Air Force F-22 pilot helmet
An F-22A Raptor pilot in the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on March 24.
  • US Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base are now testing a new type of flight helmet.
  • F-22 Raptor pilots there are flying with the new lighter, cooler, and more readily equipped helmet.
  • Support, bomber, and some fighter pilots will eventually use the Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet.

The US Air Force is finally testing a new helmet design for fixed-wing pilots, developed around pilots' needs and feedback from using the current HGU-55P helmet, which has been the standard issued helmet for the last 40 years.