Today I learned that F-35 pilots get $400,000 helmets with 'X-ray vision' - but the Pentagon almost ditched them

Date:
Mon, 31 Aug 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Description:
F-35 pilots each get a $400,000 helmet connected to six infrared cameras mounted to the airframe of their fighter jet

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Every F-35 pilot in the US Air Force gets their own custom-fitted $400,000 helmet, which lets them peer through the cockpit mid-flight to see what's going on in the surrounding airspace and the ground below.

This is possible through six infrared cameras embedded on to the flight's exterior, broadcasting a 360-degree video stream straight into the pilot's visor. Pilots say it's like being able to see through the hull of the aircraft, as if it were made of glass. No expense spared Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II is one of the world's most expensive fighter jets, priced anywhere between $80-110 million USD. These are single-seat, supersonic, stealth fighter jets designed for air strikes and electronic warfare. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

Each fighter jet also comes equipped with a Gen III Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS). A single F-35 Gen III helmet costs four times more than what the older F-16 jets came equipped with. To be more specific, an investigation by Air Force Times in 2015 put their per-unit pricing at roughly $400,000.

Given that the United States Air Force has a contract with the helmet manufacturer, Collins Elbit Vision Systems, to build thousands of these helmets that makes the combined project cost for the headgear alone in the billions of dollars. You may like US Marine Corps gets six 'blind' F-35B stealth fighters loaded with lead ballast instead of advanced radars Scathing new GAO report finds just 25% of $1.6 trillion F-35 program meets fully mission capable rate China says new AI missile system can track US F-35s with 90% accuracy

What do Air Force pilots get for the exorbitant price tag? When looking down through the visor, they get a real-time view of the airspace and ground
below, the closest that the US military has come to X-ray vision.

Mark Welsh III, a retired four-star general who served as the Air Force's
25th Chief of Staff, remarked that "the helmet is a workspace," adding "It's an interpretation of the battle space. It's situational awareness. Calling this thing a helmet ... we've got to come up with a new word." Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get
all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: United States Air Force) What makes the helmet special The new F-35 Gen III helmets were designed by Collins Elbit Vision Systems, a joint venture between Collins Aerospace and Elbit Systems
of America. Through their contract with the F-35 Joint Program, Collins Elbit has so far shipped more than 3,000 units of these helmets to the United
States Air Force.

Each helmet is custom-built to match an individual pilot's skull and facial structure, assigned right away during training, and retained by the pilot for all future flight runs.

The flagship feature of the Gen III helmets is that they let Air Force pilots see through the floor of their aircraft, using a Distributed Aperture System (DAS) designed by Northrop Grumman. This system consists of a set of cameras and built-in sensors, all connected using a software module that lets pilots track nearby aircrafts or missiles. Pilots can even lock on to targets as far as 800 miles away simply by looking at them. What to read next US Air Force says the F-47 'will fly in this administration' Ukraine claims $400 FPV drone destroyed Russia's $19 million 'Apache rival' attack helicopter Castlelion sells affordable hypersonic Mach 5 missiles for the price of a supercar by tapping into the O&G and audio industries to get cheaper components faster

Apart from the mounted display system and cameras, F-35 helmets are also equipped with digital night vision and thermal imaging. The visor uses high-resolution LCD lenses for improved picture clarity, plus the helmet itself is equipped with head and eye tracking systems to adjust to the
pilot's motions. A vast improvement over previous models Earlier versions of the F-35 helmet suffered from jittery visuals and ejection issues, so much so that the Pentagon funded a backup program with BAE Systems in case Lockheed Martin wasn't able to deliver.

It took years for the joint venture to get the helmet designs right. There were multiple design iterations and several rounds of reviews before the Pentagon finally cleared the helmets for Air Force use, with the current version improved in mobility and vision.

Bob Hess, a senior director at Elbit America, went on record claiming that
the Gen III HMDS was "the most advanced helmet-mounted display system in the world" in a 2024 press release . "The systems next-generation user interface serves as a pilots primary display system, providing them with vital flight, tactical and sensor information day or night," he said. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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