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How the options are increasing for F-35 training

The global footprint of the F-35 Lightning II continues to expand, with the announcement on 30 December of the latest production contract between the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin for 398 aircraft for the US and international customers under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) arrangements.

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Production Lots 15-17 include examples of all three F-35 variants, adding to an existing global fleet of nearly 900 aircraft. Also in 2022, Germany and Switzerland signed letters of offer and acceptance for the aircraft, and then in January Canada announced it intended to procure 88 F-35s.

Acquiring a new aircraft brings new training requirements both for pilots and maintainers. Raashi Quattlebaum, VP of F-35 training and logistics for Lockheed Martin, told Shephard that each country has slightly different requirements.

Some opt to do the bulk of their training in the US, while others choose to do it domestically and some take a blended approach, with an initial period in the US and the remainder at home, particularly when local training facilities are complete. 

Erik Etz, Lockheed Martin senior manager of new business, strategy and road maps for F-35 added that for foreign customers in each case there was a separate agreement with the JPO as to how training would be achieved. He noted that Lockheed Martin provides a strong team at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, which is the main F-35 training centre, and works with the USAF and foreign customers.

He explained that each national programme starts with a ‘train the trainers’ approach, based in the US, with a timeline factoring in the planned delivery of aircraft. Where countries conduct their main training programmes domestically, he said that the OEM’s support level varied according to each customer’s needs.

Because the F-35 is a single-seat aircraft, a significant amount of training is conducted using simulators, but Etz said that under FMS deals all pilot training devices are procured through Lockheed Martin.

The most sophisticated of these is the Full Mission Simulator (FM Sim), a high-fidelity, fully immersive solution which is designed to recreate the experience of flying the F-35 and operating its combat systems as closely as possible. Etz noted that despite the different aircraft variants and some country-specific variations, the FM Sims were all basically the same.

The F-35 Full Mission Simulator (FM Sim) provides a complete motion-platform-based immersive experience. FM Sims can be networked together to provide multi-platform training. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

He said that countries can procure as many FM Sims as they like. The programmes often include offset arrangements with local subcontractors to provide elements of the devices.

He added that a ‘a four-ship solution is the baseline configuration’, ie four simulators networked together, but some countries may choose a two-ship and other may opt to have more than four FM Sims. The simulators must be installed in a secure area due to the classified aspects of the F-35’s capabilities.

Quattlebaum said that there were more than 120 FM Sims in use globally across 23 sites. She added that Lockheed Martin was under contract for ‘a couple of dozen more’ through FMS sales with more projected. She added that there were (as at December 2022) 23 sites which would rise to 32 by 2025.

At the other end of the scale are pilot training aids, which Etz said come in various configurations but are essentially laptop-based trainers with interactive courseware. These provide basic instruction and practice on the aircraft’s systems. There are unclassified versions that can be used off-site and classified versions that have to remain within the secure area.

In between these two extremes, Etz said, there is ‘room for manoeuvre’. Lockheed Martin has developed the Mission Rehearsal Trainer (MRT) – Lightning Integrated Training Environment (LITE), a reduced footprint solution which concentrates on training on the aircraft combat system. It consists of a simulated cockpit and three screens and can be networked with other MRT-LITEs and with the FM Sim. This was originally shown in prototype form at IT2EC 2022.

The small-footprint F-35 Mission Rehearsal Trainer (MRT) with screens. A version using a head-mounted display is also under development. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

According to the MRT-LITE data sheet it has a 90% reduced hardware footprint over an FM sim and up to eight of the devices can be fitted in the same space allocation. Around 75% of FM Sim training tasks can be accomplished on the MRT-LITE. Etz noted that in order ‘to fully train F-35 capabilities it has to be at the classified level’ and therefore must be in a fully secure area.

However, he added that a reduced footprint simulator could be used in unclassified configuration for maintenance tasks, such as engine run-ups, and he said ‘there are other use cases’.

