#optronics

[aerospace-and-defence]

The Global Airborne Optronics Market size is projected to reach USD 2.5 Billion by 2025, from USD 1.4 Billion in 2020 growing at a CAGR of 12.7% during the forecast period. The Airborne Optronics Industry is driven by various factors, such as growing fleet of commercial and combat aircraft and increased deployment of electro-optics in unmanned vehicles.

[electronalytics]

Optronics Device Market

[synfrait]

SYNFRA IT - Best Optronics Distributor In Dubai

SYNFRA IT A rapidly expanding IT & Networking Distribution Company for several reputable brands in the region, it was founded in the year 2010 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. SYNFRA IT is the Best Optronics Distributor In Dubai. The company's portfolio includes goods and services for the construction, power and water, healthcare, infrastructure, and industrial sectors.

Structured cabling, networking, CCTV surveillance, telephone, PBX, VPN routers, andntech data centres are all covered by the thorough pre-Sales, sales, and post-sales assistance offered by SYNFRA IT, which is made up of committed individuals with technical experience in the whole range of goods

Address: Off. 30, Isha Building, Musallah Road Dubai, UAE.

 +971 4 3868498

info@synfrait.com

Website: https://synfrait.com/index.php/contact_us

[germanpostwarmodern]

Thomas Optronics Factory (1988-90) in Paris, France, by Renzo Piano

[alaskaenmelena]

Dassault Aviation to showcase key Rafale upgrades at Paris Air Show 2025

Leaked images suggest the Rafale F5 will feature conformal fuel tanks (1,150 liters), marking a return to a concept abandoned by the French Air Force in 2001. The standard F5 will reportedly feature a new “T-Rex” engine to replace the current Safran M88, an upgraded RBE-2XG AESA radar with GaN technology, advanced optronics, and new electronic warfare systems.

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Dax (all of ‘em!)

By Ames

We give Deep Space Nine a lot of credit for fleshing out Trill culture after the confusion that was TNG’s “The Host.” Trill characters become so much more interesting when the joining gets retconned to be more of a personality melding than an overwrite, and we’ve got Dax to thank for that. All the Daxes! Sure, we’ve also been frustrated that every Dax-centered episode seems to rewrite how being a Trill works, but we’ll get into that in a second.

Your hosts at A Star to Steer Her By decided to clump all the Daxes together for this spotlight, so we’ve got your gorgeous Jadzia, your cute-as-a-button Ezri, and even some mentions for Curzon and other bonus Daxes to round out our Best and Worst Moments lists! Check them out below, listen to our discussion in this week’s podcast episode (jump over to 1:09:24), and find out if the spots do go all the way down.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

A different kind of worm pouch, er, hole! Deep down, Jadzia is just a science nerd who wants to science, so it’s only fitting that she’s the one who does all the heavy lifting when it comes to discovering the wormhole in “Emissary” (not to be confused with “The Emissary” from TNG). Her study of the orbs leads her down the rabbit… er, worm hole until she and Ben go investigate and accidentally start this whole series!

We were just… wrestling One thing the show makes clear about Jadzia early on: she fucks. This girl is unapologetic about how she seeks consensual sex, and good for her. In “Playing God,” she has clearly just struck the mat with her wrestling coach in a scene meant to raise eyebrows, but she’s so forthright about it that viewers go right past feeling titillated and straight to accepting that she knows what she wants.

You are the only one who can give yourself another chance The rest of “Playing God” is spent appraising her Trill initiate, Arjin. And while she’s more polite and forgiving than Curzon would ever be, she’s also upfront with the little dweeb. She tells him that if he’s only looking to become a joined Trill for other people’s sake and not his own, then he’s bound to fail both himself and a symbiont. He should do what he wants to do.

A Klingon blood oath can never be broken It’s in “Blood Oath” halfway through season two that Jadzia truly emerges as a powerhouse character. Not only does she fight like a true warrior, but she stands up for herself when her old Klingon friends are wary of honoring the blood oath they made with Curzon. It’s the first time Jadzia does something for her after a couple seasons of us questioning her character’s agency, and she slays!

