F-35B - UK gjør seg klare

UK steps up F-35 preparations

8 May 2014

 
Watch the UK skies in July - (Lockheed Martin)
With the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II now confirmed to appear at RIAT and Farnborough Air Shows in July, AEROSPACE columnist HOWARD WHEELDON looks at the UK's preparations as it counts down to operational service.
With the UK MoD close to confirming orders for the first 14 F-35B STOVL Lightning ll aircraft planned as part of the joint Royal Air Force and Royal Navy-operated future carrier force, interesting winds of change are blowing across the air power community. Just as it is in the US, air power remains the essential core competency for future UK defence. The Joint Combat Aircraft, as it was originally known in UK military parlance, will form an intrinsic part of Britain's future combat air capability. Training of UK pilots, together with the engineers that will be responsible for maintaining the UK’s F-35 fleet, is a massive task and it is one that has been meticulously planned. To achieve the F-35 training goals, RAF and RN staff have embedded with the 33rd Fighter Wing, a graduate flying and maintenance training wing located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. This is the centre of excellence of F-35 training capability, including pilots, maintainers, air battle managers and intelligence personnel. The plan is that, by 2018, the facility will have an annual capacity to train 100 pilots and 2,100 maintainers. For Britain, which is a Tier One partner on the F-35 programme, the ability of our pilots and engineers to train alongside US military personnel is another example of how the UK pools and share assets and expertise with its largest ally.
Last month I saw for myself the superb F-35 training facilities at Eglin Air Base and got to talk with a number of RAF and RN personnel engaged in the F-35 Lightning ll programme. The facilities and particularly the Academic Training Centre are, to say the least, remarkable. UK military embedded at Eglin are highly motivated professionals who are clearly dedicated to the job in hand. In a relatively short period of time, have come a very long way in developing the relationship with the new F-35. In turn, they will become trainers themselves, ensuring that, by the time the jets to be acquired by the UK are fully operational, all the required support is available.

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