Tag Archives: F-35 Lightning II

Air

F-35 Lightning II simulator

A world-leading flight engineering simulator created by BAE Systems is ready to be «flown» by F-35 Lightning II pilots for the first time as they prepare for flight trials on the UK’s new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier next year.

Pilots begin flights in new F-35 Lightning II simulator in preparation for trials on carrier
Pilots begin flights in new F-35 Lightning II simulator in preparation for trials on carrier

The refurbished simulator will test pilots’ skills to the limits as they practice landing on the deck of the new aircraft carrier in a range of difficult sea and weather conditions provided by the simulator.

The bespoke £2M simulator facility offers a 360-degree immersive experience for pilots to fly the jet to and from the UK carrier. It comprises a cockpit moved by an electronic motion platform and a full representation of the ship’s Flying Control Tower (FLYCO), where a Landing Signal Officer on board the carrier will control aviation operations.

The 360-degree view for pilots is vital as potential obstacles on an aircraft carrier are often behind the pilots as they land. Over the coming months, the simulator will be used by UK and U.S. military test pilots who have experience of flying F-35s on U.S. carriers.

The pilots will practice thousands of ski jump short take-offs and vertical landings that use both the vertical thrust from the jet engine and aerodynamic lift from the wings, allowing the aircraft to take-off and land on the carrier with increased weapon and fuel loads compared to predecessor aircraft.

Peter ‘Wizzer’ Wilson, BAE Systems’ test pilot for the short take-off and vertical landing variant on the F-35 Lightning II programme, said the simulator trials will provide engineers with the data to begin flight trials on HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), the First of Class aircraft carrier in 2018.

He said: «The immersive experience is as near to the real thing as possible. The data will show us exactly what will happen when F-35 Lightning II pilots fly to and from the Queen Elizabeth carriers. The trials we can run through the simulator are far more extensive than what we will do in the actual flight trials because we can run and re-run each trial until we have all the data we need. The simulator provides greater cost efficiency for the overall programme and is extremely important to the success of the first flight trials».

Over the last 15 years, BAE Systems’ flight simulation has been used to support the design and development of the interface between the F-35 Lightning II and the UK’s next generation of aircraft carriers.

The new simulator replaces a previous version which was first built in the 1980s to develop technology for the Harrier jump-jet and the Hawk advanced jet trainer before being converted for F-35 Lightning II.

Air Force

F-35 Fires ASRAAM

The F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet has successfully conducted its first firing trials of the MBDA Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM).

F-35 successfully conducts first firings of MBDA’s ASRAAM
F-35 successfully conducts first firings of MBDA’s ASRAAM

The trials are the first time a British-designed missile has been fired from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and the first time any non-US missile has been fired from the aircraft.

Conducted from both Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Edwards Air Force Base in the USA, the effort has seen both flight trials and air-launched firings of the ASRAAM successfully take place.

MBDA is currently under contract, awarded in 2016, to produce the highly capable infra-red (IR) guided air-to-air missile for the UK’s F-35s. ASRAAM’s large rocket motor and clean aerodynamic design gives it a high kinematic capability that delivers superior end-game performance compared with other countries’ in-service IR missiles.

The trials were conducted by the integrated test teams at Patuxent and Edwards, which include Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, MBDA and Northrop Grumman.

The development trials work is being conducted under the integration programme for ASRAAM onto the UK’s F-35 aircraft. This effort is currently progressing to plan and these integration activities will allow the Initial Operating Capability of the aircraft by the UK.

MBDA is also under contract for the ASRAAM Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) to build replenishment missiles for the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The CSP effort makes use of ASRAAM’s commonality with the CAMM missile family, also being bought by the Royal Navy and British Army, to deliver extensive cost savings across the UK Armed Forces.

Air Force

F-35 surges forward

The F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF) here recently completed 25 missions comprised of 12 Weapons Delivery Accuracy (WDA) and 13 weapon separation tests as part of a monthlong weapons firing test surge.

