Because automation is capable of producing data faster than humans can interpret it, operators of complex systems are frequently overloaded with information. This problem is even more pronounced in stressful environments, such as aerial combat. pilots of single-seat supersonic fighter aircraft already have more tasks than they can effectively handle, with precious little time to interpret and act on the mass of available data. In the next generation of air superiority fighters, the fighter pilot's data overload problem w i l l worsen as senson improve (increasing the pilot's volume of data) and cruise speeds increase (decreasing the pilot's time to react).To address this problem, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded the Pilot's Associate (PA) program which is now in its second phase1**. The first phase demonstrated that associate technology could be beneficial in a fighter cockpit. The purpose of the second phase is to convert the PA Phase I functionality to work in real-time on avionics-like hardware. A primary goal of the PA program is to enhance combat fighter pilot effectiveness by increasing pilots' situational awareness and decreasing their CH3030-4/91/0000-0440 $1.00 0 1991 IEEE ~~ ~ ~