I don’t want to lose you, not again The next really epic, character-defining moment for Jadzia comes in “Rejoined” when again she is fighting for something she desires, even if it will mean the end of the Dax symbiont’s legacy. But screw it, Jadzia lives for love, and her relationship with her old partner Lenara Khan is so deeply felt that we really root for them, and feel all the more crushed at the end.

The only adult in the room Jadzia’s character is so frequently marked by the experience of several lifetimes that she just has this maturity and wisdom about her sometimes. Especially when everyone around her is acting like children, like in “The Sword of Kahless” when Worf and Kor were being selfish brats about finding the legendary bat’leth and Jadzia has to shut them both up. With a phaser.

Kahless hearts Lukara Jadzia’s sort of a hopeless romantic sometimes, so it’s only fitting that she try to earnestly help her friend Quark woo his lady love, the glorious Grilka in “Looking for Par’mach in All the Wrong Places.” When it’s not enough to teach Quark some Klingon languages and how to fight with a bat’leth, she even brilliantly concocts an optronic relay to allow Worf to fight for him remotely.

If this story had an unhappy ending, I would have never forgiven you Sure, it’s mostly a Jake Sisko episode and Jadzia has pretty much just one actual scene in it, but there’s just something about her talk with Benjamin in “...Nor the Battle to the Strong” that’s so sweet. Sisko is stressing out about Jake being in a warzone, and Jadzia tells him one of her past host’s parenting stories to put him a little more at ease, like a good parent would.

Retreat, acquire, confront, evade As we saw in “Looking for Par’mach in All the Wrong Places,” Jadzia’s friendship with Quark has always been well depicted. In a show in which we’ve complained (multiple times) about racism against Ferengis, Jadzia is the only one to give Quark the time of day, and also the one closest to him to tell him to stop weapons dealing in “Business as Usual” because she cares.

Oh baby, I hear the blues a’calling Sadly for us, we lose Jadzia after season six, but happily, there are a couple good moments for the next Dax, Ezri! The first counseling gig she picks up is a bit of a doozy, as she tries to help Garak work through his claustrophobia and his feelings of identity crisis in “Afterimage.” And like all mental health battles, it’s an ongoing one, but she at least gets things started.

The killer in Dax We don’t get enough of the character to see the consequences of summoning that psycho Joran in “Field of Fire” but we can tell it’s noteworthy. Ezri is the only Dax who gets tested by that murderer who briefly had the Dax symbiont, and watching her stand up to him, refuse to give in to the lure of wanton homicide, and solve a case is impressive indeed. If only the episode weren’t otherwise drek.

The Klingon Empire is dying. And I think it deserves to die. Insert any Dax here and they probably have a better understanding of Klingon culture than Worf, but it’s Ezri who really schools him. In “Tacking into the Wind,” she throws in his ridged face just how crappy Klingon politics are and how Gowron is sending the whole empire down the shitter, giving Worf the peptalk he needs to go murder the hell out of that bulgy-eyed fascist.

—

Worst moments

The prosecution rests Early-seasons Jadzia hadn’t yet found her agency, which was the biggest character facet she was lacking. A good representation of this in the episode “Dax,” in which she ostensibly should be the focus character, but spends her entire courtroom hearing refusing to speak for herself and allowing a room full of men to dictate her fate. I rest my case.

Don’t call me Benjamin For some of these Worst Moments, we’ve dipped into other hosts of the Dax symbiont to round things out a bit. And that includes that prick Verad Dax, even if he only has the symbiont for a little while in “Invasive Procedures.” But what an asshole! This guy hires goons to help him kidnap the symbiont, forces Julian to perform surgery, and would have left Jadzia to die.

Talk about an earworm! Here’s another alternate host who does some nasty deeds. We learn in “Equilibrium” that Dax had a secret host, Joran, who happened to do some murdering in order to get/keep the symbiont. It’s still unclear to me what his deal was because later episodes “Facets” and “Field of Fire” retcon his character all over the place until we have no idea how many people this guy even murdered!

