F-35 helmets face tough tests

When the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets become operational, the pilots will be able to look into the bubble-shaped visors on their helmets and see through the plane, so to speak, thanks to cameras on the aircraft that will give them a 360-degree view.

But for now, as the military and the manufacturers continue to fine-tune the system, the view is somewhat jittery and latent, relative to the super­sonic speeds at which these new workhorse jets fly.

And night vision sometimes is a tad blurry, according to Joe Della­Vedova, spokesman for the Joint Strike Fighter program.

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