Badass $400,000 Fighter Jet Helmet Is Literally Fit For A Superhero (Photos)

If you didn't have dreams of piloting a United States fighter jet growing up, did you even dream?

The coolest part about fighter jets is the fact that these days, even the pilot's accessories and safety gear are getting upgrades.

Take the F-35 Lightning II, for example.

The fighter jets just got a $400,000 upgrade on the safety helmets used to fly them. That's right, the helmet alone is $400,000. Pretty affordable, right?

Sure, some may say that's a bit steep for a helmet, but there's a reason for the price.

The F-35 Lightning II's helmet is actually a work of tech art. The pricey helmet allows the pilot to see exactly what the plane sees. If the pilot looks down, instead of seeing the cockpit's floor, he or she would see the clouds and Earth's surface below.

Essentially, it's a virtual reality helmet, but instead of living in a virtual world, you're living in a real world minus the view of the cockpit you're inside. This is made possible by six cameras placed in different areas of the cockpit.

The helmet also has the ability to display the plane's current altitude and speed and can locate where enemy aircraft may be. If that's not useful, I'm not sure what is!

This specific helmet has been in development for years. When it was first being constructed, there were a lot of glitches. According to the SF Gate, there had to be a backup helmet made for pilots when testing the new one, in case there were malfunctions.

However, it seems like they've finally worked out all of the kinks.

Check out the photos below for a closer look at what a $400,00 helmet looks like!

This is the $400,000 protective helmet pilots use when flying the F-35 Lightning II.

Not only does it ensure the pilot's safety, it also allows the pilot to use virtual reality-like technology to navigate the aircraft.

When the pilot looks around, he or she is able to see through the plane.

The helmet also has night vision.

Check out the video below for a closer look at how it works:

Citations: Pilots of New US Fighter Jet to Wear 400000 Dollar Helmets (SF Gate)