{"id":36308,"date":"2018-07-20T13:44:55","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T13:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/20\/why-bae-systems-doesnt-want-a-real-cockpit-in-its-tempest\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:58:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:58:19","slug":"why-bae-systems-doesnt-want-a-real-cockpit-in-its-tempest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/digital-show-dailies\/farnborough\/2018\/07\/20\/why-bae-systems-doesnt-want-a-real-cockpit-in-its-tempest\/","title":{"rendered":"Why BAE Systems doesn\u2019t want a real cockpit in its Tempest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The big news of Farnborough 2018 was the unveiling of the British Tempest fighter concept.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

FARNBOROUGH, England \u2014 BAE System\u2019 surprise presentation of a full-scale model for its Tempest fighter concept<\/a> caught the Farnborough International Airshow by storm<\/a>, but one feature of the design especially stood out \u2014 the cockpit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not normally the part of a plane on which people would focus, but there is something very different about Tempest\u2019s design in that regard. When visitors looked at the dashboard, they saw none of the usual gauges and dials. Instead, a totally blank, black screen looked back at them \u2014 until they put on a helmet and the heads-up display appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BAE is gambling that its concept for a virtual cockpit, which can be changed for pilot preference and upgraded easily to reflect new capabilities, will pay dividends for Tempest. And according to Nick Colosimo, principal technologist for disruptive tech at BAE, such virtual cockpits are the way of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is, in my opinion, probably the best augmented reality technology anywhere in the world,\u201d Colosimo told reporters at the show on July 18, before listing what he sees as the benefits of such an approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here for more from the 2018 Farnborough Airshow.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the system is lighter than a traditional cockpit control suite, which let designers shave weight off the design, an ongoing challenge when building something meant to fly. But secondly, and more importantly, the system allows for modular capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne certainty about the future operational environment is a degree of uncertainty, and therefore we must have systems that are flexible and upgradable,\u201d Colosimo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that having systems that you can change through, maybe software change, or customize the position for the displays and controls when you add new weapons, add new sensors to the platform, that should reduce time and ensure that industry is much more agile and can respond to customer changes as the operational environment demands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also noted the human impact, with each pilot able to customize the layout to what fits him or her best \u2014 something Colosimo called \u201cthis great potential to improve human performance through a combination of what I might describe as unlimited display and control surface that is also intuitive as well. Easy to use, easy to operate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t