CSIO Advances Indigenous Smart HUD Technology for India's AMCA Stealth Fighter
The Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), a top-tier lab within the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has embarked on creating a waveguide-based smart Head-Up Display (HUD) tailored for India's forthcoming fifth-generation stealth fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
This initiative signifies CSIO's entry into the advanced field of waveguide optical technology, a cutting-edge area being developed by defense innovators globally, including in Israel and the United Kingdom. Waveguide technology facilitates the transmission of electromagnetic waves, such as light and radio waves, along controlled paths with minimal energy depletion, thereby improving precision and efficiency.
Lightweight, Energy-Efficient, and Stealth-Optimised
The advanced smart HUD aims to replace traditional cathode ray tube-based systems with a fully digital display, which is 30% lighter and 50% more energy-efficient. By using transparent glass plates instead of bulky lenses, the new HUD will offer a slimmer profile, reducing radar and visual detectability, thus making it ideal for stealth aircraft use.
Ashish Gaurav, Senior Principal Scientist at CSIO, stated that a pre-prototype demonstration has been shown to the Indian Air Force, with project completion and integration trials anticipated in the next two years.
Enhancing Pilot Situational Awareness
The smart HUD is engineered to project essential flight and combat information, such as altitude, airspeed, weapon status, and angle of attack, directly into the pilot's field of view, ensuring consistent situational awareness during high-speed maneuvers.
There are plans to develop the system as a future replacement for current HUDs used in aircraft like the Tejas, Sukhoi-30MKI, Jaguar, and Hawk AJT. The present generation of HUDs, also developed by CSIO, are produced by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the Indian Air Force and Navy.
Boost to Indigenous Avionics and Defence Technology
CSIO’s waveguide HUD project highlights India’s focus on achieving self-reliance in defense avionics, in line with the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. The research is being advanced in collaboration with DRDO, CSIR laboratories, IITs, and private industry partners.
With the domestic waveguide technology market in India valued at approximately USD 200 million, predominantly driven by aerospace and defense sectors, the indigenous smart HUD initiative represents a significant step towards developing a future-ready optical and avionics setup for the country's air combat platforms.