Major Douglas Rosenstock fires an AIM-120 AMRAAM from an F-35 Lightning II during a recent weapons test surge at Edwards Air Force Base, California. By the end of the surge the F-35 Integrated Test Team released 30 weapons in 31 days, a first in flight testing (Lockheed Martin photo/Darrin Russel)
Major Douglas Rosenstock fires an AIM-120 AMRAAM from an F-35 Lightning II during a recent weapons test surge at Edwards Air Force Base, California. By the end of the surge the F-35 Integrated Test Team released 30 weapons in 31 days, a first in flight testing (Lockheed Martin photo/Darrin Russel)

Historically, WDAs take place once a month given the myriad of coordination required. The highest number previously accomplished in a month was three in November 2014 during block 2B software testing.

Major Charles Trickey, interim director of operations for the 461st Flight Test Squadron (FTS), flew the final mission of the surge August 17. The mission was completed at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, where F-35 Lightning IIs shot two advanced medium-range, air-to-air missiles at a QF-4 drone.

«Some of these WDAs were particularly challenging events», Trickey said. He said the final mission was actually the fourth attempt to complete this test. «It was really cool to see the satisfaction of the team, and to get that feeling of accomplishment after doing something that challenging».

All told, the F-35 ITF deployed 30 weapons in 31 days, which included 12 WDAs and 13 separations, according to Trickey.

«Thirty separations in 31 days; that’s never been done before in flight test», said Captain Brett Tillman, a flight test engineer with the 461st FTS. «The fact that we could get everything together to do that number of separations in that few days is pretty amazing».

These successful test events – performed using the F-35’s newest block 3F software – demonstrated the accuracy of the aircraft. Five of the test events featured dropping multiple weapons.

The effort for this surge wasn’t limited to the F-35 test team. There were a number of units outside the F-35 ITF that put in extra effort and time to make the surge successful, including Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) airfield and tanker operations, the 416th FTS and the F-35 Joint Program Office.

The F-35 weapons test team was given exclusive use of the Sea Test Range, an instrumented Pacific Ocean test area off the central coast near Point Mugu, California. Tests were also conducted at the U.S. Navy’s China Lake weapons range in California and White Sands missile range.

«The amount of coordination and teamwork from the ITF and the outside organizations to enable this is unprecedented», Tillman said. «The work these team members put in is amazing. It couldn’t have been done without them».

During this surge period, a total of 30 weapons were dropped or fired, including the joint direct attack munition, AIM-120 advanced medium-range, air-to-air missile, GPS-guided 250-pound/113.4-kg small diameter bomb, AIM-9X Sidewinder supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile and GPS laser-guided munition.

«The WDAs rely on the full capability of the F-35 – multiple sensors, navigation, weapons envelope, mission planning, data links and inter-agency range scheduling – all working in sequence to put steel on target», said Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, an F-35 program executive officer. «This was a tremendous effort by the F-35 test team. They surged and worked seven days a week for more than a month to expend 30 ordnance and advanced weapons testing. This testing has moved us that much closer to delivering the full F-35 capability to warfighters within the next two years».

The F-35 is a multi-role, next-generation fighter that combines advanced stealth with speed, agility and a 360-degree view of the battlespace. The F-35 will form the backbone of air combat superiority for decades to come and replace legacy tactical fighter fleets with dominant air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities to deter and defeat potential adversaries.

The Marine Corps declared the F-35B combat ready, or Initial Operating Capability (IOC), in July 2015; the Air Force declared F-35A IOC on August 2; and the Navy intends to attain F-35C IOC in 2018. More than 200 F-35s have flown in excess of 66,000 fleet-wide hours, with over 300 F-35 pilots and 3,000 maintainers trained to operate and support this next-generation aircraft.

Air Force

ASRAAM for F-35B

MBDA has commenced deliveries of a quantity of Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM) for the forthcoming integration of this infra-red air dominance missile onto the UK’s F-35B. The first missile was delivered to the U.S. during January 2016 in conjunction with BAE Systems (the UK’s F-35B weapon integration lead). ASRAAM will be the first UK missile to arm the F-35B and its integration within the F-35B System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the programme will give the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy’s F-35s a highly capable, passive, Within Visual Range air-to-air capability.

MBDA delivers ASRAAM missiles for F-35 integration
MBDA delivers ASRAAM missiles for F-35 integration

British Defence Minister Philip Dunne welcomed the news from MBDA saying: «The upcoming work to integrate the MBDA Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile onto the F-35 Lightning aircraft will provide a state of the art weapon for both our RAF and Royal Navy pilots. The integration of this missile also demonstrates the success of the UK Defence industry’s contribution to the wider F-35 programme. Around 15% in value of every F-35 is being built here in the UK and the work is invaluable to British industry, supporting thousands of jobs across the UK».

