Domes on the Range: F-35 Training Takes Off

[spazsinbad]

Domes on the Range: F-35 Training Takes Off
20 Jun 2017 Angus Batey

"Everything about the F-35 program requires new ways of thinking for the air forces that will operate the aircraft, and the industrial entities that are supplying them. Training and simulation are no exception.

At Rockwell Collins’ simulation center in Burgess Hill, Sussex, UK, some of the challenges involved in providing a fifth-generation training capability are brought in to focus. The company’s Griffin Dome is the solution selected by platform prime contractor Lockheed Martin to provide the required level of fidelity – but designing and delivering it has meant overcoming several high hurdles.

The dome itself is made from three pieces of acrylic sheeting, which are shaped before being baked in an autoclave, then painted on a robotic jig to ensure the surface is free of any defects that could cause errors in the visual simulation. The dome is surrounded by towers carrying 25 specially designed projectors....

...To ensure the 25 devices project a consistent picture onto the dome, with no visible joins and with no variation in brightness between one part of the scene and another, the image processing needs to be an order of magnitude better than on commodity products. Blackford points to the contrast ratio of the projector to illustrate the concept....

...There are other aspects of the F-35 simulation solution that similarly require going a considerable distance further than on legacy aircraft. The jet does not have a head-up display, meaning that the helmet-mounted display – available on other platforms, but not generally in their simulators – is going to be an essential part of the training system.

RC is part of the consortium that produces the F-35 helmet, and is offering two solutions for the simulator. One is based around the actual flight helmet, while the other is less representative of the real device. The two alternatives are currently being evaluated by LM.

“In the aircraft, the optics are focused to infinity, but for a sim, where the screen is only about six feet away, you need a different focal length,” Blackford says, explaining why a standard flight helmet cannot be used in the simulator. “The simulation-type version has a different look and feel to it.”

A simulator variant would be cheaper, yet that may not be an advisable option on F-35. Unlike with the vast majority of earlier fighters, there is no two-seat variant, so the first flight in the aircraft for every pilot will be solo. Similarly, the combination of sensors, weapons and electronic warfare systems on board mean that some capabilities will likely never be used in during live training. The Royal Air Force has said it expects to do 50% of its F-35 training in the simulator ­– more than on any other fighter. Other nations appear to be following this lead.

“There are certainly things you can only train in the sim, and there are efficiencies of doing things in the sim,” Blackford says. “To get to that 50-50 ambition, you really do need high fidelity, so introducing a weak link would be a false economy.”"

Graphic:"The Griffin Dome screen is surrounded by towers containing 25 projectors, each with a system of mirrors to ensure the correct focal length is achieved within a small footprint." http://aviationweek.com/site-files/avia ... ePrint.jpg

Source: http://aviationweek.com/paris-air-show- ... ning-takes

[spazsinbad]

Oh Lara Oh Lara Oh Lara O'Leary - theys not 'full motion simulators' but FULL MISSION SIMULATORS dearie! POOFread POOFread POOFread SUBdroolingEDITORs for GORSake - shape up or ship out!

Lockheed Late In Delivering International F-35 Simulators
26 Jun 2017 Lara Seligman

"PARIS - Lockheed Martin is three months behind schedule in delivering F-35 full-motion simulators to four international customers, a slip that could delay training of those countries’ future F-35 pilots.

Lockheed is working through “unexpected issues” in adapting the latest iteration of F-35 simulator software, Block 3i, for international export release, said Orlando Carvalho, company vice president of aeronautics, during an interview at last week’s Paris Air Show. This problem affects F-35 partner nations Italy and Norway, as well as foreign military sales customers Israel and Japan.

Lockheed must resolve these issues before the U.S. government certifies the system for export, Carvalho said.

He would not elaborate on the nature of the problem, but it may have to do with data sharing between international F-35 fleets. Government and industry officials have acknowledged challenges deciding what sovereign logistics and threat data can be shared between the partners, and what must be firewalled for security reasons.

“It’s the first time out of the chute because up until now all the simulators have been domestically based for F-35s,” Carvalho said. So far, Lockheed has successfully stood up 12 U.S. F-35 bases.

Full use of the simulators is critical to preparing international pilots to fly the F-35. Italy’s first F-35 rolled off the assembly line in 2015; meanwhile Israel and Japan welcomed their first aircraft in 2016, and Norway is set to receive its first jets in November.

Norway, in particular, has expressed concern that Lockheed will not be ready to support the timeline for the planned standup of the new fleet. Norwegian officials told Aviation Week in January that they are keeping a close eye on some “risk areas,” though they did not specifically mention the delay in delivering full-motion simulators. [which do not exist so big deal] Norway is planning to declare its F-35s combat ready in 2019, with full operating capability expected in 2020.

“They will start training for initial operating capability immediately, and everything needs to be in place for them to do that,” said Maj. Gen. Morten Klever, Norway’s F-35 program director. “Is the industry ready to support and sustain the aircraft in Norway? There is a risk right now.”

Norway’s concern is justified, but Lockheed is confident in successfully standing up Norway’s F-35 fleet, Carvalho said.

“Given their timeline for declaring [initial operating capability] that has been a concern, and legitimately so because we are a little bit late with delivering that simulator,” Carvalho said. “But in our view the rest of the standup is proceeding smoothly.”

Lockheed now anticipates that two of Norway’s simulators will be ready for use Sept. 8, followed by another two on Oct. 13. Israel’s two simulators will be ready Sept. 1, Italy’s two on Sept. 22 and Japan’s two on Sept. 29, according to the company.

Ongoing delivery of the hardware piece of the simulators has not been affected, Carvalho said.

Each new version of the F-35’s simulator software will have to meet exportability requirements. This means the U.S. government will need to certify the next iteration of simulator software, Block 3F, which aligns with F-35 final warfighting capability."

Source: http://aviationweek.com/defense/lockhee ... simulators