F-35 Pilot Smart Helmet: State of the Art

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff. 

 

Software challenges and production delays on the F-35 haven’t prevented development of the coolest pilot helmet ever, according to Yahoo Finance UK. The F-35’s Distributed Aperture System (DAS), gives pilots the ability “look through” the airframe of the jet thanks to six infrared cameras mounted around the aircraft. Pilots can also read their airspeed, altitude, targeting information, and threat warnings on the helmet’s visor.

Fresh optimism for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Pentagons’ biggest program, is heard in latest testimony before Congress from Pentagon reps, Forbes reports.

A US F-16 crashed during an evening takeoff Tuesday near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Defense News reports. The Air Force confirmed that the pilot safely ejected and was rescued by coalition forces. Enemy fire was not a factor in the crash, according to a statement from the base.

SecDef Ashton Carter on Tuesday met behind closed doors with dozens of executives from the Pentagon’s biggest contractors, reports Military.com. DefSec Carter accepted an invitation from the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Defense Industrial Association and the Professional Services Council to participate in a discussion with 30 to 35 executives at AIA’s headquarters in Arlington, according a Pentagon spokesman.

Headache for Apple: White House cybersecurity guidelines appear to suggest that the FBI must disclose to Apple the method used to access data on the San Bernardino terrorist shooter’s cell phone, but no guarantees it’s forthcoming, DefenseOne reports.

Headache for Apple customers:  The iPhone is crashing after the latest update, CNN reports.

American profits are too high, says The Economist.  They can signal the existence of firms more adept at siphoning wealth off than creating it afresh, such as those that exploit monopolies.

Until the end of May, DHS is collecting comments on the concept of a broad cybersecurity incident database, accessible by members of the public and private sectors, NextGov reports. Businesses could use the database to assess how their cyber practices stack up against competitors, and the federal government could upload its own cyberthreat predictions.

China’s already restrictive Internet access laws may get even tougher, NextGov predicts.  A new provision in a draft regulation proposes that any website that has not procured its domain from inside China will no longer be accessible from within the country’s border.

France and Qatar completed the deal for 24 Dassault Rafale fighter jets at the opening day of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference, Defense News reports.

DoD has updated its guidelines for commercial cloud hosting of DoD content, FCW reports.

The US Geological Survey says seven million Americans are at risk of man-made earthquakes, reports The Washington Post. The fault line points to fracking.

Contract:

The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is being awarded a $9,335,027 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00019-04-C-3146) for engineering services and supplies to update the flight simulators in support of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft.  This modification includes the second configuration of the P-8A simulators with air-to-air refueling and flight test efforts.  Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington (70 percent); and Patuxent River, Maryland (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2018.  Fiscal 2016 research, development, testing and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $150,000 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.