In a Oct 29 , 2014 PR eMagin announced a 30 month ManTech award to produce a high brightness full color OLED micro display with the objective "to impact joint service warfighting capabilities, from fighter and rotary wing aviation platforms to ground warfare systems"
30 months would put the end of the contract at around April 2017 .
A ManTech update was published Dec 2016 . On Page 22 we find :
ManTech Enables Affordable Manufacture of Full Color High Brightness OLED Microdisplays
Some highlights :
- affordable
- full color
- on-shore foundry for advanced backplane
- Apache vision system upgrade tech demo (FY16)
- F-35 visor (FY16)
- direct patterning OLED deposition tool - dead eMagin giveaway
From Feb 2016 - a Budget Justification Document. Page 6 we find this :
Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Microdisplays - Phase II (FY 2016-2017): Establish manufacturing capability for producing an ultra-high resolution, high brightness, high contrast, full color microdisplay at a low unit cost. Mature and combine manufacturing processes: Silicon on Insulator (SOI) and Direct Patterning technologies to enable a 5X improvement in yield and 5X longer lifetime of displays, reducing life cycle costs. $$221.7M savings for aviation and Enhanced Visual Acuity (EVA) goggles (27,700 displays between 2017-2032) x $8K/unit savings). Applications include F-35 Heads-up Helmet Mounted Display System, Apache, EVA, F-18, F-15, F-16, affordable color/monochrome displays with high brightness and high contrast to enable Warfighter to fully use sensors and cuing/augmented reality hardware.
Some highlights :
- affordable - $8K/unit savings
- high brightness
- high contrast
- full color
- Direct Patterning technologies - again only eMagin tech possible
- F-35 Heads-up Helmet Mounted Display System
- Apache
- F-15
The F-15 was demoed with the Rockwell Collins ESA Vision Systems (Elbit) new DJHMCS in 2015 :
"now with organic light emitting diodes"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBqAbbFJph0
The Elbit DJHMCS :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXrpPjY7DI4
In an April 2017 PR eMagin won a "sole supplier" contract for a major helicopter upgrade . Highly likely to be for the Apache given the Apache mention in development literature and the timing of Apache HMD upgrade announcement :
eMagin’s High Brightness OLED Microdisplays Selected for Aviation Upgrade Program
"today announced that it has been selected as a sole source provider of OLED microdisplays for a major US Army helicopter helmet upgrade. "
"will commence in 2018 and continue for several years to complete retrofits for over 1000 airframes"
The Path-Breaking Apache Helicopter Helmet Is Getting A Major Upgrade
Current LCOS and LCD display technologies are inferior to OLED due to the persistent "green glow " problem inherent in these type of displays . The backlight of LCOS & LCD always has a measure of light on even when pixels are off causing contrast problems in low light situations resulting in "green glow" . This problem could prove to be catastrophic when landing on carriers . OLED does not have this problem because when pixels are off there is no light continuing to shine in the non pixel areas .
"green glow" is well documented problem with the F-35 HMD and a google search of F-35 green glow will yield plenty of reading material :
While the F-35 program had continued to work on a "green glow" solution (for years) they ran up against a hard deadline for nighttime carrier qualifications - and FAILED .
This summer the F-35 test pilot flight on a carrier night landing (with the current display) "nearly caused disaster" :
"but a display malfunction nearly caused disaster during one of the nighttime shipboard landing tests. Fields makes it clear: "We got real lucky that night." "
With this, the move to replace AMLCD with OLED in the F-35 , that was already in the works , was accelerated .
This exchange between Analyst Kevin Dede and eMagin CEO Andrew Sculley makes clear who's OLED micros display is being tested in the F-35 - "Our displays are the ones.":
Kevin Dede
Okay. Andrew, you mentioned green glow and both Fixed Wing and helicopter, helmet. I know that there was an issue with I think a helmet that Rockwell Collins is making for the F-35 and I was just kind of curious what you think the situation might be there?
Andrew Sculley
I think certainly the Navy realizes this is a problem they try to do and fix, but it's not working. So OLED is the next step and we are working on this with more of the Fixed Wing Aircraft with that company. Our displays are the ones.
Kevin Dede
Okay.
Jeffrey Lucas
And just to add to this a little bit, Kevin. This has been a major issue for some time now. They've been a lot of research and exploratory work. We've been actually closely involved with that and they got a point now where this is going to be addressed going forward.
Updates in Sept. 2017 show the OLED solution being tested & implemented :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSIzWFxznvM&feature=youtu.be&t=321
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApgPWpx0Msw&feature=youtu.be&t=375
This most current video speaks to implementing eMagin OLED in the F-35. Published on Sep 21, 2017:
"distributing probably within the next year"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07a_iM13YN4
The last Kopin Military Aviation contracts PR'd were on 06/01/2015 for the US Navy’s MH-60 helicopters :
and before that on 04/27/2015 for a $1.8m 15 month F-35 contract for LRIP 7 & 8 .
I believe that do to the F-35 delays, Kopin is currently still trying to complete this 2015 F-35 contract and that the next contract for the F-35 will be for the upgraded eMagin OLED tech assuming production capability is ready . Note that since these programs are low volume (high display cost) , quantities should not be an issue. However , it is uncertain what if any additional tooling might be necessary and when it would be implemented .
It's clear the Military has been grooming eMagin OLED to replace current display technology in Military Aviation . eMagin is the only OLED micro display company company to fit the requirements : Low cost ($8K/savings per unit) , on-shore backplane foundry ( Chinese & S Korea need not apply) , high brightness , high contrast & full color to name a few - AND NO GREEN GLOW ISSUES .
Over the next year we should see accelerated implementation as the more advanced eMagin OLED technology replaces the old .
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