And then we can count each other’s spots I’m vomiting in my mouth a little over the cloyingly sweet romance in “Meridian.” While we can commend Jadzia for being sex positive in our Best Moments list above, it’s also incredibly tiring how boy crazy she seems sometimes. It’s like the writing staff can’t help but define Jadzia by the men in her life, and falling so hard for a milquetoast guy like Deral in like a day is proof.

The way to a man’s heart is through his ears Yes, I will include on my Worst Moments list every time women give a Ferengi oomox. Bev did it. Lwaxana did it. T’Pol did it (and I’m sure I’ll mention that when we get to her spotlight). And when Jadzia sensually rubs Quark’s ears in “Facets” to convince him to take on a role in her zhiantara, I find it disgusting because it’s a woman engaging in sexual acts only to titillate the audience. Gross.

You were so young, so lovely We’ve got another guest host to give a piece of our mind to, and that’s Curzon Dax. In “Facets,” he reveals that he washed Jadzia out of the Initiate Program because he was in love with her, and that’s just awful. This guy should have recused himself if he couldn’t remain unbiased in his assessment. Poor Jadzia, always being seen through a sexual lens by men, on and off camera.

What if there was a way for you to kill your brother without killing him? Dax’s heart is in the right place when she tries to find a better place for Kurn when all he wants is to die with honor in “Sons of Mogh.” But the option that she offers to wipe his memory to give him a fresh start is SO MESSED UP. Kurn has no consent in the action that Jadzia and Worf (and Julian, whom we’ll point the finger at next week) impose on him. Dishonor on their houses.

There are some things in life you can’t control, and one of them is me We gave Worf a lot of stick for how badly he treats Jadzia, especially in an episode like the notorious “Let He Who Is Without Sin,” which last we checked had the lowest IMDB rating of all of DS9. And for good reason! It really makes us judge Jadzia quite a bit for staying with Worf when he treats her like his property, which is no good foundation for a relationship.

How do those boots taste? Jadzia struggling through Lady Sirella’s rituals in “You Are Cordially Invited” is demeaning, even in Klingon culture. It shocks me that Jadzia going to grovel to the lady of the House of Martok wins her favor. Instead of rewarding bootlicking, there should have been a more Klingon twist: it should have been a test of how long a prospective house member can put up with shit before they snap and do battle! That’s how you honor a house!

I’m sorry, the baby… Jadzia gets killed off in “Tears of the Prophets,” and it feels like a damn waste! It’s always sad for a beloved character to die, but for Kosst Amojen to take her out like a mere bystander brings up memories of Tasha Yar all over again. And then for her death to get undermined by her and Worf’s plan to procreate just feels like we’re back to Jadzia being defined by her relationships after all that progress.

Anyone can steal a shuttlecraft We’re fairly critical of Ezri Dax on this podcast, and some of that is unwarranted. But when Ezri does stupid shit like stealing a runabout to go save Worf in “Penumbra,” we raise an eyebrow. And when she and Worf bicker like old lovers, we roll our eyes. And when she and Worf have sex instead of dealing with trauma in a healthy and mature manner because it’s all a story trope, we lose some respect for these characters. Dammit.

If Worf hadn’t come along, it would have been you Ezri is barely here for a whole season and already she’s paired up with two of the male crewmembers. In “Afterimage,” Ezri tells Julian that Jadzia was into all the constant flirting, but she isn’t. But by “What You Leave Behind,” they’ve hooked up anyway, and it just feels like smashing the two dollies together to make them kiss. Can she be a character first before she hops into bed with the male character, please?

— Time to put this symbiont back in its pouch and call it day. As alluded to, we’ve got more DS9 characters to spotlight, following with Julian Bashir next week! So stay tuned here for that, follow along on SoundCloud (or wherever you get your podcasts) for more Enterprise watchalongs, hail us on subspace over on Facebook and Twitter, and stop retconning how joined Trills work already!

[usafphantom2]

The Rafale's debut mission under the F4.1 standard occurred on Friday, February 16, 2024, at Air Base 118 in Mont-de-Marsan. (Picture source: AAE)

@aircraftrecognition via X

French Rafale F4.1 fighter jet executes first operational flight

Wednesday, 28 February 2024 09:30

On February 23, 2024, the French Air and Space Force (AAE) revealed that the Rafale F4.1 fighter jet had completed its inaugural operational sortie in support of the 30th Fighter Wing's training exercises, affirming its readiness under the new standard. The aircraft's debut mission under the F4.1 standard occurred on Friday, February 16, 2024, at Air Base 118 in Mont-de-Marsan.

Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link

Ezoic

French Rafale F4.1 fighter jet 925 001 The Rafale's debut mission under the F4.1 standard occurred on Friday, February 16, 2024, at Air Base 118 in Mont-de-Marsan. (Picture source: AAE)

Ezoic

After being delivered to the 01.030 "Côte d'Argent" fighter and experimentation squadron stationed at Air Base 118 a year prior, the Rafale F4.1 has been utilized for training missions by the armed forces and has now achieved its Initial Operational Capability (IOC), enabling its deployment for operational tasks, including air policing duties.

EzoicThe final phase will encompass achieving Full Operational Capability (FOC), anticipated upon the full integration of all capacity enhancements and new equipment associated with the standard. These enhancements encompass a helmet-mounted sight and a new 1,000 kg armament, improvements to air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting systems, enhancements to the self-protection system, and integration of the Talios targeting pod. In the future, all Rafale aircraft within the French Air and Space Force and the Navy will undergo a gradual retrofit to meet the new F4.1 standard.

Initial testing of the Rafale F4.1, supervised by the DGA Flight Tests Center, occurred in April 2021 at Istres. Further tests in electronic warfare, aircraft survivability, and weaponry were conducted between 2021 and 2023 at various DGA facilities, including the Information Mastery, Aeronautical Techniques, and Missile Testing centers.

The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), Direction générale de l'Armement, declared the qualification of the Rafale combat aircraft's F4.1 standard on March 13, 2023, indicating its readiness for collaborative aerial combat. The F4.1 standard incorporates capabilities such as collaborative air combat, integration of the 1000 kg AASM weapon, and enhanced cyber threat resilience. This standard brings significant enhancements in aerial combat capabilities, including integration of the Scorpion helmet sight, improvements in firing control for the Meteor missile, advancements in passive threat detection algorithms, and increased data exchange capabilities among Rafale aircraft.

Additionally, the F4.1 standard introduces the integration of the 1,000 kg AASM (Air-to-Ground Modular Weapon) with GPS/laser guidance, improved cyber threat protection, new features for sensors like Talios, OSF, and RBE2, and initial developments in connectivity. Alongside these advancements, various equipment and weapons are introduced onto the Rafale, including a new IRST for the Front Sector Optronics to enhance passive target detection and identification against low signature aircraft, upgrades to the RBE2 AESA radar with new SAR and GMTI/T modes for improved radar imagery and ground target detection, collaborative modes to enhance detection, tracking, and firing capabilities, the introduction of the Thales Scorpion helmet-mounted display and larger cockpit displays for target designation, and expansion of the Hammer family of munitions to include 1,000 kg variants, offering stand-off capabilities against larger or hardened targets.

Furthermore, the introduction of the F4.1 Standard will continue over the decade, incorporating new functionalities and equipment such as the MICA NG air-to-air missile, enhancements in connectivity with communication server and Satcom satellite link, and a digital jammer for the SPECTRA self-defense/electronic warfare suite.

[timeclonemike]

It's never been explained exactly what the Gauss Gun / Tau Cannon in Half Life really is or how it works. The name Gauss Gun and the model appearing to incorporate multiple copper coils points towards some sort of railgun / coilgun / magnetic launcher, but the Tau Cannon name is less clear. It could be referring to tau particles, tau as a measurement of time, or even TAU being an initialism for a complex technical descriptor.

It doesn't help that the lab facility it is found in is a laser research center, and the Black Mesa remake goes out of its way to include a dry erase board exploring some of the math and physics behind the weapon as if it was based on optronics, rather than electromagnetic induction.

Oh, and it uses enriched uranium as ammunition. Whether as a projectile or a power source, again, there's too much ambiguity to say one way or another.

[breezeinmonochromenight]

So is the thing about video game controllers and using them to steer vehicles like Titan true or not? 🤨 I’ve heard people argue about it for days.