At the 2022 I/ITSEC event in Orlando Lockheed Martin showcased a prototype of another version of a small-footprint MRT using Varjo’s XR-3 mixed-reality head-mounted display, which removes the need for the original three-screen arrangement. The small footprint trainers are now known collectively as MRT Solutions.

An early version of this capability is the Deployable Mission Rehearsal Trainer (DMRT), which was developed for specific customers principally for use on board aircraft carriers. The DMRT consists of a standard 40ft ISO container that contains two fixed-base simulated cockpits with screens. The UK has purchased three of these, two of which are based in the UK, with the third in the US for use by 17 (Training and Evaluation) Squadron.

The two UK-based DMRTs can be linked together to provide a four-ship training or mission rehearsal capability. They were installed in HMS Queen Elizabeth (QE) for the UK’s CSG21 global carrier deployment.

BAE Systems, together with Lockheed Martin, has also developed a facility that integrated a motion platform--based flight simulator with a model of the QE-class carrier that enables pilots to practice taking off and landing on the deck, as well as training the ship’s flying control personnel in controlling the aircraft movements.

Etz said that discussions were in progress to see what other devices could be developed ‘as we see a future where there’s more need for simulator hours. New software developments will bring increased system capability including more weapons, which will increase the need for training. And that is best done in the simulator. We think the future lies in more MRTs augmenting the big domes’.

Israel cements move away from live training with Elbit contract for tank simulators

In early January Elbit Systems announced it had been awarded a contract worth approximately US$107 million by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to provide, operate and maintain new main battle tank (MBT) simulation and training centres for the country’s Armored Corps. The centres, the number and locations of which were not revealed, will be delivered over a three-year period and the contract includes operation and maintenance services for an additional 15 years.

The IDF’s new armour training centre will include high-fidelity Merkava Mk 4 turret trainers from Elbit Systems. (Photo: Elbit Systems)

According to the announcement the centres will operate on the IDF’s cloud using Elbit’s cloud-native platform-agnostic OneSim software infrastructure. They will include high-fidelity turret and driver trainers which will integrate the MBT’s operational subsystems and simulate main and secondary armaments, all connected to a common synthetic environment. As the IDF’s latest MBT is the Merkava Mk 4 it can be safely assumed that this will be the simulated platform.

The new centres will support individual and collective training up to company level for both regular and reserve troops.

As well as turret and driver trainers they will also include stations that will enable operational intelligence, combat support and logistics units to train as ‘components of the combined arms company’, although there is no indication as to whether these will be generic stations or have low-fidelity simulation capabilities. Elbit was unable to provide further details on the number of simulators in each centre.

The centres will include integrated recording capabilities to enable event reruns, after-action review and data analysis. They will also allow trainee performance to be tracked from initial qualification through to reserve duty continuation training.

IDF training is increasingly concentrating on virtual and constructive rather than live techniques, on the basis that this provides better targeted and more effective training for both regular and reserve troops. It already has six simulator-centric Warrior Readiness Training Centers (WARTACs) from Bagira Systems for infantry training, with a possible further three to be provided. Artillery simulators provided by a partnership of Bagira and Van Halteren Metaal Defence support training at the IDF artillery school at Camp Shivta.

In mid-2020 the Brigade and Battlegroup Mission Training Centre (B2MTC) developed by Elbit was declared operational. This combines constructive and virtual simulation to provide training for three levels of command – brigade, battalion and company – together with combat support and combat service support.

Elbit supplies its training and simulation solutions technology to a number of international customers, including the Singapore Army’s Armour Training Centre. Although not confirmed, it is likely to be bidding for Project Vulcan the British Army’s Ground Manoeuvre Synthetic Trainer (GMST) programme that will provide new AFV simulators.

Spain expands helicopter simulation capability with third NH90 device from Indra

In mid-January Indra announced it had been awarded a contract worth €19.2 million ($20.9 million) by the Spanish Air and Space Force for an NH90 helicopter full-mission simulator (FMS).

The cockpit view from an Indra NH90 helicopter full mission simulator. (Photo: Indra)

This will be the third such device that Indra has supplied to Spanish forces and will be installed at Cuatro Vientos air base near Madrid. The NH90 force based there has a variety of roles including search and rescue (SAR) and special air operations.

