The 74th Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., recently became the first A-10C unit to field the Helmet Mounted Cueing System, announced base officials. “It will be a great advantage for the pilots,” said Scott Smither, HMCS technical specialist, in Moody’s March 15 release. The system, manufactured by Gentex Visionix of Carbondale, Pa., is a full-color, day/night helmet display system that includes optical motion tracking and integrates with older flight helmets, states the release. “Pilots will be able to go up in the air to perform the mission more efficiently and effectively than we do now,” said A1C Sean Crowell, an aircrew flight equipment technician with Moody’s 23rd Operations Support Squadron. Some Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command F-16 units also are equipped with HMCS. (Moody report by SrA. Eileen Meier) (See also Next Up For A-10s, Helmet-Mounted Cueing.)
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.