IronVision tested on Merkava

Coming much sooner than expected, the Israeli Defense Forces are going to start initial testing phases of the IronVision system by Elbit this month. 

The IronVision is a helmet based system that provides a clear, transparent view of the surrounding area around the tank and feeds the image to the helmet directly, and follows the operator's head movement. 

Among its features are:

* A slew-to-cue mechanism, in which the commander can direct the gun towards the target.

* Ability to operate the tank's weaponry.

* Display of information from the WINBMS (Weapon Integrated Battle Management System).

* Zero latency feed in day and night modes.

* VR training.

Helmet of the IronVision system also featuring night vision mode

Its implementation in the Merkava is part of the Barak program which was described here.

The Barak is a tank based on the Merkava 4 and set to have a functional prototype ready within 3 years. 

The readiness to have the system tested so shortly, indicates that the scope of the upgrade may be far bigger than initially thought, and the IronVision may only be a small part of it.