Slated To Come Online In 2010

Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II advanced fighter has surmounted another hurdle towards front-line duty. The company tells ANN the program recently completed Pilot Training System Critical Design Review (CDR), a milestone Lockheed says verifies the design maturity of the pilot training system and its subcomponents.

The review -- conducted by Lockheed Martin's Simulation & Support in Orlando, FL -- included representatives from the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, the F-35 contractor team, members of the US military services and the F-35 international partner services. Completion of the CDR is a prerequisite for the Pilot Training System to move into the implementation phase which includes software and hardware development.

The corresponding maintainer training system CDR will be held in the fourth quarter of 2008.

"The results of our pilot training systems design review helps ensure that pilots get the most comprehensive, technologically-advanced integrated schoolhouse possible  including simulator and classroom training," said Dale Bennett, Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support president.

The F-35 pilot training system offers a training curriculum that includes a Full Mission Simulator with a 360-degree field-of-view, desktop simulation exercises, courseware lessons and flight events. The curriculum is tracked and scheduled using Training and Learning Management System software.

"A unique characteristic of the F-35 pilot training system is its reuse of aircraft software for the simulators and air system data for the courseware, said JoAnne Puglisi, Lockheed Martin F-35 Training System Director.  "This level of reuse enables high fidelity and also reduces software and courseware development and life cycle support costs."

F-35 pilots will train at the new Integrated Training Center at Eglin AFB in Florida slated to open in 2010, coinciding with the arrival of the first two Low Rate Initial Production aircraft scheduled for delivery to the US Air Force.

The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, fifth-generation stealth fighter designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft, including AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR-7s and Sea Harriers.

The US Air Force will operate 1,763 F-35As, while the US Marine Corps and Navy together are planning to operate 680 F-35Bs and F-35Cs, and the United Kingdom plans to place 138 F-35Bs into service with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. The remaining F-35 participant countries plan to acquire more than 600 aircraft.

Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 Lightning II with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

FMI: www.lmco.com, www.af.mil, www.jsf.mil