iscover
Thales Defence has secured a NATO Helicopter Management Agency contract to develop advanced functions and capabilities for the TopOwl Digital Display helmet.
The contract follows the order of 31 NH90 helicopters by the Spanish Ministry of Defence. It was secured in collaboration with NHIndustries and Safran, in support of the French Direction générale de l'Armement and the Spanish Dirección General de Armemento y Material.
The TopOwl DD helmet is expected to enable pilots to operate in all conditions of degraded visibility and piloting in low-visibility conditions by synthesising terrain vision with data from mission and flight sensors and cameras as well as light intensifier tubes.
The TopOwl DD headset, developed by Thales, integrates high-definition mission camera video feeds, including Safran’s Eurofl'Eye, with augmented reality and spatial alerts to enhance situational awareness and reduce pilot workload.
“By choosing the TopOwl DD, NAHEMA confirms the leading role of this helmet, recognised by helicopter crews for enhancing operational performance and safety,” said Florent Chauvancy, vice president of flight avionics at Thales.
“This contract further strengthens the strategic partnership between Thales, DGA, NAHEMA and NH Industries, all committed to equipping the armed forces with cutting-edge technologies designed for the most challenging operational environments.”
The system reportedly supports pilots day and night in degraded situations such as dust clouds, fog, snow or extremely dark nights.
The TopOwl DD helmet is pitched to allow NH90 pilots better situational awareness and visibility, significantly improving mission safety, especially during very low-altitude or low visibility operations.
