DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR A COUNTERAIR SITUATION AWARENESS DISPLAY FOR ARMY AVIATION

An air combat display concept is proposed for Army aviation helicopter cockpits. The effects of the choice of the display size, the display symbol size, and the area of coverage as a counterair situation awareness display are discussed. The display shows the tracks of aircraft about the host helicopter on a Planar Position Indicator (PPI) graph via the open broadcast radio net of the division-wide air defense radar coverage. The display is used to alert the aircrew to the presence of aircraft in the area and cue to the location of enemy threats for the counterair role. It is concluded that with the relatively small display sizes used in helicopters, an accurate determination of the position of enemy threats during air-to-air combat cannot be made by an aviator from the PPI alone. It must be Interactive allowing access to detailed information about a track of interest to be useful.