A HELMET mounted display system developed for airline pilots by BAE Systems has won a Queen's Award for enterprise and innovation. And chief engineer David Battle said he was delighted.

"We are very pleased we have won the award. We have been working on helmet technology since 1978 - it's good to see the hard work result in recognition for the team."

The helmet mounted display projects information about the flight and mission on to the visor of the pilot's helmet, allowing the pilot to focus on the outside world without having to look at the cockpit instrumentation.

The system tracks the pilot's head position so the information displayed is relevant to wherever the pilot is looking. This reduces the pilot's workload and is important during take off, enemy engagement and landing.

Sue Wood, managing director of the avionic systems division said: "Helmet mounted displays have been designed, developed and manufactured by the company's divisions at both our Edinburgh and Rochester sites over a period of 25 years. Extensive development work and a high degree of innovation have enabled us to achieve this success."

The helmets were first developed in the late 1970s but the real progress was started in the late 1980s in collaboration with the RAF and the Defence Evaluation Research Agency, now called QinetiQ.