The effect of Tactical Situation Display on attack helicopter pilot´s workload

The attack helicopter performs numerous tasks, such as anti-armor operation, close air support, search and destroy, and reconnaissance. As 71% of aviation accidents are human-caused, high workload and stress level of pilots greatly affect their performance level. Additionally, pilots that are responsible for attack helicopters have to work under enemy threats, which increase their stress levels. In order to decrease their workload, we installed a TSD (Tactical Situation Display) in our helicopter simulator. Then, we analysed the results to find out if the TSD affects the work efficiency and mental pressure of the pilots. We analysed the task performance time and the pilot workload using the NASA-TLX with the paired sample method. The test indicates that the additional information provided by the TSD can help reduce the pilot workload.