为什么美国空军飞行员的头盔每个造价高达40万美元？：英语精读讲义

Fighter pilot helmets.

战斗机飞行员头盔。

Long gone are the days when ace pilots took to the skies with just a pair of goggles and a leather helmet to protect from the cold. 講解

王牌飞行员只需戴上一副护目镜和一顶防寒皮帽就能翱翔蓝天的日子早已一去不复返。

Nowadays fighter pilots wear helmets that give them nearly god-like powers of perception from their perch high above the clouds. 習語

如今，战斗机飞行员佩戴的头盔，能让他们在云端高处的坐席上拥有近乎神一般的感知能力。

But what kind of technology is a fighter pilot's helmet packing? 表達脈絡

但战斗机飞行员的头盔里到底装了什么样的科技？

And is it really worth the $400,000 price tag revealed for the F-35's helmet? 短語搭配

F-35头盔标出40万美元的标价，它真的物有所值吗？

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Infographics Show.

大家好，欢迎收看新一期的Infographics Show。

Today we're taking a look at what's inside a fighter pilot's helmet. 短語搭配

今天我们要来看看战斗机飞行员头盔里究竟有些什么。

At a 2015 press briefing, Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark A. Welsh III remarked,

在2015年的一场新闻发布会上，空军参谋长Mark A. Welsh III上将评论道：

"The helmet is much more than a helmet.

“这顶头盔远不仅仅是一顶头盔。

The helmet is a workspace.

这顶头盔是一个工作站。

It's an interpretation of the battle space.

它是对战场空间的解读。

It's situational awareness.

它是态势感知。

Calling this thing a helmet is really,

把这东西叫做头盔真的太局限了，

we've got to come up with a new word." 短語動詞

我们得想个新词儿来称呼它。”

It's true that for a fighter pilot,

的确，对于战斗机飞行员来说，

modern helmets are indispensable to battlefield success.

现代头盔是战场取胜不可或缺的装备。

Helmets don't just protect the head from accidentally slamming into the cockpit during high-speed maneuvers.

头盔不仅仅是为了防止在高速机动时头部意外撞到驾驶舱。

Modern helmets provide a host of targeting data and sensors that help keep the pilots in complete awareness of his part of the sky. 短語搭配

现代头盔提供大量目标数据和传感器，帮助飞行员对他所在的那片天空保持全面的感知。

But what exactly are these high-tech cranium holsters really packing? 習語

但这些高科技“头盖骨套”里面到底装了什么？

An F-35 pilot's helmet gives its wearer X-ray vision, 習語

F-35飞行员的头盔赋予了佩戴者透视眼，

giving him or her access to six cameras embedded into the skin of the airplane

让他们能够连接嵌在飞机蒙皮里的六个摄像头，

at the front, rear, and below the airplane.

这些摄像头位于飞机的前方、后方和下方。

As the pilot turns their head,

当飞行员转动头部时，

the feed is stitched together instantly 短語動詞

视频画面会瞬间拼接在一起，

to allow the pilot to see straight through the aircraft below them.

让飞行员能够直接看穿脚下的飞机。

Amazing technology, we're sure,

这绝对是项令人惊叹的技术，

but probably a little nerve-wracking the first time you're using it,

但在你第一次使用时可能有些令人胆战心惊，

since you must feel like you're flying through the air in nothing at all.

因为你一定会觉得像是悬空在天上飞行一样。

Though some detractors have stated that they could get the same picture

虽然一些批评者表示他们只需倾斜飞机，

by simply banking their planes and looking at the cockpit windows, 用詞

看看驾驶舱的窗户就能获得同样的画面，

it's important to note that with a stealth aircraft, 表達脈絡

但需要注意的是，对于隐形战机，

changing your airplane's orientation versus incoming radar waves

改变飞机相对于来袭雷达波的方向

might actually create a larger return and give you away. 短語動詞

实际上可能会产生更大的雷达反射面积从而暴露自己。

Also,

此外，

the feed is overlaid with important flight path information 短語搭配

画面上还会叠加重要的航线信息，

and pops up, giving info on ground targets below or ahead.

并能弹出提示，提供下方或前方地面目标的信息。

It's sort of like flying Wonder Woman's invisible plane, 表達脈絡

这感觉有点像驾驶神奇女侠的隐形战机，

but many times deadlier.

