AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.—A team of Air Force Academy cadets has won a competition sponsored by Boeing to design a fighter jet cockpit of the future.
The Chicago-based company said this week that 15 senior Air Force cadets went up against teams from West Point and the Naval Academy in the Crew System 2035 competition.
Cadets studied what cockpit technologies might be ready by 2035 and then designed and built a full-scale mock-up.
Boeing says the Air Force cadets’ design included a canopy that can transform into a laser beam shield, voice-activated commands and grips that mold to fit the pilots’ hands.
Lt. Col. Carlene Perry was the Air Force team’s instructor. Perry says 13 of the 15 team members will be in pilot training this fall.
