAE was selected for a 100 million contract (60% of the funds were used). The Pentagon is hoping to save the remaining development costs. |
|||