Thales has sold 80 Scorpion helmet-mounted cueing systems (HMCS) to the Spanish air force for use by pilots flying EF-18 Hornets. The sale is the first reported by the company in Europe for equipping combat jets, since Thales acquired the Scorpion system from U.S.-based Gentex in 2012. It already equips multiple U.S. platforms including A-10s and F-16s, and was selected as standard equipment by Airbus Helicopters in 2014.
Thales will be responsible for most of the integration effort, including ejection safety analysis. The qualification phase will last into 2017 and include the display to the pilot of sensor information from the EF-18’s Litening imaging and targeting pod, and the enabling of off-boresight target acquisition and cueing for the jet’s Iris-T air-air missiles.
Thales claims that the Scorpion is the first helmet-mounted display to offer full color symbology and video imaging for both daytime and nighttime. The system is fully interchangeable between pilots and their helmets. It uses a patented hybrid optical-based inertial tracking system that provides high precision with minimal cockpit intrusion, according to the company.