These test missiles will be used during 2016 for a series of flight trials and air-launched firings that are a key step towards the Initial Operating Capability (IOC) of the aircraft by the UK. The trials will include environmental data gathering, safe separation from the aircraft, weapon integration with the F-35’s on-board systems, and lastly, weapon firing trials involving the engagement of targets. These integration activities will take place at both the Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Edwards Air Force base in the USA.

 

Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile

ASRAAM is the Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile in service with the RAF on the Tornado and Typhoon, the Royal Australian Air Force on the F/A-18 Hornet and on order for the Indian Air Force’s Jaguars.

The missile flies at over Mach 3 and its sleek, agile airframe, powerful motor, sophisticated seeker and software are designed to defeat current and future countermeasures.

With a significant presence in five European countries and the USA, in 2014 MBDA achieved a turnover of 2.4 billion Euros ($2.6 billion) with an order book of 12.6 billion Euros ($14 billion). With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems.

MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.

MBDA is jointly held by Airbus Group (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%), and Finmeccanica (25%).

Air Force

Targeting System

On September 10, Lockheed Martin introduced Advanced EOTS, an evolutionary electro-optical targeting system, which is available for the F-35’s Block 4 development. Designed to replace EOTS, the F-35’s current electro-optical targeting system, Advanced EOTS incorporates a wide range of enhancements and upgrades, including short-wave infrared, high-definition television, an infrared marker and improved image detector resolution. These enhancements increase F-35 pilots’ recognition and detection ranges, enabling greater overall targeting performance.

The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System provides precision air-to-air and air-to-surface targeting capability (Photo by Lockheed Martin)
The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System provides precision air-to-air and air-to-surface targeting capability (Photo by Lockheed Martin)

«In today’s environment, threats to our warfighters continue to evolve», said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/SOF CLSS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. «With significant capability and performance enhancements, Advanced EOTS ensures that F-35 pilots can stay ahead of these threats, detecting targets faster and at greater distances while remaining unseen».

Due to its similarity in shape and size to EOTS, Advanced EOTS can be installed with minimal changes to the F-35’s interface. It will be housed behind the same low-drag window, maintaining the F-35’s stealthy profile. Advanced EOTS production will be completed on the current EOTS line.

Advanced EOTS and EOTS are the first sensors to combine Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) functionality to provide precise air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting capability. Advanced EOTS was developed jointly through significant Lockheed Martin and supplier investment, with team members drawing on proven experience in electro-optical sensor design and manufacturing.

Lockheed Martin announced delivery of the 100th Electro-Optical Targeting System for the F-35 Lightning II in July 2013 (Photo by Lockheed Martin)
Lockheed Martin announced delivery of the 100th Electro-Optical Targeting System for the F-35 Lightning II in July 2013 (Photo by Lockheed Martin)

 

F-35 Lightning II EOTS

Through EOTS, pilots have access to high-resolution imagery, automatic tracking, IRST, laser designation and range finding, and laser spot tracking at greatly increased standoff ranges. Integrated into the F-35 Lightning II’s fuselage with a durable sapphire window, the low-drag, stealthy EOTS is linked to the aircraft’s central computer through a high-speed fiber-optic interface.

EOTS combines advanced sensor technology, a low-profile sapphire window design and advanced algorithms to provide long-range target recognition, identification and tracking. In the IRST mode, EOTS locates and tracks multiple airborne threats at extended ranges, ensuring high lethality and survivability.

EOTS incorporates proven technology and advances in optics, stabilization and processing. Its modular design and ease of repair make it simple to support and ensure two-level maintenance.

