German F-16CJ receives HMCS

Spangdahlem F-16 fighter squadrons get new helmet targeting system

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany — Spangdahlem’s fighter pilots are finding out that looks really can kill.

The base’s two F-16CJ fighter squadrons are among the first F-16 units in the Air Force to get a new helmet system that allows them to simply glance at an enemy target and lock onto it before firing.

No more turning the entire jet before the targeting system can lock on to the bad guy.

The Helmet Mounted Cueing System, which costs nearly $100,000 per unit, display flight information on the inside of helmet visors, keeping the data in sight at all times. It also allows aiming or deploying sensors and air-to-air or air-to-ground weapons with little more effort than looking at a target and pressing a switch, according to a Web site on the helmet by its manufacturer, Boeing.