Manned, military grade subs do use them, but not to steer — they’re used to operate individual systems on the sub like the optronics mast (the new version of the periscope).

Probably most famously, they’re used to control bomb disposal robots bc they’re way easier to train people on than the consoles that used to be used.

[kennak]

名古屋市立大学と国立台湾大学の研究チームは21日、特殊な照明光を使用することでヒトの視力におけるコントラスト感度を改善できるとする研究を発表した。彼らは2000年頃に発見されたメラノプシン神経節細胞（ipRGC）と呼ばれる視細胞を刺激することで、コントラスト感度が向上することを実験で示した。この細胞は視覚以外の役割も果たす可能性があるとされているものの、その機能の詳細はまだよく分かっていないそうだ（名古屋市立大学リリース[PDF]、The Optronics）。 辻村教授の研究室では、光の色を調整し、メラノプシン細胞のみを刺激できる装置を開発。メラノプシン細胞のコントラスト感度に対する影響を実験で調査した。コントラスト感度は、文字や画像の明るさの濃淡の違いを識別する能力。実験では、照明光の輝度や色度を変化させずにメラノプシン細胞への刺激量を増加させることで、人間のコントラスト感度が向上することを発見したとしている。 この発見により、新しい照明装置やディスプレイの開発が期待されるだけでなく、高齢者の視力改善にも役立つ可能性があるとしている。

特殊な照明光を用いることで、人間の視力の濃淡感度を改善する研究 | スラド

[electronalytics]

Optronic Device Market

[thxnews]

Defence Industry Scotland Focuses on Boosting Economic Impact

  Continues Legacy of Supplying Royal Navy with Combat System Mast

Leading defence companies, the UK Government, and the Armed Forces are convening in Scotland today to discuss strategies for maximizing the defence sector's contribution to the economy. The meeting coincides with the confirmation of a significant defence contract worth £169 million awarded to Thales Glasgow. The contract is for the construction of the integrated optronic combat system mast, which serves as the "eyes" above water for the Royal Navy's future nuclear deterrent submarine class, Dreadnought.  

Thales' Long-standing Contribution to Royal Navy Submarines

Thales has a rich history of supplying periscopes and optronics masts for Royal Navy submarines. Every submarine in service since 1917 has been equipped with a Thales-manufactured periscope or optronics mast from their facility on the Clyde. The new version of the Dreadnought class will carry on this tradition, supporting over 150 jobs. The entire Dreadnought program, from design to construction, is expected to create approximately 30,000 jobs across the UK, making a substantial contribution to the country's economic growth.  

Scottish Defence and Aerospace Sectors' Impressive Performance

During the meeting, ADS, the trade organization representing UK companies in the aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors, will unveil new figures highlighting the contributions of Scottish businesses. In 2022, these businesses generated a turnover of £7.3 billion, providing a value add of £3.2 billion to the economy. The sectors employed 33,500 people in Scotland, including 1,500 apprentices, showcasing the significant impact of these industries on employment and economic prosperity.   Scottish Skills and Innovation Benefiting the Defence Industry Scottish Secretary Alister Jack acknowledged the significant role played by Scottish skills, expertise, and innovation in the defence industry, emphasizing the benefits for national security and the economy. The UK Government is committed to supporting the defence industry's success both within the country and in international markets, fostering economic growth and high-skilled job opportunities in Scotland.   The Importance of the Dreadnought Contract Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge emphasized that the contract awarded to Thales is an investment in maintaining the UK's nuclear deterrent. The combat system mast will provide crucial capabilities for the new Dreadnought Class Submarine, contributing to national security. The Dreadnought program is expected to support tens of thousands of jobs, boosting the economy and ensuring the country's defence readiness.   Thales' Contribution to Global Security CEO of Thales UK, Alex Cresswell, expressed pride in Thales' role in providing the combat system mast and sonar for the new Dreadnought Class. Cresswell highlighted the showcase of UK engineering skills and innovation in the boat build, led by BAE Systems and partners. He also mentioned the excitement surrounding the development of the AUKUS submarine program, which will deliver future capabilities for both Australia and the UK, further contributing to global security.  

