hornetfinn wrote:Yes, it's a very expensive for a helmet but actually not that expensive compared to a modern HUD. Especially when taking into account the cost of regular helmet mounted sight and NVGs.
I'm not sure that a (1 helmet) vs (1 HUD) cost comparison is accurate. Let's say that the taxpayer purchases 1000 F-35s, each with one HUD. The aircraft is flown for 30 years. The cost for the 1000 HUDs is a one-time expenditure for 30 years.
Normal USAF fighter manning is 1.5 pilots per jet, which equals 1500 helmets for 1000 jets. However, an average pilot will not fly an F-35 for 30 years. There will be staff tours, ALO assignments, UPT assignments, PME schools, etc. Many pilots will leave the service after their initial commitment ends. Let's say that the average F-35 pilot flies the aircraft for 5 years. During the 30 year life of the jet, there will be 6 rotations of 5-year pilots. Thus we have 1500 pilots rotating through the jet 6 times, for a total of 9000 pilots, each with their individual custom helmet.
A more correct cost comparison would be (1000 HUDS) vs (9000 helmets).
(I realize that there are different capabilities and limitations of HUDs and helmets. I'm merely arguing the cost analysis.)