Polish FA-50 fighters to be equipped with Thales Scorpion HMD
The Polish Armaments Agency signed two procurement contracts for 48 FA-50 advanced trainers/light fighters with KAI in 2022. (Photo: ROKAF)
Thales Scorpion Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) will augment FA-50 pilots’ vision in real time through hybrid inertial optical tracking.
Thales has been awarded a contract by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to equip FA-50 fighters destined for Poland with its Scorpion Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) solution.
Under the terms of the contract, Thales will adapt, integrate and qualify the Scorpion onto KAI’s FA-50 Fighting Eagle, as well as install production systems to support the Republic of Korea’s FA-50 contract with Poland.
The Polish Armaments Agency signed two procurement contracts for 48 FA-50 advanced trainers/light fighters with KAI in 2022. The first US$705 million contract covered a dozen FA-50 Block 10 aircraft featuring the same configuration as used by the Republic of Korea Air Force.
The Scorpion has been designed to enhance the pilot's situational awareness, with Thales noting that its includes HMD features with full-colour symbology, zero-perceived latency and a single display module.
The FA-50 Fighting Eagle, a light multirole fighter, was originally developed to replace South Korea’s F-5 fighters. It currently has six foreign customers, including Poland, and has been designed with a digital cockpit, digital flight control system and range of precision-guided weapons.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Poland confirms US$3.8 billion F-16V upgrade]()
Poland confirms US$3.8 billion F-16V upgrade
The Mid-Life Upgrade agreement comes as Poland makes significant increases in its defence spend as its plans to increase it to 5% of GDP by 2026.
-
![How unconventional warfare demands are changing the CUAS and drone development landscape]()
How unconventional warfare demands are changing the CUAS and drone development landscape
The use of drones in unconventional ways is accelerating technological advances and countermeasures as military planners try to stay ahead of the drone revolution in military affairs.
-
![Applied Intuition takes aim at major air combat programmes with UK expansion]()
Applied Intuition takes aim at major air combat programmes with UK expansion
The autonomous software company’s new UK subsidiary is the latest in a line of businesses poised to expand and offer its services to the UK Ministry of Defence and industry, as the country invests more in AI and autonomous technology to deliver the next generation of uncrewed systems.