The first two Spanish NH90 FMS entered service in 2019 and are installed at Agoncillo air base near La Rioja, where the NH90 force supports the Spanish Army Airmobile Force (FAMET).

The FMS architecture is based on use of real on-board avionics which Indra says ‘provides the greatest realism during training’, as well as future-proofing the simulators. The company claims that use of the simulator will reduce the amount of live hours required ‘to ensure the best training… of pilots’ by 40%, as well as providing advanced tactical training.

Indra claims that the simulator is able to ‘replicate scenarios with all types of threats within any imaginable training condition [and] faithfully reproduces all possible weather conditions, both day and night, [allowing] the use of the helicopter’s actual image intensifier tubes (IITs) for flight simulation using night vision goggles (NVG).’

The latest FMS can be networked with the two delivered earlier as part of the Spanish Army Helicopter Simulation Centre (CESIHEL), which has a network of different flight simulators. According to Indra there are ten (now to become 11) simulators for different helicopter models connected to the network, the others being the CH-47F Chinook, AS332/532 Super Puma/Cougar, EC135 and EC665 Tiger.

These are installed at Colmenar Viejo (Chinook, AS33/532 and EC135), Almagro (Tiger), Algoncillo (first two NH90), and now will include Cuatro Vientos (third NH90). All have been developed with Indra technology.

Through a partnership agreement with the army Indra provides maintenance and improvement services for the simulators. In return, the army allows Indra to use surplus CESIHEL capacity to offer training services to international customers.

Asia-Pacific leads medium-term spending on jet trainer/light attack aircraft

Between 2023 and 2027, countries from the Asia-Pacific region will spend the most on jet trainer and light attack aircraft acquisition, according to Shephard Defence Insight data. During the five-year period, the region is projected to spend around $12.7 billion.

✅ This data has been verified by the same team that brings you Defence Insight. Want to learn more?

North and South America meanwhile is expected to spend about $3.4 billion during the same timeframe.

The estimated amount spent by European countries on jet trainer and light attack aircraft is $2.4 billion, whereas African and Middle Eastern nations will spend around $725 million between 2023 and 2027.

Top 5 jet trainer/light attack programmes

Based on data pooled from the Defence Insight database, the Indian Tejas LCA aircraft contract is going to be the most extensive of its kind with deliveries continuing between 2023 and 2027. The Indian Air Force is planning to buy a total of 140 Tejas LCAs for $9.2 billion to equip seven squadrons, although only ten of these will be two-seat trainers.

The Tejas LCA programme has a follow-up contract worth $1.1 billion that is set to acquire a further 17 aircraft from 2028.

The USAF’s T-7A Red Hawk programme, a pure trainer procurement in this case, takes second place across 2023-2027 with a total contract value of $7 billion, to be delivered by the Boeing-Saab team under the T-X pilot training programme.

The first T-7A Red hawk jets are due to be transferred to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph AFB in 2023, with all deliveries scheduled to be completed by 2034.

✅ This data has been verified by the same team that brings you Defence Insight. Want to learn more?

The third place belongs to another Indian deal, the IAF’s Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) contract. Under the estimated $3.8 billion agreement, New Delhi is purchasing 114 MRCAs, of which 30 will be primarily used for training purposes.

In fourth place, Taiwan is also stepping up its advanced training game – for obvious reasons. The country’s Brave Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer programme, at $2.2 billion, will see the acquisition of 66 jets to replace 49 AIDC AT-3 AJTs as well as 25 F-5E/F fighters in Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) service. Mass production of the Brave Hawk will start in 2023 and the programme is expected to be completed by 2026.

With a population of just under 7 million people, Serbia surprises in fifth place with its $1 billion light attack/trainer aircraft programme. The Balkan country is looking to purchase around 20 aircraft to replace ageing Soko J-22 and G-4 trainer fleets in service.

The programme’s estimated value is based on the average estimated unit cost of $50 million per T-7A Red Hawk, which the country said it is considering for the requirement.

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