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2019-12-05

Readying Fighter Pilots for Fifth Generation Battle Space

Nothing compares to the sound of freedom. That’s why the F-16 Fighting Falcon continues to fly as one of the world’s most successful combat-proven multirole fighter after more than four decades of service.

More than 4,600 aircraft have been delivered to date to 30 customers worldwide. As more countries join the F-16 enterprise, their pilots will need to learn to employ “the Viper” using highly advanced simulation and training suites tailored to their specific requirements.

To prepare F-16 pilots and maintainers, Lockheed Martin provides adaptable simulation and training products designed to meet both basic training designs and advanced employment dynamics. This readies customers for the most demanding and critical mission sets. From the F-16 Block 60 to the “V” and Block 70, Lockheed Martin develops and delivers capability through training to support customer operations in the fifth generation battle space.

Lockheed Martin’s Forte Is Person-to-Person Training

The excellence of the F-16 results from the blending of advanced jet coupled with thorough training. Just as the F-16 remains a revolutionary aircraft, the training that enables its success is also leading a revolution into advanced pilot and maintenance training.

James “Benson” Hedges, Lockheed Martin F-16 instructor pilot, highlights that, “The fighter environment is more complex today than at any time in history. It continues to expand based on ever advancing sensor employment merged with an aggressively linked net-centric battle space.”

Today’s pilots and maintenance teams don’t just perform tasks at an increased tempo; their understanding of the environment requires a technical depth that drives rapid changes in training. Lockheed Martin’s F-16 training solutions deliver robust tools and a curriculum that change with real world employment tempo.

Incorporation of virtual and mixed reality with high fidelity environments increase student throughput by shortening training timelines and broadening training spectrum. Additionally, the training merges real-time operations through advances in Live, Virtual and Constructive (LVC) applications. Lockheed Martin’s demonstrated commitment to global Air Force leadership fully supports doctrinal development by fielding training tools for pilots and maintenance professionals.

“Person-to-person training remains the cornerstone of Lockheed Martin’s system designs. It sets us apart as the only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that currently delivers all elements necessary for customers from initial training through operational employment,” said Benson.

New Training Contract to Make Desert Falcons More Formidable

Nations around the world continue to grow with advanced F-16 capabilities. The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) recently acquired the Lockheed Martin Air Combat Training Center (ACTC) which is a comprehensive network-based F-16 training environment.

The ACTC is configurable and can include a comprehensive suite of full mission trainers, weapons and tactics trainers, desk top trainers, courseware and student management and reporting tools.

For decades, pilots and maintainers from 25 allied nations have trained on Lockheed Martin’s F-16 training systems. The F-16 pilots and maintainers trained are over 29,000 and 60+ training devices are delivered. These systems are changing how militaries train service men and women – preparing them to fight and win in the battle space of tomorrow.

During the recently concluded Dubai Airshow, the UAE government announced the news of a new Lockheed Martin F-16 training contract. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said, “Lockheed Martin is immensely proud of our 40-year partnership with the UAE. On the side-lines of the Dubai Airshow, this enduring relationship took another step forward with the announcement by the UAE to support the training of the UAE’s F-16 aircraft. The UAE flies one of the most advanced fourth-generation fighters in the world, the Block 60 F-16 “Desert Falcon.” With this announcement, the UAE will further strengthen its national security and defence priorities.”

Newest and Most Advanced F-16 Production Configuration

The F-16 Block 70/72 is the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration, combining numerous capability and structural upgrades, most notably the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with a new avionics architecture and structural upgrades to extend the structural life of the aircraft by more than 50 per cent beyond that of previous production F-16 aircraft.

APG-83 AESA Radar: Northrop Grumman’s advanced APG-83 AESA radar delivers greater situational awareness, flexibility and quicker all-weather targeting. The APG-83 provides pilots with unprecedented target area detail and digital map displays that can be tailored with slew and zoom features.

Enhanced Battle Space Awareness: Another key feature of the F-16 Block 70 configuration is the new Centre Pedestal Display (CPD), which provides critical tactical imagery to pilots on a high-resolution 6”x 8” screen. The high-resolution display allows pilots to take full advantage of AESA and targeting pod data.

Weapons: In concert with the U.S. Air Force and multiple F-16 Foreign Military Sales customers, Lockheed Martin have certified more than 3,300 carriage and release configurations for greater than 180 weapon and store types.

This experience of Lockheed Martin as a weapon integrator has enabled the F-16 to be one of the most versatile multirole fighters ever.

Enhanced Capabilities: Operational capabilities are enhanced through an advanced datalink, targeting pod and weapons, precision GPS navigation and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS). Structural and capability upgrades ensure the F-16 can operate to 2070 and beyond.

Reference Text/photo:

www.lockheedmartin.com

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