UAE F-16 aircraft to undergo head-up displays upgrade through BAE Systems
NewsFebruary 08, 2018
ROCHESTER, United Kingdom. Lockheed Martin officials selected BAE Systems to modernize head-up displays (HUD) on F-16 aircraft for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces, replacing the fleet?s analog system with advanced digital technology.
The HUD, which sits directly in a pilot’s line of sight, is a see-through display that presents real-time, flight-critical information without obstructing his or her view of the outside world. Under contract, BAE Systems will use its Digital Light Engine (DLE) technology to implement a HUD upgrade that integrates into the F-16’s existing HUD space, requiring no changes to the aircraft, cabling, or computing. The advancement will remove the outdated cathode ray tube image source and replace it with a digital projector.
“To the naked eye, the pilot sees no difference in performance when our DLE HUD is installed. It retains the existing optics, video camera, and control panel,” says Andy Humphries, director of Advanced Displays at BAE Systems. “The real difference is the significant cost savings our customer will experience over the product’s life cycle as a result of reduced maintenance and spares requirements.”
The DLE HUD features high-resolution symbology that is viewable under any flight condition, and it is designed to accommodate future advancements in symbology and video.
Read more on avionics:
Top avionics stories of 2017
Oman will upgrade software subsystems on its F-16
