Development of the Non-Distributed Flight Reference Off-Boresight Helmet-Mounted Display Symbology

Abstract

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is developing helmet-mounted display (HMD) symbology to support its acquisition development programs that in turn transition the latest advances in crew systems to the operational user. This HMD symbology is being designed to provide aircrew with the ability to maintain spatial orientation and awareness of aircraft state while performing off-boresight tasks across day, night, and all-weather conditions. Requirements dictate that the HMD symbology must perform at least as well as the existing head-up display symbology for off-boresight piloting tasks, as well as target acquisition and designation across air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. This paper summarizes the research conducted by AFRL investigating the non-distributed flight reference (NDFR) HMD symbology. The research describes the necessity of having off-boresight symbology on the HMD, how the NDFR symbology has been evaluated and designed to date, and most importantly, the benefit to the pilot when using off-boresight symbology compared to using the HUD alone.