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THE
CAPABILITY |
By
Kathryn Fitch
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SQNLDR
Chris Middleton, staff officer to the DG New Air Combat
Capability, gets a feel for the F35 JSF simulator in Canberra.
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Photo
by CPL Simone Liebelt
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Lockheed
Martin toured the Joint Strike Fighter
at RAAF Base Williamtown, the Australian
International Air Show and in Canberra.
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The
cockpit has a flat screen and there will
be three ways of navigating the system.
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PERSONNEL
have sat in the pilot’s seat of the Joint Strike Fighter for the
first time and found it has a radically different look and feel.
Staff at Canberra and RAAF Base Williamtown were recently invited
to climb into a JSF cockpit simulator provided by Lockheed Martin
and experienced the new JSF systems.
Lockheed Martin toured the bases and Australian International
Air Show at Avalon to demonstrate the capabilities of the JSF
as the Air Force is considering the JSF to replace the F/A-18
and F-111.
Wing Commander Don Thornton, who recently went to the United States
to take part in simulator exercises, indicated the main difference
between the legacy systems and the new high-tech cockpit was the
21x8 inch flat touch screen.
Kenn Cooper, a senior simulation specialist from Lockheed Martin,
explained the screen can have up to 12 information boxes, however
this can be simplified depending on the pilot’s needs.
The pilot will be able to modify how many screens and what information
is displayed depending on their requirements at the time. There
will be three ways of navigating the system.
The pilot will be able to use the touchscreen, manually toggle
through the screens using the buttons on the throttle and sidestick
controller or use a voice recognition system.
During the capability briefing in Canberra, United States Air
Force Lieutenant Colonel Ed Conant, from the JSF Program Office,
outlined the superior sensor, communication systems and weapons
capability that will be offered by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter.
According to LTCOL Conant, the JSF – which is a true multi-role
aircraft – is being developed around the key ideas of survivability,
lethality, supportability and affordability.
A key feature of the JSF is it planned to offer a far greater
range than legacy aircraft, carrying double the fuel of the F/A-
18.
He said key features planned included a superior sensor system,
including the best synthetic aperture radar mapping that any jet
has ever had and an information fusion system that blends the
information from a range of sensors giving the pilot an integrated
picture rather than a lot of disjointed data.
“The radar will track multiple targets and multiple volumes, but
compared to legacy it is very fast,” he said.
It will also have a first-look, first-shoot, air-to-air capability
and will carry an impressive array of weapons.
“The airplane is designed to carry just about any type of weapons
you would care to carry,” he said.
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THE
EXPERIENCE |
Timid test run avoids crash and burn but gets wobbles.
CPL
Simone Liebelt was left wondering whether she flew the JSF or
the JSF took her for a ride.
HOW
do you think I felt jumping out of the cockpit of an F35 Joint
Strike Fighter simulator with wobbly knees? Pretty silly, let
me tell you. Lucky for me, not many people were there to witness
my attempt at being a fighter jet pilot.
While everyone else was attending the JSF presentation next door
in the R1 theatrette, I was taking to the simulated skies of Nevada
out in the foyer.
I was only there to take photos, so I didn’t hesitate accepting
a ride when offered. After squeezing into the pilot’s seat, I
quickly focussed my concentration on the task at hand – flying
the big expensive computer that I didn’t know from a bar of soap.
On hand was Lockheed Martin senior simulator specialist Kenn Martin,
who provided the commentary and advice that kept me airborne.
I knew it didn’t matter how hopeless I was behind the controls,
it was just the thought of crashing and burning that got my nerves
twitching.
While I love to fly, the fear of a fiery death (even in cyber
land) was always on my mind. As Kenn ran me through the flight
controls, I was surprised at how quickly I tensed up; my palms
started sweating and my legs started shaking as I felt my way
around the console.
My eyes were glued to the screen and my knuckles went white as
I grasped the controls. After a successful take-off, Kenn guided
me through some aircraft manoeuvres where I quickly learnt that
only a feather’s touch was needed to weave my flight path.
A few barrel rolls and a successful missile launch later, I was
much more relaxed and having a great time.
After about 20 minutes drifting over the Nevada desert, I tensed
up again as I came in to land, the trickiest part of the flight.
If there was a chance I was going to crash and burn, this was
the time.
After I got out of the simulator, wobbly knees and all, I wondered
what all the fuss was about. The JSF seemed to fly itself; I just
went along for the ride.