An F-35 Lightning II employed a Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) Paveway II laser-guided weapon against a fixed ground tank test target October 29. The F-35's Electro-Optical Targeting System enabled the pilot to identify, track, designate and deliver the GBU-12 on target (Photo by Lockheed Martin)
An F-35 Lightning II employed a Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) Paveway II laser-guided weapon against a fixed ground tank test target October 29. The F-35’s Electro-Optical Targeting System enabled the pilot to identify, track, designate and deliver the GBU-12 on target (Photo by Lockheed Martin)

 

Features

  • Rugged, low-profile, faceted window for supersonic, low-observable performance
  • Compact single aperture design
  • Lightweight (<200 lbs/90.7 kg), including window assembly
  • Advanced sensor technology
  • Air-to-surface/air-to-air FLIR tracker and air-to-air IRST modes
  • Modular design for two-level maintenance to reduce life cycle cost
  • Automatic boresight and aircraft alignment
  • Tactical and eye-safe diode-pumped laser
  • Laser spot tracker
  • Passive and active ranging
  • Highly accurate geo-coordinate generation to meet precision strike requirements
The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System supports all F-35 variants, including the F-35B pictured above (Photo by Lockheed Martin)
The F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System supports all F-35 variants, including the F-35B pictured above (Photo by Lockheed Martin)
Air Force

Enter the Dragon

All three variants of the F-35 Lightning II continue on a path toward full weapons certification by successfully completing numerous milestones during the previous four months. Highlights included validating 2B weapons software and successfully executing several weapons separation and engagement tests. The most recent accomplishments are in support of the first military service Initial Operational Capability (IOC) declaration by the U.S. Marine Corps in July.

An F-35A, at Edwards AFB, California, is pictured with its F-35 Systems Development and Demonstration Weapons Suite the aircraft is designed to carry. The F-35 can carry more than 35-hundred pounds of ordinance in Low Observable (stealth) mode and over 18-thousand pounds uncontested (Lockheed Martin Photo by Matt Short)
An F-35A, at Edwards AFB, California, is pictured with its F-35 Systems Development and Demonstration Weapons Suite the aircraft is designed to carry. The F-35 can carry more than 35-hundred pounds of ordinance in Low Observable (stealth) mode and over 18-thousand pounds uncontested (Lockheed Martin Photo by Matt Short)

The program also surpassed 25,000 combined flight hours in December with F-35 military fleet aircraft (16,200 hours) nearly doubling the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) test aircraft (8,950) hours. Comprehensive flight test on the F-35A variant GAU-22 25-mm gun system is scheduled to begin mid-year at Edwards AFB, California, and will include ground fire tests, muzzle calibration, flight test integration and in-flight operational tests. The 25-mm missionized gun pod carried externally, centerline mounted on the F-35B and F-35C also begins testing this year to meet U.S. service’s desired schedule for full warfighting capability software known as 3F. The 3F software is currently planned for delivery with the Low Rate Initial Production 9 (LRIP 9) U.S. aircraft in 2017.

«The weapons development program continues to track forward on the plan laid out by the Technical Baseline Review approved in 2010», said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, F-35 Program Executive Officer. «All weapons tests needed for 2B software, the software the U.S. Marine Corps will use to declare IOC, is complete and will be ready to go for their combat capability certification».

F-35 Weapons Stations
F-35 Weapons Stations

Specific F-35 Flight Test accomplishments during the past four months include:

  • First F-35 day and night Mission Effectiveness Close Air Support (CAS) flights completing 2B CAS testing (October 21).
  • Completion of live fire testing on an F-35B ground test article. (September 9).
  • Successful first (September 9) and night flight (September 18) with the Generation III helmet-mounted display with 3iR4 software.
  • Completion of final buffet, loads and high-angle-of-attack testing required for F-35A Block 2B software (November 18).
  • Successfully launched an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) from an F-35C, marking the last weapon separation test needed for Block 2B software (September 30).
  • F-35C set a record for 17 sorties in a day for a single F-35 aircraft (November 5) and a record 22 sorties with F-35C aircraft CF-3 and CF-5 combined aboard USS Nimitz for F-35C Sea Trials off the coast of San Diego (November 3-14).
  • First separation test of a GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, a 250-lb. precision-guided glide weapon (October 21) and multi-separation test (November 20).
  • First F-35 external flutter tests flown with the AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) (October 29) and Paveway IV missiles (November 13).
  • Three Weapon(s) Delivery Accuracy (WDA) live fire events completed in a week. The F-35 employed two AIM-120 AMRAAMs and one Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). These events included the first supersonic-guided missile launch and the first JDAM release on target coordinates generated from the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) (November 18-25 ).
Weapons Carriage Requirements
Weapons Carriage Requirements