US Air Force F-16 jets to get 3D audio system for faster, clearer pilot alerts

The US Air Force has awarded Danish defense company Terma a $9 million contract to supply its 3D audio system for F-16 fighter aircraft.

Over the next two years, the Air Combat Command will upgrade its fleet of F-16s with Terma’s innovative and mission-critical equipment.

“With this award, the 3D-Audio program continues to be a significant cornerstone of our offerings to meet the demand for best-in-class audio systems from the global community,” said Rob Strasser, Vice President of Terma Self-Protection Systems.

3D audio system

Terma’s 3D-Audio system, compatible with all aircraft types, provides high-fidelity digital audio signals by spatially separating radio signals, aligning audio with threat directions, and integrating active noise reduction. 

This advanced technology eliminates the “crowded-room” effect, allowing pilots to respond quickly and accurately during missions.

The 3D Audio and Radio Separation functions offer pilots the only end-to-end solution for optimizing the overall sound field in aircrew helmets. 

Pilots are presented with various sound inputs, including ground-control radio calls and warning signals. 

3D separation allows the audio input to be separated into different areas of a pilot’s sound field, making the overall audio experience more natural and less stressful.

By implementing the 3D audio and Radio Separation functions, the aircrew can distinguish important calls or warning signals from non-important ones. 

This leaves room for what matters—focusing on performing mission-critical actions. 

Pilots can make better decisions in critical situations by using audio cues in their headsets and visual cues on the display.

Faster, clearer pilot alerts

The 3D audio system allows the pilots to identify missile warning system threats, radar warning receiver threats, laser warner system threats, and threats from small arms detection systems.

The headset enables the listener to perceive and understand the sounds surrounding the pilot. 

Headtracking intelligently positions an audio source relative to the listener’s head, creating a real-time audio simulation of the audio environment. 

This is also known as a dynamic audio source, and it can be a life-saving functionality when pilots face threats from RPGs or radar-guided/heat-seeking missiles.

The benefit of switching to a 3D-Audio separation function is ultimately faster and better decisions. 

The pilots quickly become aware of the details in mission-critical situations, which makes their response time 1.5 seconds faster than the enemy’s.

It is difficult for pilots to distinguish between different audio inputs coming in simultaneously. 

The 3D Audio feature allows pilots to separate the different sounds, choose which ones to listen to and focus their attention on. 

This enables more focused attention and allows pilots to handle more sources. 

Pilots can choose which sound inputs to focus their attention on, interpreting more audio information overall.

Being exposed to audio from several different sources simultaneously creates a stressful and difficult work environment. 

If the sound is placed in different positions in the sound field, it becomes easier for the pilot to discern where the audio is coming from and the relative importance of the call. 

The combination of the visual cues from the cockpit display and 3D audio backing enables the crew to take action with greater accuracy and speed based on all available information.