Lockheed Martin [LMT] has installed the first training system for loading weapons on the F-35 Lightning II at the training center at Eglin AFB, Fla.
The system is designed to represent the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps variants of the Joint Strike Fighter for trainees to learn loading munitions, fuel tanks and missile systems onto the aircraft, Lockheed Martin said yesterday.
The simulator is the first of five possible deliveries to the integrated pilot-and-maintenance training center at Eglin, Lockheed Martin said.
It is designed to be identical to the F-35 and allows training to take place without disrupting aircraft flight scheduling.
“We are focused on delivering an agile training capability to the newest crop of fifth-generation pilots and maintainers,” said Joanne Puglisi, director of F-35 training and support at Lockheed Martin’s Global Training and Logistics business.
Earlier this year, the first two F-35 full mission simulators were installed, joining the aircraft systems maintenance trainer, the ejection seat maintenance trainer, the mission rehearsal trainer and pilot training aids, Lockheed Martin said.
The Marine Corps F-35B variant, the aircraft experiencing the most production difficulty in the Joint Strike Fighter program, is due to receive its first flight training aircraft in November at Eglin, Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, the service’s aviation chief, recently said (Defense Daily, Sept. 30).
Marine training has been scheduled to begin in March 2012, but has been pushed back by a few months, Robling said.
The Joint Strike Fighter program has been plagued by cost overruns and delays, prompting strong congressional criticism and even some calls for canceling the program.
The challenges with Marines’ F-35B have been the trickiest to overcome because of its short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) feature. The F-35B program was placed on probation earlier this year.