Helmet electronic units maintained at Robins Published Feb. 22, 2013 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- As pilots sit inside a fighter aircraft, an electronic display situated inside their visors provides a visual representation that allows their eyes to remain focused on the task at hand. As their heads turn, critical information such as bearing, line of sight and altitude are easily accessible. The technology that allows that to happen is the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, a workload that is relatively new to the 567th Electronics Maintenance Squadron here. Through a partnership with Vision Systems International in Fort Worth, Texas, maintenance of these units has been conducted here for more than two years. "While we repair all sorts of common avionics equipment, this is a unique workload," said Dennis Glover, 567th EMXS Comm/Nav Flight director. The electronic units hooked inside the helmets are used by Air Force and Navy pilots flying F-15s, F-16s and F/A-18s in missions across the globe. Robins also performs work on heads-up displays, which are the displays pilots see in front of them while sitting in the cockpit. While work on the helmet is not performed here, the testing of the electronic unit itself allowing pilots to see information inside the helmet is rigorously tested to ensure it's running as it should so the warfighter can continue the mission. Whether shaken, cooled or heated in extreme temperatures inside a thermal chamber on site, each EU is tested in several phases to test its integrity. Every EU contains circuit cards which only allow terrain to be recorded during missions, and there are cables and microscopic connections to plugs, filters and other equipment to ensure everything is in working order. One of four on a team who works on the EU, Steve Raffield's job involves meticulous attention to detail. In particular is the precision required to solder or melt wire onto each unit as chips are replaced - a process that can take up to two hours. "This particular process makes all your connections to the rest of the components on the board, and keeps chips from moving," said Raffield, an integrated electronics systems mechanic. Once completed, the card moves down a row of work stations - one being a tester that analyzes tiny microscopic points on each card. A software program performs its checks to make sure everything is running smoothly. Finally, a thermal chamber, used to simulate below freezing and temperatures up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit while in theater, holds EUs during a 12-hour cycle to ensure there are no failures. The future will continue to hold opportunities as technology improves. "This new workload has been great for us," Glover said. "Working new technologies like the ball grid array found on these units allows us to expand our capabilities and better support our customers. And that's what it's all about - keeping the warfighter, both old and new, fighting the fight."