An evaluation of the situational awareness display format in the F/A-18 aircraft

This thesis evaluates the design, functionality and information display of the combined Situational Awareness format in the F/A-18 aircraft The combined Situational Awareness format fuses information and avionics controls from three existing display formats into a single display format The design is driven by the advent of improved data link capabilities and a new comprehensive electronic warfare system The combined Situational Awareness format is currently undergoing flight test and evaluation as part of the 15C/18EI System Configuration Sets for the F/A-18

Aircrew surveys of situational awareness following simulator sessions with and without the combined Situational Awareness display constitute the majority of test data for the thesis The thesis evaluates specifically the tactical utility of the push button controls and display presentations taken from the Horizontal Situation Indicator, Situational Awareness and Electronic Warfare formats

The combined Situational Awareness format is enhancing to the overall situational awareness of F/A-18 aircrew The fusion of information from several sources into a single format reduces aircrew workload by providing one format for the majority of tactical information Despite the enhancing nature of the combined Situational Awareness display, several deficiencies still exist These are addressed in the conclusions and recommendations section