Taking pilot's helmets to the next generation

Published

13 November 2023

Business Electronic Systems (Inc.)

Our engineers are working to develop Striker II, our most advanced pilot’s helmet for the RAF’s Typhoon frontline fleet. Here Nigel Kidd, Director for Helmet Mounted Displays, talks about how he turned a childhood fascination for electronics into an absorbing career and about the challenges of bringing cutting edge products like Striker II to life.

What is the reality behind the job title Director of Helmet Mounted Displays?

I have purview over everything we do, not just on the Striker II helmet, but everything around Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) technology. It includes all our future planning and dealing with our customers. I really enjoy it.

What excites you about the job?

It’s a world I’ve worked in for more than 20 years but the thing I really like is the challenge. I do not think there is anything else like it, it is such a complex, challenging environment. It involves the electronics in the black box, the optical and mechanical design of a complex piece of kit such as Striker II, as well as a host of safety considerations. Then there are all the subjective issues like ‘how does it feel?’ and ‘how does it operate?’.

It’s one thing to do a PowerPoint demonstration which explains what the technology does, but to then get that innovation through the rigorous test regime takes a lot of skill and experience. You need to put products through high-speed ejection, wind blast and impact requirements, and that means it is always challenging and the technology is always moving on. It's that challenge which gets me out of bed in the morning.

What can you tell us about Striker II?

Striker II is our most advanced HMD which we are developing for the RAF as it looks to bring it on to its Eurofighter Typhoon frontline fleet, which delivers air security over the UK and its allies 24/7, 365 days a year.

Although it's been ready to go as a concept for some time, we have continued to advance several areas. For example, we completely changed the display engine to improve the brightness, contrast, and introduce colour to make it better than anything else we’ve ever seen.

We've also improved the night vision camera — the way it operates and the processing behind it — to make sure that there's no latency. We are right at the sweet spot with Striker II now. By consistently evolving things, we are at the pinnacle of what is capable with today’s technology.

What does a typical day look like?

It's very varied. I can go from working through design challenges with the engineering team, through to contractual aspects or directly dealing with the customer and understanding their needs. Although we do all of the design and all the final assembly of both the Striker, the pilot helmet currently in service on Typhoon, and Striker II we have a varied supply chain in the UK and further afield. So, I spend a lot of time talking to our partners and managing what they're up to. And then there’s playing a part in developing our overall programme strategy.

What first attracted you to the industry?

Growing up I had an interest in electronics and was always buying kits to build different things. Even at the age of seven, if the TV or stereo broke, I would get the screwdrivers out and try to figure out how they worked. Then, later, I studied electronics at A-level.

I grew up close to BAE Systems’ site in Rochester, Kent and was always aware of its presence because it's one of the largest engineering employers in area. I knew it was a centre of excellence for avionics and Head Up Displays and, when I considered my options at 18, it just seemed an ideal fit for me. By the age of 20, I was the youngest engineer in the company.

Although I had some knowledge of the business before I joined, I was not aware of the diversity of activity at Rochester. We have diversified even more recently, and the range now includes things like hybrid power systems for buses.

Tell us about your early career?

I joined the business as a technical apprentice — a hardware engineer — at Rochester about 25 years ago. After my apprenticeship I worked on several products, including Active Control Sticks during the JSF competition, then the air data system on the Typhoon, before eventually finding my way into the Helmet Mounted Display team.

My first role on that was working on the Jaguar helmet, where I supported the entry into service production transition. During this phase I spent a lot of time supporting the front line who were doing updates on the jet, as well as working directly with the pilots.

Once I started interacting with a customer and got to see the whole life cycle of the products, I found a different career path. By then I felt I had progressed as far as I could as a designer.

My early career has been a good foundation for my current role. For example, as an engineer I worked on Striker I, which today helps me understand some of the engineering challenges that we have to go through. Then, after I transitioned from engineering into project management, I managed the very first digital helmet development. I got a BAE Systems’ Chairman’s Gold Award for the first time we flew a digital helmet with the sort of head tracker that we have got today. It was a precursor to Striker II.