NetBat Helmet

The NetBat Helmet is an advanced piece of equipment used by soldiers in the 22nd Century by both the European Union and the Pan-Asian Coalition. It appears in Battlefield 2142. NetBat is a shortened term for Network Battlefield System.

Description
The NetBat Helmet serves two basic functions. The first is to protect a soldiers head from damaging explosions and flying projectiles that would result in fatal or severely hampering injury. The second is to provide the soldier with advanced logistical support.

The HUD of the helmet's visor displays the soldiers medical state, stamina state, a GPS and weapons readings. It also displays a targeting reticule for each weapon for when the sights are not being used. Various icons are marked on objects in the soldiers vision. For example, friendly units are marked with blue circles, squad mates are marked with green circles and spotted enemies are marked with a red diamond (for as long as they are tracked).

The NetBat is, in fact, a battlefield network. Each helmet is connected to all other helmets on the battlefield and a command unit. For example, a commander can send down an order to a squad leader, who then transmits the order to the squad members. On the flip side, a squad member can send a request for a UAV which is sent to the squad leader, who then can choose to relay that request to command.

The NetBat system allows the targeting of enemy troops, vehicles and locations as well. A user can 'spot' a hostile that they have seen, which is then shown on the HUD of all of their squadmates. The spotted hostile is then also marked on the GPS, which soldiers in other squads can use.

The NetBat system features several other uses on the battlefield as well, including locationary icons and support icons.

Specialisations
The NetBat system's software can be easily updated and then downloaded by its users which allows soldiers to increase their capabilities even further as the software's level of detail is increased. In adition to base updates, there are three specialisations available to Assault, Engineer and Recon users of the system.

Recon - NetBat Fade Delay
Part of the 3.0 update to the Network Battlefield System, the new Fade Delay nano-mod interfaced with existing modules to enhance their performance. The target acquisition algorithm provides longer on-mark feedback allowing soldiers emplying the system to track their targets for longer. As with other NetBat nano-mods, the information is both uplinkable and downlinkable to all soldiers who are plugged into the squad's battle network.

Assault - NetBat Infantry ID
This enhancement to the NetBat technology allows soldiers using the enhancement to query an onboard database to identify infantry targets. The nano-mod will assess, analyse and assign an ID based on 98% certainty. The nano-mod update is flexible enough to send and recieve battle data over its synth-flex battle network allowing everyone in the squad to recieve the information.

Engineer - NetBat Vehicle ID
This nano-module combines the latest nanotech modifications with the synth-flex battle network to allow a soldier to identify an enemy vehicle and transmit the data to all squad members of the network.

Disadvantages
Perhaps the only disadvantage to the NetBat system and helmet is vunrability to an Electromagnetic Pulse. When any kind of EMP weaponry is used or detonated in the vicinity of the NetBat, the HUD will fail and cause the image that the soldier uses and sees to become distorted. This disorientates the user, making it incredibly hard to aim. In addition to this, all HUD icons are disabled or equally distorted. This effect can last for up to 30 seconds: a lethal time frame.