1 week Ago By AV Magazine
Danish aerospace company Terma has secured a $9m contract to supply its 3D-Audio system to the US Air Force’s F-16 fighter aircraft. Over the next two years, the air force’s Air Combat Command division will upgrade its fleet of F-16s with Terma’s spatial audio technology. The 3D-Audio system provides high-fidelity digital audio signals by spatially separating radio signals, aligning audio with threat directions and integrating active noise reduction.
It is designed to eliminate the ‘crowded-room’ effect, allowing pilots to respond quickly and accurately during missions. As spatial audio helps separate voices or channels by placing them in different 'virtual' locations around a pilot’s head, it is easier to distinguish between sources such as wingmen and the control tower. Data from Terma shows that pilots respond 1.
5 seconds faster to audio cues with the 3D system than to visual alerts alone. Prioritising crucial sounds The in-helmet system prioritises crucial sounds such as missile alerts and air traffic control instructions, while dampening secondary noises such as engine noise and interference. Spatial audio technology is being increasingly used in fighter jets, as the audio cues provided can help pilots quickly pinpoint the direction of threats or navigational signals.
The 3D technology leverages binaural audio cues – such as direction, distance and movement – that simulate real-life sound positioning to help pilots focus on key information without distraction. Traditional audio cues are limited to simple warnings or beeps, but 3D audio can give the pilot a sense of direction for threats, such as missile warnings or enemy aircraft locations, without looking at the instruments. Terma outfitted the US Air Force's A-10C Thunderbolt II ground-attack jets with its 3D-Audio and active noise reduction system in 2019.
Rob Strasser, vice-president of Terma Self-Protection Systems, said: “With this award, the 3D-Audio programme continues to be a significant cornerstone of our offerings, to meet the demand for best-in-class audio systems from the global community." .
