TopOwl Helmet System in Airbus A400M Trials

Airbus A400M TopOwl Trials

photo P. Gillis GAMSTAT

17/07/2012 by Paul Fiddian - Armed Forces International's Lead Reporter

Previously used by combat helicopter pilots, Thales' TopOwl helmet system will now be used in flight tests involving the Airbus A400M military airlifter.

These tests are set to confirm that the TopOwl can be used on Airbus A400M night flights and they'll be carried out between now and April 2013.

To date, over 400 TopOwl systems have been supplied, with 1,500 more on order for the militaries of 15 nations. Its deployed combat history includes Afghanistan and Libya and, according to Thales, the TopOwl HMSD (Helmet-Mounted Sight and Display) is the only present-day system of its kind that's night-vision capable.

Comparable to the most modern night vision goggles in function, it supplies users with a higher comfort level, facilitating long-endurance and 100 per cent safe flights.

TopOwl HMSD System

Thales makes the point that, should the TopOwl HMSD system fail, the pilots wearing it can still see straight ahead regardless - an important flight safety feature.

"The equipment meets all the demands of latest-generation transport aircraft cockpits and ensures that the symbology and Enhanced Vision System imagery projected on the Head Up Display are compatible with the intensified night vision imagery", Thales explains, in a statement.

Airbus A400M TopOwl Trials

The Airbus A400M TopOwl HMSD flight trials have been given the go-ahead by OCCAR - the Organisation for Joint Armaments Cooperation. Established in 1996, this is a multi-national organisation charged with helping set-up and maintain pan-European armament programmes.

The Airbus A400M development programme is one of seven under its management: others include the Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter, the Cobra radar and the Boxer multirole armoured vehicle.

The Airbus A400M made its first flight in December 2009 and, to date, 174 examples have been ordered for the Royal Air Force and the air forces of Spain, Germany and France. It has a top speed of 485 miles per hour, a maximum operational ceiling of over 37,000 feet and a maximum range of 5,412 miles.