Defence Roundtable Aims to Maximize Economic Benefits

The defence roundtable, the first of its kind, aims to establish a biannual gathering to ensure the defence sector maximizes its economic contributions to the UK. By establishing a direct relationship with Scottish industry, the UK Government and Armed Forces seek to address sector priorities, challenges, and upcoming milestones. The roundtable will feature representatives from ADS, member companies across the Scottish defence industry, Armed Forces personnel, and Ministry of Defence representatives.   Supporting Scottish Exports Minister for Exports, Lord Offord, highlighted the importance of supporting the thriving defence and security industry in Scotland, which employs tens of thousands of people and makes significant contributions to the local economy. The roundtable serves as a platform for direct engagement with sector stakeholders and facilitates better support for their future endeavours. In addition to ADS, the roundtable includes a wide range of member companies from the Scottish defence industry, such as Thales, BAE, Spirit Aerosystems, Leonardo, QinetiQ, Raytheon, Castle Precision, Glenalmond, and Babcock. The presence of Armed Forces representatives and Ministry of Defence officials further underscores the significance of the meeting. The UK, as the second-largest global defence exporter after the USA, has a robust defence industry. In 2021, UK security export sales reached £8.22 billion, and defence orders were valued at £6.64 billion.  

Background

The UK has maintained its nuclear deterrent, known as Continuous at Sea Deterrent (CASD), since 1962 to protect NATO allies collectively. Currently, the Vanguard Class submarines fulfil this role, while the new Dreadnought Class submarines are under construction at BAE Systems' site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The optronics mast for the Dreadnought Class represents an innovative evolution of the traditional periscope, providing enhanced visuals and improving the safety and effectiveness of the crew's operations. Scotland is also home to crucial defence capabilities, including the Quick Reaction Alert at RAF Lossiemouth and the ongoing construction of Type 26 and Type 31 frigates in Scottish shipyards.   Sources: THX News, Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ministry of Defence, Defence Nuclear Organisation, Defence Equipment and Support, Submarine Delivery Agency, Lord Offord of Garvel, James Cartlidge MP & The Rt Hon Alister Jack MP.  Read the full article

[cuprohastes]

My theory is were just looking in the wrong way.

The Drake equation (which is shear bullshit and actually the results of a bunch of people who didn't know what the fuck they were talking about doing a bunch of drugs) suggests that there are hundreds of thousands of civilisations out there, all pumping out massive amounts of radio.

If you update it to use the numbers that we now consider more true, the Drake equation indicates that there is less than one technological civilisation in the galaxy.

Yeah. It doesn't even count us.

Partly because it assumes that everybody is going to use radio in a really terrible unshielded way for tens of thousands of years at a time.

As opposed to a couple of hundred years and then everybody discovers fibre optic, Optronics, quantum teleportation of data, or slood.

So there's potentially evidence of alien civilisations that are out there who hit technologically proficient levels millions of years ago, or thousands or hundreds or they're just getting around to it, but we weren't looking at them for the tiny amount of time when they were radiating signals that we could understand.

And even if we could what would we do? Send them a message saying hey here we are one plus one equals two look a repeating pattern. And they won't get it for 250 years.

Great, that's it. We can't have a conversation with them. We're not going to go hang out and swap stories. We're not going to be able to ask them if they've got any neat technology.

Traditionally people have come up with fantastic, brilliant amazing and genius ideas for easy ways to communicate with alien life forms. And then they roll it out to the other people in their field and none of them can work out what the hell the message was.

So I don't think we're alone, I think it's just increasingly unlikely that anybody out there is able to hear us and if they could, there is no way for us to communicate with them.

I low-key love the fact that sci-fi has so conditioned us to expect to be hanging out with a bunch of cool space aliens, that legitimate, actual scientists keep proposing the most bizarre, three-blunts-into-the-rotation "theories" to explain the fact we're not.

Some of my favourites include:

Zoo Theory: What if there are loads of aliens out there, but they're not talking to us because of the Prime Directive from Star Trek? (Or because they're doing experiments on us???)

