Rocket Racing League and Elbit Systems Ltd. Introduce TargoRacer Competition-Class Aviator’s Helmet-Mounted Display to Fly Raceway-In-The-Sky
Rocket Racing League(R) (RRL(R)), a sports and gaming franchise based on competitions of piloted rocket-powered aircraft, and Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq:ESLT – News) (Elbit Systems), an international leader in helmet-mounted displays, this week announced the successful completion of the first flight campaign of the Targo(TM)Racer, a revolutionary aviator’s helmet-mounted display with advanced avionics that will enable RRL pilots to competitively fly RRL’s 3D Raceway-In-The-Sky(TM) (RITS(TM)).
Based on a collaborative partnership between Elbit Systems and RRL, with support from RRL avionics partner, the University Research Foundation (URF) Maryland Advanced Development Laboratory (MADL), Targo(TM)Racer helmet display was developed to enable RRL pilots to receive mission and race critical flight information directly onto their helmet visor within their natural line-of-sight therefore increasing safety and performance. The Targo(TM)Racer helmet display delivers raceway geometry, altitude, speed, gravitational pull and other parameters directly in front of the aviator’s eyes on a crisp off-the-visor display that adjusts in real time.
RRL will debut the Targo(TM)Racer helmet display in flight exhibitions and dynamic ground displays on April 24, 2010 at the QuikTrip Air & Rocket Racing Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma (www.tulsaairshow.com).
“With more than 2500 pounds of thrust, RRL pilots go from zero to full throttle in a fraction of a second and wheels-up in 4 seconds – think NASCAR or Formula One racing in the sky,” explains RRL co-founder Peter Diamandis. “The Targo(TM)Racer’s state of the art capabilities give our pilots, which are some of the most skilled in the world, the advanced avionics they need to deliver the most dramatic performance for our fans and sponsors.”
The Targo(TM)Racer helmet display leverages Elbit Systems’ highly successful Targo family of helmet-mounted display and tracking capability. Within the Rocket Racing League’s Cockpit-Based Augmented Reality System, the Targo Racer helmet display provides the final building block to support safe competitive racing through the Raceway-In-The-Sky.
“X-Racer vehicles provide a high profile platform to demonstrate our unique Helmet Mounted Avionics (HMA) technology in an environment where pilots are navigating their way through a virtual raceway-in-the-sky in head-to-head competitions,” said Yoram Shmuely, Executive Vice President and Co-General Manager of Elbit Systems’ Aerospace Division. “We are collaboratively pushing the envelope in aerospace and avionics technology.”
From a spectator perspective, fans can expect to see the racing action live and in real time on large projection screens, or remotely, via TV or PC, fed by the Ground and Air Based Augmented Reality Systems and dynamic imagery streams from the Targo Racer and Cockpit-Based Augmented Reality Systems. Additional remote and rocket-mounted cameras give fans the further sensation of riding right alongside famed RRL pilots.
About the Rocket Racing League (RRL) (www.rocketracing.com)
Rocket Racing League (RRL) is a revolutionary new sports and entertainment franchise where a diverse cadre of highly trained military and test pilots such as former “Top Gun” graduates from the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School fly rocket-powered aircraft through a 3D virtual Raceway-In-The-Sky (RITS). To be held at venues across the country, Rocket Racing will feature multiple rocket races, from closed circuit to drag-style racing, pitting 2 to 10 Rocket Racer aircraft roaring head to head for victory. The closed circuit format is planned to be a 4-lap multiple elimination heat on a 5-mile Formula One style raceway in the Sky. The drag style race will feature two Rocket Racers in drag-style side-by-side format. Exhibitions flights and demonstrations are planned to continue into 2010-2011, as the formal competitive league takes to the skies.
About Elbit Systems:
Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (“C4ISR”), unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”), advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, airborne warning systems, ELINT systems, data links and military communications systems and radios. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support services. For additional information, visit: www.elbitsystems.com.
Photos can be accessed at: www.xracing.com
