Lockheed Martin has awarded Raytheon a contract to develop the F-35 Lightning II’s next-generation distributed aperture system (DAS).
The equipment was previously manufactured by Northrop Grumman, which decided not to bid on the next-generation system, saying it was not an attractive business deal.
Lockheed did not disclose the terms or value of the new contract, which was announced on 13 June.
Lockheed Martin
The F-35’s DAS uses six infrared cameras mounted around the aircraft, including under the nose, to project augmented-reality images into a helmet-mounted display (HMD) made by Vision Systems International, a joint venture between Elbit Systems and Rockwell Collins.
By projecting the DAS video stream onto the HMD, the F-35’s pilot can see through the aircraft structure to view the surrounding environment. The system also automatically identifies and tracks threats, such as incoming missiles, in the display.
The Raytheon-built DAS will be integrated into the F-35 starting with Lot 15 production aircraft, expected to be delivered in 2023.
Lockheed expects the next-generation system to generate more than $3 billion in lifecycle cost savings. It also says it will be more reliable and have better performance than the earlier version.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
