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Israel, Italy, Japan and Norway are ready to train on Lockheed Martin F-35 full mission simulators. Lockheed Martin said these are the “first-ever deliveries to international F-35 operators.”
According to the manufacturer, these countries have or are scheduled to receive courseware, curriculum and an aircraft systems maintenance trainer. Pilot and maintenance trainers are to be delivered to additional international F-35 customers beginning next year. Lockheed Martin said its own personnel assist with operations and maintenance of the simulators for these international partners. They provide training in support of scenario creation.
Dozens of international pilots and maintainers have been trained in the U.S., Lockheed Martin said. Some of their instructor cadre have been trained in their countries by Lockheed Martin’s Global Mobile Training Team.
The manufacturer is preparing for the F-35 program to reach full-rate production. Most recently, Italy’s first domestically assembled F-35B embarked on its maiden flight. During the third and final acceptance flight, the aircraft successfully operated in short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing mode. In the U.S., the Defense Department’s new fleet of F-35s is experiencing spare-parts shortages and other sustainment problems hurting readiness.