Elbit Systems of America will provide the United States Army with continued support and maintenance of the Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System (IHADSS) that is used by AH-64 Apache pilots. Work will be performed at the company’s Sustainment and Support Solutions’ Component Repair Center of Excellence in Talladega, Alabama. The IHADSS is a proven Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) for rotary-wing aircraft, with the ability to align turreted weapons, missile seekers, and gimbaled night vision to the pilot’s line of sight. The system also allows cueing between an aircraft’s crew members, helping to ensure mission success and crew safety.
“U.S. Army aircraft must always be mission-ready and their crews must be equipped with the very best HMDs on the market. This recent contract enables Apache pilots to continue their missions with confidence,” said Chris Hickey, Vice President of Sustainment and Support Solutions at Elbit Systems of America. “We’ve handled the overhaul and repair effort for the IHADSS for 17 years, and we’re proud to have earned the Army’s trust on this mission-critical system.
In 1985, the U.S. Army fielded the AH-64 Apache and with it the Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System (IHADSS), a new helmet concept in which the role of the helmet was expanded to provide a visually coupled interface between the aviator and the aircraft. The M142 IHADSS is fitted with a 40°-by-30° field of view, video-with-symbology monocular display. IR emitters allow a slewable thermographic camera sensor, mounted on the nose of the aircraft, to be slaved to the aviator’s head movements. The display also enables Nap-of-the-earth night navigation. IHADSS is also used on the Italian Agusta A129 Mangusta.
Elbit Systems of America has a legacy providing HMDs to rotary and fixed-wing pilots in multiple military services. Elbit Systems of America, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a leading provider of high-performance products, system solutions, and support services focusing on the defense, homeland security, law enforcement, commercial aviation, and medical instrumentation markets. Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications.
