Flak screen protectors were armoured Perspex or glass screens that protected pilots during low level ground attacks.

As technology advanced, these screen became incorporated into the sighting systems and the birth of HUD was born.

Originally, armoured glass was installed as part of the cockpit screen, but on curved designs, it was hard and expensive to creat the contour that matched cockpit windscreens aespecially on aircraft like the Invader.

 

State of the art helmets now protect pilots from flak and other inflight emergencies.