Aircraft simulators now linking F-35 pilots with other platforms
NewsJuly 02, 2020
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. An advance in aircraft simulators, allowing F-35 pilots to link with pilots of other aircraft, was announced on Wednesday by Lockheed Martin. For the first time, Lockheed, the F-35 Joint Program Office, and the U.S. Air Force connected F-35, F-22, F-16, and E3 airborne warning planes in a simulated environment, according to Lockheed Martin.
Additional platforms, like the F-15, can also connect to the shared virtual environment. The connection came during a Distributed Mission Training final acceptance test at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., the company said.
The uplink is designed to allow, for example, an F-35 pilot to practice simulated flying with an F-16 pilot at another base, anywhere in the world. Previously, the closest a Nellis pilot could come to simulated formations was a four-aircraft exercise with pilots in the same room.
The new, integrated simulation system, requiring unification of systems of planes made by different manufacturers, is essentially intended to provide a multiplayer platform for an assortment of aircraft, officials say.
The installation of the uplink at Nellis Air Force Base will be followed by simulator updates at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., and Marine Corps Naval Air Station Miramar, Calif., in 2021.
