One of the biggest changes in RVS 2.0 is the overhaul of the displays the boom operators look at during the refueling process. Currently, boom operators wear 3D glasses and “[look] directly at an LCD monitor which is projecting in 3D,” Ford said. But after evaluating multiple ways to display the camera imagery, the Air Force and Boeing coalesced around an “indirect view” display where an LCD monitor projects 3D imagery to a curved mirror, which provides more depth perception to the user.
“Part of that, I think, was because of the legacy experience of looking at a window,” Burgess said. “So we wanted to do something that that provided more immersive experience for the boom operator, something that felt more true to life than just looking at a flat panel display.”
Reporters on the tour donned 3D glasses to try out the new display system, staring into an angled mirror from which an image of an F-16 appeared to jut out from the screen, making contact with a KC-46 boom. The picture was clear, with the 3D depiction appearing true to life and no distracting shadows or reflections of light.