Thales has received an order for Scorpion Helmet Mounted Displays (HMD) to equip U.S. Air National Guard F-16 pilots.
According to Thales, the Scorpion sight displays information from the aircraft’s onboard sensors. It can also designate and track targets anywhere in the crew’s field of view i during daylight and nighttime missions.
The retrofit kits will replace the current Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) employed by Air National Guard pilots of F-16 block 40 and 50 aircraft.
“Moving their entire fleet of F-16s to Scorpion is a testament to the capability, quality, and low life-cycle costs that Scorpion provides the warfighters and the Air Guard,” said Mike Sheehan, President and CEO of Thales Defense & Security.
A-10 pilots have already adopted the Scorpion system in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. It is also expected to equip the pilots of the future F4 standard of the Dassault Rafale fighter jet, currently under development for the French Air Force.
Under this contract awarded by the NATO Support & Procurement Agency, NATO allies will be able to procure the Scorpion and all accompanying equipment required to replace the JHMCS HMD without the need for platform modifications.