Kopin has been awarded a series of follow-on production orders for high brightness SXGA displays in support of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike aircraft (JSF) programme.
The $1.8m contract was awarded by Rockwell Collins to support continued deliveries of the F-35 helmet mounted display system (HMDS).
Kopin president and chief executive officer Dr John Fan said: "These follow-on orders from Rockwell Collins support two initial production phases (LRIP 7 and 8) and are a testament to the quality, performance and reliability of our display products.
"As you would expect, the system requirements for such a helmet are very demanding and Kopin’s SXGA, which is based on our new 8in wafer process and NanoJet technology, was chosen to as an integral part of the F-35 HMDS."
Kopin Government Programmes vice-president Bill Maffucci said: "Our high brightness (>5,000fL) display is used during all operational conditions, including bright daytime conditions."
Claimed to be world’s highest resolution transmissive liquid crystal microdisplay, the SXGA display offers a full-colour 1,280px x 1,024px resolution in a 0.97in-diagonal package, and has power consumption of less than 40mW, which extends battery life of portable, battery operated systems.
Deliveries under the contract are scheduled to take place over a 15-month period.
Designed to provide pilots with enhanced situational awareness, the F-35 HMDS projects all the data pilots need to complete their missions, such as airspeed, heading, altitude, targeting information and warnings on the helmet’s visor, rather than on heads-up display, reducing the pilot’s workload and increasing responsiveness.
In addition, the F-35’s distributed aperture system streams real-time imagery from six infrared cameras mounted around the aircraft to the helmet, enabling pilots to ‘look through’ the airframe.
Compatible with eye glasses and laser protection devices, the system provides weapons targeting by looking at and designating targets, and target verification when receiving steering cues from onboard sensors or through datalink.
Image: The F-35 helmet mounted display system provides pilots with unprecedented situational awareness. Photo: courtesy of Business Wire.
