Next Generation Close Air Support Enhancement (NxCASE)

Heads Up Displays (HUD) are still lacking the operation capabilities to meet the needs of training and tactical operation. The available displays lack daytime brightness, are limited by a small field of view, not ruggedized, and do not meet the SWaP needs of an untethered head or helmet worn display for the Army. Creative Microsystems Corp (CMC) will identify a development path and incorporate the latest in micro display technology in conjunction with decades of experience developing systems to enhance situational awareness and producing planar and flat optical elements. The goal is to develop a system that will allow the war fighter to be fully immersed in realistic training scenarios and also transition to tactical use cases delivering real time communication and data flow to enhance situational awareness. Combining the latest in micro display technology with flat optical elements incorporated into a waveguide to maximize light efficiency and minimize size weight and power (SWaP) of a HUD that can be used to address the current AR system gaps and achieved desired capabilities in all environments. In the commercial arena, mobile display technologies are expanding rapidly. This technology is driven by phone, tablet, and VR development with a desire for a similar bright, high resolution, and long battery life- but with much less at stake. The goal of this HUD development is to incorporate the latest micro display technology, lightweight and efficient optical solutions, and a flexible processing platform to bring innovation to war fighters, dismounted and mounted, and to deliver the tools to support decision making and provide information relevant to training or operational situations. CMC intends to develop a compact, low power, high performance micro display HUD to provide significant benefit in a wide range of situations and implementations.