The cockpit of a fighter
Some American media still continue to present the 5th-generation F-35 strike fighter as the embodiment of the most advanced technologies that guarantee it victories over any enemy – which, however, is increasingly in doubt.
Another confirmation of this was an interview with an anonymous F-35 pilot to the well-known aviation magazine Hush-Kit, in which he shared his thoughts about the problems in the cockpit interface. At first glance, it looks very impressive – it has a lot of screens, where a large amount of information is displayed. The F-35 is the first fighter with a touch interface. Just a light touch on the screen and the pilot gets access to the data necessary to complete the mission – for example, the availability of fuel reserves or the initial data for launching a missile strike on a ground target.
The cockpit of a fighter
At first glance, this makes it easier for the pilot to work, freeing him from manipulating the huge number of switches and dials that fill the cabins of previous generations of fighter jets. A serious disadvantage of touch screens, according to the source, is the lack of haptic feedback. A working switch always "responds" with a clear click and the pilot understands what he has done. Quite a different picture with touch screens. According to the pilot, about 20 % of the screen does not respond to touch-and it is difficult to catch. In addition, sometimes you have to touch the screen at a time when the plane gets into turbulence, and the pilot himself is experiencing serious overload, which is why his fingers do not fall into the right part of the screen. Another serious problem is the inability to rest your hand on any part while typing.
The cockpit of a fighter
Next on the list is a $ 400,000" magic pilot helmet " that replaces HUD displays and touch displays. The Hush-Kit source believes that previously developed helmets do a better job of displaying information. Another complaint about voice input, which the pilot considers useless: if it works properly in the conditions of a ground simulator, then it crashes when overloaded. "I haven't met anyone who uses it at all," he says.
