Home Our Company Products And Systems Service And Support Investor Relations Contact Us
Printable Viewprintable view   

News

European F-16 has successful first flights with the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System

SAN JOSE, Calif. (August 27, 2003) -  Vision Systems International, LLC (VSI), the worldwide leader in advanced Helmet Mounted Display technology, announces the successful international first flights of the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), on Danish F-16s as part of the MLU M3 Lead-the-Fleet program.

The first flights were performed by four Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) test pilots and Operational Test and Evaluation pilots. The flawless JHMCS performance / accuracy, as well as its integration into the F-16, performed by Lockheed Martin, were praised by the RDAF test team.

JHMCS was also flown during the MLU M3 Early Operational Assessment (EOA) at Leeuwarden Air Base, the Netherlands, in June 2003. The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway participated in this joint exercise to evaluate the advanced technology weapon systems added in the F-16 upgrade. Pilots from the participating air forces were fitted with JHMCS-helmets and flew with the system throughout the evaluation. During the three week EOA, all pilots who flew with JHMCS were extremely pleased with the performance, accuracy, and robustness.

Ken Stansell, President of VSI stated: "This latest operational experience further demonstrates VSI's capabilities in advanced helmet mounted cueing systems".

VSI, a joint venture between EFW Inc. a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ:ESLT) and Rockwell Collins (NYSE:COL), was formed in 1996 to pursue fixed wing helmet-mounted display (HMD) opportunities worldwide. In addition to the JHMCS, VSI is in development of the advanced helmet mounted display for the F-35 (JSF) and in final development of the DASH (Display and Sight Helmet) Generation IV HMD under multiple contracts to Lockheed Martin.

# # #

GS-NR-25