Lockheed Martin Graduates 1,000th Pilot and 9,000th Maintainer for F-35

In March, Lockheed Martin trained the 1,000th pilot and 9,000th maintainer for the F-35 program.

Captain Craig Turner, USMC, posing with the F-35 at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina.  Photo Credit: United States Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Aidan Parker.

“These milestones are a testament to the maturity andcapability of the F-35 global training enterprise,” said Chauncey McIntosh,Lockheed Martin, vice president of F-35 Training and Logistics. “Our mission isto produce world class pilots and maintainers around the world.”

Captain Craig Turner, U.S. Marine Corps, assigned to VMFAT-501 at MCAS Beaufort became the 1,000th pilot to fly the F-35.

Being a part of the F-35 program has made a lasting impact onCaptain Turner. “The resources and talent in all aspects of this program aretruly impressive,” he said. “It has been humbling to see the progress beingmade in this program as everyone’s efforts come together.” He’s flown differentaircraft for the last ten years, but the F-35 isn’t like any other aircrafthe’s commanded before.

The first time a pilot flies in the single-seat F-35, he orshe flies alone.

At any given moment, an F-35 pilot may need to penetratesophisticated enemy air defense and find and disable threats. Thanks to theF-35’s fifth-generation capabilities such a stealth, advanced sensors, sensorfusion and networking capabilities this can be accomplished. But how do youprepare pilots for these situations? The answer is training.

Simulation plays a prominent role in F-35 training, more sothan legacy platforms. Because of the advanced capabilities of the F-35, it isnot possible to adequately challenge pilots in the live environment. Withsimulation, Lockheed Martin is redefining how pilots train to provide the rangeof experience required to maximize the F-35’s 5th Gen capabilities.

The F-35 presents new ways to tactically employ and requirespilots to master new competencies. Pilots train for a broad range ofair-to-air, air-to-ground and electronic warfare missions in the simulator.

The fidelity of the Full Mission Simulators currently allowsabout half of initial training flights to be accomplished virtually. Thesyllabus includes technology-driven academics, flights in the Full Mission Simulatorand live flights in the aircraft.

Airman First Class Benjamin Missel, USAF, assigned to the359th Training Squadron at Eglin AFB became the 9,000th maintainer to maintainthe F-35.

A1C Benjamin Missel posing with the F-35 Landing Gear Trainer on Friday, Mar. 13 at Eglin AFB, Florida. Photo Credit: United States Air Force TSgt Nancy Falcon.

Behind every pilot’s mission are the maintainers who make itpossible. These men and women repair, inspect and modify the aircraft to ensuresafe and effective functioning during flight operations. They are trustedadvisors and analysts who gather flight data to make informed decisions lettingF-35 pilots know their aircraft is fit for flight.

Because of the aircraft’s computing power, F-35 maintainersmust bring a high level of technical expertise to their jobs. Maintainersrotate from the classroom to training devices to develop an in-depthunderstanding of the F-35 weapon system.

The mix of simulation and flight line training varies permaintenance specialty. Currently across all disciplines, 70 percent of trainingoccurs during computer-based courses and hands-on exercises with simulators.

Aircraft readiness also benefits with simulation-basedtraining as some training tasks are intrusive, like removing and replacingcomponents, and can render an aircraft non-mission capable until the trainingis complete. In this sense, the virtual training preserves aircraft readinessand produces a warfighter that is ready to support the unit’s mission sooner.

More than 9,000 maintainers and 1,000 pilots have graduatedfrom the F-35 Training System to date. Thirteen Military Services and 10 nationsare currently training – the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the U.K.Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, Australia, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, theNetherlands, Norway and South Korea.

“This program will continue to grow as more Foreign MilitarySales customers around the globe procure the F-35,” said F-35 TrainingOperations Manager David “Sly” Fox. “The key to success for our trainingsystems is to continue to look at technological advances that will enable us toefficiently update our training capability to mirror the increased capabilitiesof the F-35 Air Vehicle.”

Lockheed Martin is now working to connect F-35 Full MissionSimulators to a number of military training networks at the U.S. Air Force weaponsschool this year, enabling F-35 pilots to train across locations and with otherplatforms. This Distributed Mission Training capability for the F-35 createsinteroperability across military platforms for continuation training and largeforce exercises, all while presenting a train-as-you-fight environment.