但致命程度却要高出许多倍。

The helmet gives its wearer this ultimate X-ray vision

这款头盔通过追踪飞行员头部相对于座椅发射的磁场的位置，

by tracking the pilot's head relative to a magnetic field transmitted from the seat. 短語搭配

赋予了佩戴者这种终极透视能力。

As the pilot's head moves,

当飞行员的头部移动时，

the helmet detects a change in the field

头盔会检测到磁场的变化，

and senses new positions and orientation

并感应出新的位置和方向，

instantly updating the video feeds. 語法

瞬间更新视频画面。

While early versions of this system caused some lag, 語法

虽然该系统的早期版本会导致一些延迟，

new iterations are lag-free and pilots seem to be loving it.

但新的迭代版本已经实现了零延迟，飞行员们似乎也非常喜欢。

Helmets also provide vital targeting data to a pilot,

头盔还能为飞行员提供至关重要的瞄准数据，

whereas pilots used to rely on heads-up displays 語法

而以前飞行员只能依靠平视显示器，

that were fixed at the front of the cockpit.

那东西是固定在驾驶舱正前方的。

New helmets project that data directly onto the helmet itself,

新型头盔将这些数据直接投影到头盔本身上，

so a pilot could be looking anywhere and still have access to vital targeting data. 短語搭配

因此飞行员可以看向任何地方，依然能够获取重要的瞄准数据。

Helmets patch in forward-looking infrared cameras

头盔接入了前视红外摄像头

and infrared search and track radar,

和红外搜索与跟踪雷达，

providing info on target identity and distance.

提供目标的身份和距离信息。

And if required,

如果有需要，

even advises on which weapon currently equipped to use.

它甚至能提供关于当前应使用哪种挂载武器的建议。

This allows a pilot to track, 用詞

这使得飞行员可以追踪、

target,

瞄准，

and engage an enemy target

并攻击敌方目标，

while scanning his rear or six 文化背景

同时还能扫描后方或六点钟方向，

to make sure he or she isn't being targeted themselves.

以确保自己没有被别人瞄准。

A huge jump in capabilities from the days 短語搭配

这与当年飞行员必须死死盯住正前方

when pilots were locked staring straight ahead

才能弄清楚如何攻击敌人的时代相比，

to figure out how to engage an enemy.

能力上实现了巨大的飞跃。

Flight helmets such as the F-35's also offers night vision

像F-35所用的飞行头盔还直接在头盔本身内置了

built directly into the helmet itself,

夜视功能，

which replaces the traditional system of trying to don night vision goggles 用詞

这就取代了过去试图在驾驶飞机时

while flying a plane.

戴上夜视镜的传统系统。

By switching between regular vision, 語法

通过在普通视觉、

night vision,

夜视，

and even thermal tracking,

甚至热成像追踪之间切换，

there's nowhere to hide from an F-35 pilot. 習語

在F-35飞行员面前将无处遁形。

Modern flight helmets also offer picture-in-picture capabilities,

现代飞行头盔还提供画中画功能，

letting pilots create small pop-up windows

让飞行员可以调出小的弹出窗口，

which display in real time video feed from another fighter in range 短語搭配

里面能实时显示范围内另一架战斗机的视频画面，

or perhaps from a friendly UAV secretly loitering above an enemy. 用詞

或者可能是来自一架在敌军上空秘密盘旋的友军无人机。

With a target represented by a symbol in the fighter pilot's helmet,

如果目标在战斗机飞行员的头盔中由一个符号表示，

all they have to do is physically look at the target symbol 語法

他们所要做的就是物理上看一眼那个目标符号，

and a miniature video feed of the target will pop up for them,

目标的小微型视频画面就会为他们弹出来，

helping pilots decide whether to engage their target or not. 語法

帮助飞行员决定是否要攻击目标。

But vision is only part of what a helmet does.

但视觉只是头盔功能的一部分。

With reinforced Kevlar designs,

采用强化的凯夫拉设计，

modern flight helmets are all but bulletproof 習語

现代飞行头盔几乎是防弹的，

and help protect the pilot's head during extreme maneuvers

并能在极端机动

or emergency ejections.

或紧急弹射时帮助保护飞行员的头部。

To protect their hearing and to help them focus better, 語法

为了保护他们的听力并帮助他们更好地集中注意力，

they also offer active noise reduction that silences ambient din.