Dark Forest Theory: What if there are loads of aliens out there, but they all hate us and each other so they're all just waiting with a shotgun pointed at the door, ready to open fire on anything that moves?

Planetarium Theory: What if there's at least one alien with mastery over light and matter that's just making it seem to us that the universe is empty to us as, like, a joke?

Berserker Theory: What if there were loads of aliens, but one of them made infinite killer robots that murdered everyone and are coming for us next?!!

Like, the universe is at least 13,700,000,000 years old and 46,000,000,000 light years big. We have had the ability to transmit and receive signals for, what, 100 years, and our signals have so far travelled 200 light years?

The fact is biological life almost certainly has, does, or will develop elsewhere in the universe, and it's not impossible that a tiny amount of it has, does, or will develop in a way that we would understand as "intelligent". But, like, we're realistically never going to know because of the scale of the things involved.

So I'm proposing my own hypothesis. I call it the "Fool in a Field" hypothesis. It goes like this:

Humanity is a guy standing in the middle of a field at midnight. It's pitch black, he can't move, and he's been standing there for ages. He's just had the thought to swing his arms. He swings one of his arms, once, and does not hit another person. "Oh no!" He says. "Robots have killed them all!"

[usafphantom2]

HENSOLDT supports BAE Systems in the development of the Striker II fighter pilot helmet

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 11/30/2023 - 14:00 in Military

In a strategic collaboration, HENSOLDT will work with BAE Systems on a contract signed by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense aimed at the development of the Striker II helmet-mounted display for the Royal Air Force's Typhoon fleet.

Based on a history of successful collaboration and the development of the Striker I, HENSOLDT South Africa will provide the advanced optical sensors for the helmet and will be responsible for the development of its intelligent tracking system.

Developed at BAE Systems in Rochester, United Kingdom, the Striker II is one of the most advanced fighter pilot helmets in the world, which uses the latest technologies to integrate its fully digital night vision system and color display readable in daylight. At its core is the optical helmet tracking system developed by HENSOLDT's Optronics division in South Africa.

Although HENSOLDT's advanced optical sensors are used in the helmet, HENSOLDT will also develop the system inertial storage unit (ISDU), the electronic component that provides the "intelligence" of the helmet. This integral component employs sophisticated algorithms to convert data collected from helmet, aircraft sensors, navigation data and information about the aircraft's surroundings into intelligible symbology that is displayed on the pilot's display. This real-time situational awareness allows pilots to make quick and informed decisions, increasing their tactical advantage.

This contract announces the evolution of Striker II in relation to its predecessor, Striker I, developed by BAE Systems and supported by HENSOLDT in a collaboration that spans more than twenty years. “HENSOLDT is proud to reinforce BAE Systems' efforts to ensure that Striker's capabilities remain at the forefront of innovation,” said Deon Olivier, CEO of HENSOLDT's Optronics business in South Africa.

Striker II represents a paradigm shift as a fully digital solution, offering today's combat pilots unparalleled night vision and target tracking capabilities within a helmet system designed with a perfectly integrated visor. Striker II transforms the pilot's helmet visor into an augmented reality interface, superimposing mission-critical data to the real-world environment. HENSOLDT's advanced helmet tracking technology accurately identifies the pilot's focal point, facilitating tasks such as displaying real-time data on the helmet visor. This not only increases situational awareness in the cabin, but also addresses the critical need to mitigate sensory overload in the accelerated and high-tech environment of modern air combat. The Striker II is prepared to revolutionize the situational awareness of the pilots of the Royal Air Force Typhoons, ensuring their safety in the ever-evolving and contested airspace.

With BAE Systems' contract with the UK Ministry of Defense valued at £40 million, HENSOLDT's involvement in the project is expected to generate substantial foreign direct investment for South Africa, while supporting a significant number of highly qualified jobs at HENSOLDT's facilities in Irene, South Africa, where 400 employees work. Operations in this unit focus on the design, development and manufacture of optical, optronic and precision engineering products, adapted for monitoring, identification, classification and targeting purposes.

Tags: Military AviationBAE SystemsHensoldtHMDS - Helmet Mounted Display SystemRAF - Royal Air Force/Royal Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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