The digital device, worn over one eye and attached to a helmet, will allow soldiers to spot enemies out of the corner of their eyes without even moving their heads, say engineers of the British-based BAE systems company.

The new "bug-eye" technology was developed after months of research focused on an examination of the eye mechanisms of the Xenos peckii, a tiny parasitic fly that lives insides the bodies of wasps.

The bug's visual system -- which is not found in any other living creature -- has 50 separated lenses in each eye, producing individual images that are then meshed together to form a single, wide-field image, BAE engineers said.

The new imaging device developed by BAE recreates this effect with nine separate lenses affording troops a peripheral vision of 60 degrees -- twice the level of night-vision goggles currently in use.

"There's a requirement to reduce the size and weight of night vision goggles -- and to achieve a wider field of view," said Leslie Laycock in a report published by Trade Arabia.

"Nighttime missions are an essential part of today's military operations, but existing equipment only provides 30-40 degree field of vision, which restricts situational awareness on the ground."

The research into new technology was funded by the Britain's Ministry of Defense with the aim of reducing the size and weight of imaging equipment used in a variety of military applications.

"Soldiers," said Laycock, "fight a lot at night."

Slated for completion within three years, the new "bug-eye" system is considered to have applications in improving the field vision for CCTV cameras.

It is now being developed for missile tracking systems.

"Existing missile guidance devices can only achieve about 20 degrees field vision," reported Trade Arabia. "This means that the camera has to be attached to a mechanical mount and swiveled around to scan wide areas."

Capable, also, of being fitted on helicopters, the new optical technology can provide a huge boost in battlefield operations.

In the future, said Trade Arabia, the system could be used in the medical field for keyhole surgery. This though will require scientists to shrink the device -- currently held in the palm of a hand -- even further.

earlier related report
Britain's BAE Systems axes 1,000 jobs
British military equipment company BAE Systems will cut more than 1,000 jobs in Britain and close a facility in England.

"Following a detailed review of its current and future business levels, BAE Systems has announced it has started consultation regarding the potential closure of one of its UK sites and job cuts at another three, with the loss of 1,116 jobs," the group said Tuesday. "Under this program, the Woodford site in Cheshire will close at the end of 2012, on completion of the Nimrod MRA4 production contract and with the loss of 630 jobs."

The Woodford site will be closed because the jet it produces, the Nimrod MRA4, is not expected to sell in the future, the company said.

Development of the maritime patrol aircraft has been delayed because of technical glitches. The initial in-service date for the MRA4 was scheduled for April 2003, but not a single plane is in the air yet.

Three more BAE facilities will be affected by the downsizing program, with 375 jobs slashed at two sites in Lancashire, northern England, and 111 positions to be shed at the Farnborough, Hampshire, facility in the south of the country.

"Whilst we regret having to make this announcement we have to ensure we are the right size and shape to remain competitive and meet our customer's requirements in the future," said Kevin Taylor, BAE's managing director of Military Air Solutions. "We will work with our employees and their representatives to explore ways of mitigating these potential job losses and we will do everything necessary to deal with the potential job losses and closure of Woodford in a professional way and support our people throughout this process."

The announcement comes five weeks after BAE announced it could weather the downturn despite gloomy first-half numbers.

Back in August, BAE Chief Executive Officer Ian King said the company was "extremely well placed" to deal with reduced defense spending in Europe, and the United BAE last month reported first-half net losses of $137 million because it had to write down its 2007 purchase of U.S. group Armor Holdings, compared with a net profit of $977 million a year earlier.

But the company remained optimistic because it is involved in many long-term programs, including a 15-year Royal Navy shipbuilding program and several airplane projects.

BAE is making two aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy and is involved in the Joint Strike Fighter and Eurofighter programs.

The Eurofighter Typhoon, a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft, is built by BAE together with European Aeronautic Defense and Italy's Finmeccanica.

Last month, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain signed a $13 billion order contract for a total of 112 Eurofighter jets.

BAE is the main equipper of the British armed forces and is strong in the United States, where it generates 58 percent of its sales.

The company in 2008 was among the Pentagon's largest suppliers, behind national giants including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. But U.S. defense spending is set to decline: The U.S. Senate last month green-lighted a spending measure that includes budget reductions proposed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

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