Technologies ease burden on pilots, maintainers.

• Author: Jean, Grace V.
• Position: Tactical Aviation

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The F-35 Lighting II is being equipped with some of the latest technologies that will automate the duties of both pilots and maintenance crews.

Pilots will interface with the F-35 Lighting II using a touch-screen display. The multi-function display system can present 16 different functions on the 8x20-inch glass display, including up to six different full motion images, all configurable according to the pilot's preferences. When the pilot touches the screen, a red "x" appears. He can drag that icon to various menus and release his finger to make his choice.

Behind the displays, sophisticated algorithms will help make the pilot's job much simpler. For example, if the plane detects a hostile aircraft in its vicinity, the mission systems will interrogate that aircraft, figure out what kind of aircraft it is and determine whether it's in range or not. Once those parameters have been computed, the plane displays the enemy aircraft on the screen and gives the...