Possibility of upgrading fighter aircraft MiG-29 in the field of helmet-mounted display systems

The article presents selected results of the analytical work carried out in the Air Force Institute of Technology in the field of information visualization capabilities of helmet-mounted guidance and navigation in fighter aircraft MiG- 29. There is presented the SzCz-3UM headset system of target’s indication, currently used on-board of MiG-29, which is directly cooperating with the pilot during the combat flight. There was presented that the information from the onboard systems of this aircraft containing analogue devices must be computer-processed into digital form in order to present flight data in the helmet-mounted display system. However, MiG-29 aircraft, used in the Polish Air Force, are equipped with modern digital avionics (integrated avionics system) based on the MIL-1553B digital data buses, which gives the possibility of the new helmet-mounted imaging of flight parameters via the computer data processing from aircraft’s devices and on-board installations. To develop guidelines for the construction of the helmet-mounted system for the MiG-29, the SWPL-1 Cyklop flight data-displaying system was adopted (system developed in the Air Force Institute of Technology as avionics system modernization for Mi-17 military helicopters). There are discussed the main problems of scientific and specialist research positions used in the Air Force Institute of Technology to assess the accuracy of the selected equipment components of avionics systems and determine credibility of information provided to the pilot during the flight.