BAE Systems has delivered an Urgent Operational Requirement to the Royal Air Force (RAF) that helps its Tornado pilots identify friendly forces.

The equipment is a high-tech helmet system which projects information in front of the pilot's eye allowing instant assessment of points of interest. The technology can save vital seconds and lives in the theatre of war.

The request for the fitting of a Tornado Helmet Mounted Cueing System (HMCS) onto the RAF's Tornado GR4 fleet came in April last year. Within months engineers and technicians at BAE Systems had integrated the system onto the aircraft and it is now operational on aircraft in Afghanistan.