A company in Israel has been chosen to produce high-tech helmets for U.S. F-35 stealth fighter helmets.
In a statement written by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on Sunday, Yaalon said the Pentagon and F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin had chosen Elbit Systems to join up with U.S. partner Rockwell Collins and make helmets for the Joint Strike Fighter, a fighter jet that will comprise most of the next generation of American air power, the Agence France Presse reported.
"I congratulate Elbit Systems on becoming a partner in this global flagship project to produce the world's most advanced warplane," Yaalon stated. "The choice of Elbit Systems to produce the pilots' helmets is a vote of confidence in Israel's defense industries and their people."
The state-owned Israel Military Industries is also a member of the F-35 project - IMI will produce the parts for the warplane.
"The new helmet, which is to be manufactured in the United States, is capable of putting flight data as well as data about weapons systems and intelligence before the pilots eyes," Israeli news site Yediot Aharanot posted.
The helmets will be distributed with every F-35 bought worldwide, beginning 2016.
"The helmet allows the pilot to see images from the cameras on the plane, including on its nose," the daily wrote. "This allows the pilot to 'see through' the front of the plane and is very helpful in dogfights and in bombing targets on the ground."
Lockheed Martin, a global aerospace, defense and security company, posted on its website that this merger brings stakes even higher around the world.
"With the Israel Air Force planning to decommission its fleet of ageing F-15s and F-16s, the F-35 will continue to ensure the country's global competitiveness," Lockheed Martin wrote.
According to Fox Business, Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed recently struck up a deal with the U.S. Army to provide communications equipment and services. The company will make about $4 billion from this deal.
