ABSTRACT
For better or worse, virtual imaging displays are with us in the form of narrow-angle combining-glass presentations, head-up displays (HUD), and head-mounted projections of wide-angle sensor-generated or computer-animated imagery (HMD). All of our military and civil aviation services and a large number of aerospace companies are involved in one way or another in a frantic competition to develop the best virtual imaging display system. The success or failure of major weapon systems hangs in the balance, and billions of dollars in potential business are at stake. Because of the degree to which our national defense is committed to the perfection of virtual imaging displays, a brief consideration of their status, an investigation and analysis of their problems, and a search for realistic alternatives are long overdue.