它们还提供主动降噪功能，可以消除周围的噪音。

They also use spatial audio technology

它们还利用空间音频技术

to increase a pilot's situational awareness.

来增强飞行员的态势感知能力。

If,

如果，

for instance,

例如，

a pilot is targeted from the left,

一名飞行员从左侧被锁定，

an audio ping from that earpiece will let them know.

左侧听筒发出的提示音就会让他们知晓。

All that technology doesn't come cheap. 習語

所有这些技术都不便宜。

As mentioned,

如前所述，

an F-35 helmet costs approximately $400,000 apiece 用詞

一顶F-35头盔的价格大约是每顶40万美元，

and includes a lengthy fitting process

并且包含一个漫长的适配过程，

that makes each helmet specifically built for individual pilots.

使得每一顶头盔都是为单名飞行员量身定制的。

A 3D scan of the pilot's head is entered into a database

飞行员头部的3D扫描数据会被输入数据库，

from which technicians design software 語法

技术人员据此设计软件，

that drives milling machines to cut the foam liner by laser.

通过软件驱动铣床用激光切割泡沫内衬。

A pilot then has their eyes measured with a pupilometer

然后，飞行员要用瞳孔计测量眼睛，

to align the optics package to within just 2 mm 短語搭配

将光学组件对准至距离每个瞳孔中心

of the center of each pupil.

仅2毫米的范围内。

This ensures that the images projected converge

这就确保了投影的图像能汇聚

onto the pilot's natural field of view,

到飞行员自然的视野中，

which in turn helps reduce eye strain and fatigue. 表達脈絡

从而有助于减少眼睛的疲劳感。

Pilots then must return for a final fitting of the liner

然后飞行员必须返回进行内衬的最终试戴，

so that the vision and its display feeds are adjusted

以便调整视觉及其显示画面，

to ensure only a single fused image appears.

确保只呈现出单一的融合图像。

Otherwise,

否则，

a pilot might have double or triple vision 用詞

飞行员可能会因为未对准的视频画面

from misaligned video feeds.

而产生重影或三重视图。

Technicians then spend 2 days to shape the helmet liner

随后，技术人员要花两天时间根据每位飞行员的脑袋

to each individual pilot's noggin 用詞

对头盔内衬进行塑形，

to ensure the optical sensors are perfectly aligned

确保光学传感器

with the pilot's pupils.

与飞行员的瞳孔完美对齐。

These careful measurements also ensure that the helmet rests

这些仔细的测量还能确保头盔戴在

on the pilot's head in such a way 語法

飞行员头上的位置，

that its center of gravity is perfectly aligned with the pilot's spine

其重心正好与飞行员的脊椎完美对齐，

in order to prevent neck injuries during ejections

以防止在弹射

or high-speed maneuvers.

或高速机动时颈部受伤。

All these careful and precise measurements

所有这些谨慎而精确的测量

basically make helmets unusable except by the specific pilot

基本上使得头盔只有特定的飞行员才能使用，

they were developed for,

也就是为其专门开发头盔的那名飞行员，

meaning that investing in an F-35 is not just an investment 語法

这意味着投资一架F-35不仅仅是对

in the aircraft itself,

飞机本身的投资，

but in its pilot, too.

也是对其飞行员的投资。

But with as cool a job as piloting the world's most advanced aircraft, 語法

不过，驾驶世界上最先进的战机是如此炫酷的一份工作，

we're sure there's no threat of any of these pilots getting bored

我们相信这些飞行员绝对没有很快就会感到厌倦

and quitting anytime soon.

并辞职离去的危险。

Are these $400,000 helmets really worth the price tag

这些价值40万美元的头盔真的值这个价吗，

or are they just another money sink 習語

或者它们仅仅是世界上最昂贵武器项目中

in the world's most expensive weapons program?

又一个砸钱的无底洞？

What other military tech would you like to see explained?

你还想看哪些其他军事科技的解析？

Let us know in the comments.

请在评论区告诉我们。

Also,

此外，

be sure to check out our other video,

一定记得去看看我们的其他视频，

Worst Punishments in the History of Mankind.

《人类历史上最残酷的惩罚》。

Thanks for watching,

感谢您的收看，

and as always,

和往常一样，

please don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

请别忘了点赞、分享并订阅。