Fighter pilots blinded by high-tech green glow helmets

The US Air Force is to make urgent adjustments to the super high-tech helmet worn by pilots flying America’s most advanced stealth fighter after incidents in which a “green glow” obscured their vision during night time missions. The action followed the experience of one pilot of an F-35A Lightning II who was blinded by the green glow in the helmet while he was trying to refuel in midair on January 6 over Alaska. The glow effect in the $400,000 helmet came from the night-vision video feed of the surrounding environment which is built into the headgear instead of on a screen in the cockpit. In the dark, the green glow has been causing disorientation for all pilots of the different versions of the F-35 flown by the US air force, navy and marines. An investigation by the US air force into the January incident reported that the F-35A pilot became confused while he was trying to lock into the KC-135 fuel tanker and later failed to see where his wingman was positioned behind him, according to Aviation Week. “Green glow from the helmet, combined with low tanker lighting and hazy clouds, obscured the view of the other F-35A attempting to refuel and the tanker itself,” the investigation reported. “The illumination from the helmet was so bright that the pilot needed to tilt his head and look below the display to try and see his environment,” the report said. The pilot felt back to normal after about 30 seconds. But he remained on auto-pilot for several minutes as he banked away. The green glow incident was similar to the experience of navy and Marine Corps pilots trying to land on an aircraft carrier at night. The green glow from the helmet’s video stream obscured the ship’s flight deck. Many pilots have reported feelings of “spatial disorientation”. The air force investigators urged adjustments to the helmet including dimming the green lighting. The navy and Marine Corps have gone a step further by ordering an updating of the helmet. A new version is expected in 2023.