RuAviation

Leningrad Optical-Mechanical Association (LOMO), part of the Kalashnikov Concern, has completed the first prototype of the DDR-M augmented reality display for Russian commercial aircraft. The holding’s press service confirmed the milestone. The system is designed as an optional cockpit display and provides pilots with critical flight information directly within their forward field of view.

The DDR-M belongs to the Head-Up Display (HUD) class and projects collimated symbology—including flight parameters, navigation data, warnings, and system messages—onto a transparent combiner aligned with the outside visual scene. By allowing pilots to monitor key data without shifting their gaze inside the cockpit, the system reduces workload during high-demand phases of flight, particularly approach and landing in low-visibility conditions.

HUD technology has been used in civil aviation since the late 1980s. Its defining feature is the generation of a virtual image optically focused at infinity, enabling pilots to read symbology while maintaining continuous visual reference to the external environment.

The DDR-M prototype is scheduled to undergo a comprehensive program of ground and flight testing. Test pilots and flight-test engineers will assess the system’s impact on flight safety and crew performance. Following approval by Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s civil aviation authority, the HUD may be offered as optional equipment for installation in the cockpit.

The MC-21 flight deck was designed from the outset as a fully digital cockpit, built around large-format multifunction displays. Within this architecture, a HUD is considered a supplementary element of the overall display system. The availability of a domestically produced HUD will allow airlines to retrofit the cockpit if required—an option that was предусмотрено during the early MC-21-300 design phase in the mid-2000s.

The original SSJ100 design also allowed for an optional Western-built HUD. However, such systems were never certified in Russia and were therefore not installed on production aircraft. In addition to the MC-21, the LOMO system is intended for the import-substituted SJ-100 variant. Integrating a domestic HUD into the SJ-100 cockpit will require compatibility with existing avionics and a dedicated certification campaign.

From an operational perspective, the primary value of a HUD lies in reducing pilot workload during the most critical phases of flight—takeoff, approach, and landing. The system displays airspeed, vertical speed, altitude, heading, glide path deviation, angle of attack, and flight guidance cues on a transparent combiner positioned in front of the windshield, while preserving an unobstructed view of the runway environment. This enables faster information assimilation and more timely pilot response to external changes.

According to data from the FAA and EASA, HUD usage reduces the likelihood of unstable approaches and improves trajectory tracking accuracy. HUDs are particularly effective when combined with Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) and Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS), allowing pilots to identify runway features and visual references that may not be visible to the naked eye.

At the same time, a HUD does not, by itself, alter published visibility minima or decision heights, nor does it replace required visual cues. Reduced landing minima are permitted only after comprehensive certification of a specific equipment configuration, operating procedures, and crew training. This process includes flight testing, validation of display accuracy, and human-factors evaluation. Only after regulatory approval may the system be used for approaches with reduced weather minima.

On Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, HUDs are also offered as optional equipment and have been in operational use for more than a decade. These systems have accumulated hundreds of thousands of flight hours, are fully certified, and are integrated with EVS and SVS. In terms of functional concept, the Russian-developed DDR-M is broadly comparable to its Western counterparts. However, in terms of maturity and certification readiness, it remains at an early stage. Transitioning from a prototype to serial installation on the MC-21-310 will require multiple test and certification phases.

The initial stage will involve evaluation on a flying testbed to validate performance under real-world flight conditions. The system must then demonstrate compliance with AP-25 airworthiness requirements (the Russian equivalent of FAR/CS-25). In addition, the HUD software will require certification to DO-178C standards, which govern safe and deterministic airborne software behavior, while the electronic hardware must comply with DO-254 requirements. Particular emphasis will be placed on human-factors assessment to ensure that the interface is intuitive and safe in operational use.

Only after successfully completing all certification stages will the regulator authorize the HUD for serial installation and commercial operation. International practice shows that even with stable funding and a mature supply chain, such certification cycles typically take several years.