Fighter jet pilots can breathe more easily in high-G manoeuvres thanks to Honeywell’s cBRAG system

July 29, 2025

Honeywell’s new cBRAG system helps fighter jet pilots breathe more effectively during high-G manoeuvres, using real-time flight data to optimise oxygen delivery and G-force protection.
Already cleared for flight, the system has completed internal testing and is ITAR-free, paving the way for international adoption across platforms like the F-35, F-22, and Eurofighter Typhoon.
Helping fighter jet pilots stay conscious in high-G manoeuvres
Known as the Connected Breathing Regulator and Anti-G system, or cBRAG, the new electro-mechanical system improves oxygen delivery and G-force protection by adjusting in real time based on flight conditions.
The system is aimed at high-performance aircraft and has already completed internal testing and received flight clearance.

“The cBRAG system enhances breathing regulation to support pilots who are subjected to high G-forces during periods of high acceleration,” Honeywell told Aerospace Global News in a statement on 28 July.
Developed at Honeywell’s Yeovil site in the United Kingdom, cBRAG is designed to help fighter jet pilots maintain full consciousness and control during aggressive combat manoeuvres and flight training.
It does this by using a programmable pressure breathing schedule and a smart anti-G valve that work in concert to precisely regulate air pressure and oxygen flow based on real-time flight parameters.
This kind of dynamic response is key to avoiding G-LOC (G-force induced Loss Of Consciousness) — a condition that has led to numerous crashes in high-speed jets.
Designed for the fighter jets of the future
The new system is ITAR-free, meaning it is not subject to the United States’ International Traffic in Arms Regulations. This will allow Honeywell to offer the system to a wider range of international customers without restrictive export controls, a significant commercial advantage as 6th-generation fighter programmes ramp up in the US, Europe, and elsewhere.
Honeywell says cBRAG is suitable for both operational fighters and advanced trainer aircraft, with particular relevance to the highly dynamic flight envelopes expected of next-generation platforms.

In addition to its core breathing and G-force mitigation functions, the system includes sensor-driven diagnostics that enable post-flight analysis, along with a self-charging mechanism to support sustained operation without added power burden.
Saving fighter jets after pilots black out
The popular Top Gun movies have shown pilots struggling to breathe and maintain consciousness while experiencing high G-forces. As pilots endure high G, their circulatory and respiratory functions are strained. This can lead to the loss of consciousness and other physiological conditions.
While cBRAG may help pilots maintain control during extreme manoeuvres, Lockheed Martin’s Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) saves fighter jets in case pilots do lose control.
Auto GCAS determines if a ground collision is imminent and will then take control of the aircraft to perform an autonomous avoidance manoeuvre. Lockheed states it performs “a roll to wings-level and +5g pull… at the last instance to prevent ground impact.”

Auto GCAS first rolled out in F-16s in 2014, and Lockheed started integrating the system into F-35s in 2019. Lockheed says the system has since saved 12 F-16s, including 13 pilots.
Separately, the United Kingdom and the United States are developing an anti-collision avoidance system for F-35 fighter jets to help them avoid mid-air collisions with civilian aircraft.