Military Force Strives to Recruit More Pilots for Operation in Leading F-35 Flight Simulator
CRackin' Up the F-35 Game:
The virtual test environment that helped the F-35 stealth fighter jet pass its operational tests is now powering the world's best F-35 training simulator. This powerhouse is about to be replicated from a solitary Maryland base to five mega-sites across the nation.
The Air Force and Navy are throwing billions to scale up the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE), originally hunkered down at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Maryland. The new, larger installations will spring up at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, Edwards Air Force Base in California, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.
Long-term plans includements setting up JSE sites at all F-35 bases, such as Hill, Luke, Eglin, Eielson, Davis-Monthan, and National Guard sites, as well as international bases like RAF Lakenheath in the UK. And that's only the beginning – they're aiming for an "eight-ship" of F-35s and manned Red Air capabilities at all these new sites.
Stripped-down versions of the simulator are already equipped on aircraft carriers, helping deployed squadrons maintain crucial skills in combat-restricted environments. The high-precision simulation mirrors the actual flight software, which makes it invaluable for training.
"JSE was born from the need to take the F-35 through operational testing," said Derek Greer, integrated battlespace simulation and test department head at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. "We didn't have the threat density or complexity to fully stress the F-35 at our open-air ranges, so we needed a simulator for that."
In fiscal 2024, 820 F-35 pilots used the JSE trainers at Patuxent River, including squadrons based at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska; RAF Lakenheath; and the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis.
Now the Air Force and Navy are set on transforming JSE from a single-purpose, single-site tool to a multi-purpose, multi-site powerhouse – an ambitious undertaking that will leverage both military and industrial expertise. Col. Matt Ryan, the simulators division chief and senior materiel leader for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, admitted that scaling the program will take years of intensive effort.
But the payoff will be immense – as the number of locations increases, so does the number of pilots who can benefit from the training."We're taking something that was meant for a single purpose, at a single location, and scaling it out to be used at multiple locations, for all time, for almost all people," Ryan said. "That's a pretty significant scaling challenge, especially as we move away from the original design."
Expect Nellis Air Force Base and Edwards Air Force Base to serve as major sites, with the primary focus on mission rehearsal, large force exercises, unit-level training, and continued operational test. However, other possible use cases, like experimentation and developmental tests, could materialize in the future, centered around real-time mission-level operations.
Currently, only the F-35 is supported in JSE, but the F-22 is in the works, with additional features like space data and potential use by the Space Force on the horizon. The F-35's capabilities make it challenging to practice some tactics and procedures on real-world ranges, as revealing secrets to potential adversaries could expose valuable information. That's where JSE excels – by providing the capability to repeatedly run through scenarios and master crucial procedures without compromising sensitive data.
From a financial perspective, the cost-effectiveness of JSE for complex multi-aircraft operations is enormous, particularly when it comes to mental rehearsals. "When we talk about eight-ship training, the Red Air picture, the ground picture – just getting eight airplanes off the ground for training – it's a logistical nightmare," Greer said. "But in JSE, we're able to do eight, ten, even twelve missions a day. That's eight vs. 20, twelve times in a day – it's more than any single squadron can handle."
In summary, the Air Force and Navy are focusing on enhancing JSE to prepare for large-scale, joint operations, while maintaining the primary focus on operational integration and testing. The exact number of new "super sites" and their locations remain secret for the time being.
- The Air Force and Navy are working together to expand the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) for the F-35 stealth fighter jet, aiming to set up sites at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, Edwards Air Force Base in California, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, and potential international bases like RAF Lakenheath in the UK.
- The JSE is originally from the need to take the F-35 through operational testing and provide high-precision simulations that mirror actual flight software, which is invaluable for training pilots.
- In the future, the Space Force may utilize the JSE, with potential additions like space data, as the currently supported aircraft, the F-35, is not sufficient to practice some tactics and procedures on real-world ranges without revealing sensitive information.
- The payoff of scaling up JSE is immense, as it allows for an increase in the number of locations and pilots who can benefit from the training, and enables the conduction of multiple missions a day, unlike real-world training logistics.
- The JSE is a powerful tool in defense and warfare, helping military pilots maintain crucial skills and prepare for large-scale, joint operations while minimizing the risk of exposing valuable information on real-world ranges.
