$68.8M Multi-national Order for JHMCS Fighter Pilot Helmets

Boeing in St Louis, MO received a $68.8 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for Full Rate Production Lot 4 (FRP 4) Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS). At this time, total funds have been obligated. Work will be complete December 2009. The Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH issued the contract (F33657-01-D-0026/Delivery Order 0058). The systems will be used on USAF F-15s and F-16s, MACH Brooks, the USN’s F/A-18 platforms, and foreign military sales to Poland (F/16s), Belgium (F-16s), Pakistan (F-16s), Greece (F-16s), Royal Australian Air Force (F/A-18s), Switzerland (F/A-18s), and Canada (F/A-18s).
DID has covered the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS) before, from its revolutionary effect on air combat when used with 4th generation SRAAMs like the AIM-9X Sidewinder, AA-11 Archer et. al., to the program’s rocky but ultimately successful history. JHMCS helmets are now a common request from countries who are upgrading their US-made fighters (as DID noted, Canada is the latest as part of its Phase 2 CF-18 upgrade).
Boeing has contracted for more than 2,000 JHMCS systems over the past six years. They are the prime contractor and integrator for JHMCS, which is produced by the Rockwell Collins/ Elbit joint venture Vision Systems International, LLC, based in San Jose, CA.