In another past piece of ours, we featured a clip from the F-35's HMD showing a nighttime vertical landing aboard an American Amphibious Assault Ship. You can see the virtual HUD and how it snaps into place digitally when the pilot looks forward. There were remaining issues with the helmet-mounted display during these delicate operations that are apparently sorted out or that Lockheed says it will sort out soon. The HMD as a whole has been a constant source of frustration for the program, but similar technology is now proliferating to other platforms and vehicles, just as predicted.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is going to head to sea with F-35Bs that belong to the United Kingdom, as well as a contingent of helicopters within weeks. The multi-month-long deployment will mainly take place off the coast of the United States, where USMC F-35Bs will also operate from her deck as part of a larger developmental mission.

If we are lucky, we will get more clips from the pilot's HMD perspective to garner a better understanding of its capabilities and how it interfaces with the pilot under different conditions and in different modes.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com