Military Avionics Systems

11Displays

11.1 Introduction

The history of aircraft displays can broadly be divided into three technology eras, the mechanical era, the electro-mechanical (EM) era and the electro-optical (EO) era.

Although the design boundaries are clear, the time boundaries are vague. The catalyst for the electro-optical era was the dramatic increase in performance and capability of digital electronics in the late 1960s that led to an impetus to change the means to display information on the flight deck. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) technology was the first multifunction display medium, latterly superseded by Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display (AMLCD) technology. Both provide a more flexible means for the display of information than had hitherto been possible. Multifunction displays (MFDs) can show many formats on the same display surface and portray the same piece of information in a variety of different ways.

This chapter provides examples of ‘glass’ electro-optical military fighter cockpits, or crew stations as they are now known, tracing the evolution from the electro-mechanical gyro gunsight and the radar ‘scope’ to current electro-optical head-down, head-up and Helmet-Mounted Displays for advanced tactical and global situational awareness in today’s digital battlespace.

The Head-Up Display (HUD) has been applied predominantly to military fast jet fighter aircraft. The optical principles of the Head-Up Display will be described, along with its principles of operation for air-to-air and ...