Supacat and Distance Technologies Enter Into Strategic Collaboration to Bring Distance JetFighter HUD Solution Into the Jackal Ground Platform

Supacat and Distance Technologies Enter Into Strategic Collaboration to Bring Distance JetFighter HUD Solution Into the Jackal Ground Platform.

Distance to Enable Aerospace-Grade Situational Awareness for Safety, Manoeuvrability and Survivability.

2 September, 2025 - Helsinki - Distance Technologies™ - the leading developer of glasses-free Mixed Reality enhanced with contextual AI and designed for integration into the eyeline of state-of-the-art defence vehicles - today announced the latest in a slew of recent design wins in 2025 with acclaimed British manufacturer Supacat Ltd (Dunkeswell, Devon, England), a part of the SC Group.

Specifically, Distance is integrating its unique JetFighter HUD™ XR visualization technology directly into the drivers line-of-sight of the renowned Supacat High Mobility Transporter (HMT) ground platform. This finally enables an aerospace-grade HUD (Heads Up Display) running on four wheels. 

The strategic collaboration between Distance and Supacat brings next-generation situational awareness of the vehicle and the battlefield to the HMT for the first time, integrating directly with the driver’s field of view. This achieves a specific goal of driver/crew safety under adverse battlefield and training conditions.

The enhanced driver vision functionality is seen directly through the windshield, with no goggles or eyepieces required. Hyper-spectral sensor fusion enables the windshield to display not only the visible light spectrum, but also the infrared and thermal wavelengths. 

This enables easy detection of thermal signatures in front of the vehicle to achieve superior crew safety and survivability, extending protection and situational awareness to dismounted soldiers. The system works both day and night, compatible with night vision goggles and without creating dangerous light emissions.

The combination of Distance, Supacat (also integrating the Ultra PCS Generic Vehicle Architecture (GVA) system UltraEAK) grants land drivers the same tactical superiority that jet pilots have enjoyed for decades.

By eliminating distractions in combat and removing the need to look at secondary displays, eyes stay on-road and on-mission. This next-generation HUD visualization solution brings a new way to enable rapid, heads-up access to critical data without compromising driver/operator situational awareness.

A demonstration of the world-first integration of Distance with Supacat's HMT will be showcased at DSEI UK 2025 in London from 9-12 September. A high-brightness heads-up display will present inclinometer, vehicle, thermal sensor and C2 data in the most natural place for the driver - right in front of their own eyes. The data feed will be sourced in real-time from Ultra PCS’ GVA systems - all of this will be available for live demonstrations at DSEI.

“As soon as Supacat was introduced to the advanced Heads-Up Displays (HUDs) created by Distance Technologies there was clear utility for our end users,” said Phil Applegarth, Director, Head of Supacat. “This innovative technical breakthrough enables HMT customers to take advantage of an entirely new class of advanced Heads-Up Displays (HUDs). The see-through windshield HUD system provides immersive perception enhancement for mobility, navigation and targeting of enemy assets in low-light as well as complex situational environments, such as smoke-filled battlefields and tactical night reconnaissance. This enables us to offer our platform operators the ability to remain focused without the fatigue experienced when using Night Vision Devices. For DSEi, the platform demonstrates the versatility of the HUD with a visual inclinometer to ensure the operator is not outmatched by the capability of the HMT combining high fidelity, depth perception and sensor fusion.”

“Continuing our accelerated development efforts in the defence market means that we have - In record time - progressed from initial concept to actually delivering the world’s first adaptation of an aerospace-grade "JetFighter HUD" in a high-mobility ground platform,” said Urho Konttori, co-founder and CEO of Distance Technologies. “We are enabling operators to access critical inclinometer and mission data directly in their line of sight — enhancing safety, speed of decision-making, and overall mission survivability & lethality. This achievement reflects Supacat’s visionary approach - their ability to move at the ‘speed of need’, and their commitment to embracing deep, next-generation technologies.”

About Distance Technologies:

Distance Technologies Ltd (Helsinki) is Europe’s counterpart to the new wave of defence and dual-use technology platforms focused on delivering superhuman perception. We build the world’s most advanced computational optics, AI-driven lightfield systems and visual AI for defence, automotive, and aerospace use cases. 

Our technology turns periscopes, windshields, helmet mounts, or even handheld devices into a transparent mixed-reality sensor that fuses hyperspectral/multispectral data, thermal imagery, and 3D lightfields into a single infinite-depth HUD – merging mission-critical data seamlessly with the real world. The result: enhanced safety, faster situational awareness, decisive action, greater survivability and superior maneuverability in any environment. Designed to meet the highest standards of European sovereignty and operational safety, Distance delivers the perception layer that goes the distance —on the battlefield and in everyday usage alike. Learn more at https://distance.tech.