Retrofit of flat panel color displays in the F-16A/B

Replacement of the Radar Electro-Optical (REO) Display Set, including its monochrome cathode ray tubes in the F-16A/B, with color active matrix liquid crystal displays presents many opportunities to improve the information presentation to the pilot and the pilot´s interaction with the avionics system. The author presents the process followed by Battelle under the US Air Force Material Command´s Design Engineering Program to develop the display formats and pilot-computer interface with the improved REO Display Set. While the general guideline for computer-generated images is no more than five to seven colored elements at a time, the system being designed for the F-16A/B provides many more colors for reasons of realism in future images to be displayed in combat and transport aircraft. The system provides for technology insertion and growth due to its use of an open system architecture implementation of a multiprocessing capability. While the initial software will implement the F-16A/B REO systems´ symbology, the capability is provided to generate realistic images that will aid pilots in performance of their missions