“What Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man sees, symbols overlaid on the real world, giving him all sorts of information in colour while he’s flying around at speed, that’s the kind of thing that Striker II does”

When a fighter pilot is flying a high-speed jet, every second counts. In futuristic TV and movies we’ve got used to seeing pilots reading displays right in front of their eyes, think Iron Man and Top Gun. Well real life is catching up with the revolutionary Striker II Digital Helmet-Mounted Display made by BAE Systems.

BAE Systems is one the world’s leading aerospace innovators but their history goes back a long way at their site in Rochester, England. Once a plant that built aircraft during WW2, it’s now the birthplace of augmented reality in aviation, shaping the future of both military and commercial aviation.

Nigel Kidd, has worked on the groundbreaking technology that powers Striker II since its inception,  Alongside him Paul Harrison, manages the flight simulation facility at Rochester, where they simulate various flight scenarios, from fast jets to commercial aircraft.

They explain how Striker II integrates advanced technologies to reduce pilot stress and enhance safety, including a digital night vision that replaces bulky goggles and a potential 3D Audio system for spatial sound recognition.

Find out more about BAE System and Striker II here.

Find out more about Creo here.

Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC.

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This is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Ollie Guillou. Location recording by Hannah Dean. Music by Rowan Bishop.