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Jane's Defence Weekly
Learning to fly: UK F-35 training ramps up

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At Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, a detachment of UK pilots and technicians are learning to operate the
'B' version of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter alongside their US counterparts. Jamie Hunter
reports on progress to date
There can be few airmen in the US Marine Corps (USMC) who are not keenly aware of 31 July 2015: the
date the service has set for the declaration of initial operational capability (IOC) with the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Despite
timelines having slipped to the right - IOC was originally planned in 2010 - marine corps leadership has
been aggressive with its service deployment of the F-35B.
This is the way of the F-35 programme: it is about breaking away from the 'legacy' thinking of the past in
order to ramp up production rates and bring down full-rate production costs. Indeed, Lieutenant General
Jon 'Dog' Davis, the deputy commandant for Marine Aviation, wants his new F-35s faster. The latest Marine
Aviation TACAIR (tactical air) roadmap now calls for the accelerated retirement of the AV-8B Harrier II by
2025, with F/A-18 Hornets now planned to be upgraded in order to keep them flying until 2030. Ramping
up production from 20 to 24 F-35s per year could knock four years off the transition from legacy platforms.
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A pair of USMC F-35Bs from VMFAT-501 are pictured being flown by UK pilots. (Jamie Hunter)
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Under current planning the USMC sees the full transition to the F-35 by 2032 with the establishment of its
22nd squadron; the service plans to buy some 353 F-35Bs as well as 67 F-35C carrier variants.
Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) 'Warlords' has now moved to MCAS Beaufort
from its initial establishment at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, having trained an initial cadre of
engineers and pilots for the corps' first operational squadron, Yuma's VMFA-121 'Green Knights'.
Beaufort has a big part to play in the coming years of the F-35 story. This is where both USMC F-35B Fleet
Replacement Squadrons (FRS) - training units - will be stationed.
It is also where the United Kingdom - the only non-US Tier 1 partner in the F-35 programme - will realise its
initial core F-35B operation, working hand-in-hand with the marines, with a pooling of assets as the
services ramp up their respective operations.
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Strong position
"We're in a really good place now in the F-35 community in terms of relative priority because we are in
right from the 'get go'," said AVM Waterfall. "In the UK we've got 25,000 jobs directly related to the JSF
and there's a 15% UK stake in every aircraft."
The UK now has three completed aircraft in the United States (BK1, 2 and 3), AVM Waterfall said, adding,
"I've [also] recently signed the bulkhead of the fourth (BK4) and we've just contracted for four more."
These four additional aircraft are part of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) batch 8, recently agreed with
Lockheed Martin.
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Under the terms of this deal Lockheed Martin will produce 43 F-35s beginning in 2016, comprised of 19 F35As for the US Air Force (USAF), six F-35Bs for the USMC and four F-35Cs for the US Navy (USN).
Additionally, it includes 14 aircraft for international customers, including the four F-35Bs for the UK. The
total value of LRIP 8 is USD4.7 billion, which includes advanced procurement funding. However, it broadly
puts the respective variants' unit costs at USD94.8 million for the F-35A, USD102 million for the F-35B and
USD115.7 million for the F-35C, with these costs excluding the engine.
Squadron leader Hugh Nichols dons his Vision Systems International Generation 3 (Gen 3) helmet prior to a
flight in a VMFAT-501 F-35B JSF from MCAS Beaufort. (Jamie Hunter)
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AVM Waterfall commented: "LRIP 8 is 3.6% lower than the previous buys, so already the cost is coming
down, and that's still at the low rate. We can commit into the programme at this cost because we know
the eventual buy at the full-production rate is going to be significantly cheaper."
The initial UK jets are being used for both the training unit (VMFAT-501) and on the British Operational
Evaluation Unit (No 17(R) Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES)). BK1 and 2 are now leaving depot-level
maintenance with the latest upgrades and are heading to Edwards AFB. Here, they will provide the initial
jets for No 17(R) TES. Aircraft BK4 will complete the No 17 (R) TES complement of three aircraft. BK3 is
already assigned to VMFAT-501 as a training asset, with the latest four UK aircraft ordered under LRIP 8
also set to join the joint VMFAT-501/No 617 Squadron training team at Beaufort.
The UK plans to run all of its initial pilots through the VMFAT-501 course at Beaufort. Squadron leader
Hugh Nichols, an exchange officer with VMFAT-501 and now an instructor pilot on the F-35B, was the first
British non-test pilot or operational test pilot to train to fly the F-35B in 2013. The next UK pilots are due at
Beaufort toward the end of 2015, initially to join VMFAT-511 as instructors.
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The new approach

The establishment of No 617 Squadron at MCAS Beaufort in 2016, the return to the UK in 2018, the
declaration of IOC and then the push for maritime integration and the stand up of 809 Naval Air Squadron
(the next UK F-35 unit), means the RAF plan is every bit as ambitious as that of its USMC brethren. The
AVM Waterfall said the UK definition of IOC, while still fairly broad, currently states that the F-35 will
contribute to warfighting operations equipped with Advanced Short-Range and Advanced Medium-Range
Air-to-Air Missiles and Paveway IV weapons.
"We have signed LRIP 8 and we are working to deliver IOC at Marham in 2018, which involves aircraft
sufficient to declaring IOC and then IOC maritime in 2020," he added.
UK pilots are currently flying both UK and USMC F-35B JSFs. (Jamie Hunter)
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Commenting on the exchange programme, Group Capt Paul Godfrey, who oversees the entry into service
of the Lightning II in the UK, said the pooling agreement "is clearly something different that we've not done
before, but that is born out of the relationship we've always had with the US Marine Corps. We are
incredibly lucky being pooled with the USMC as they run up to their IOC because they are so focused on
achieving it, and we are learning so much about the weapon system and support structures."
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Future force
The Typhoon is reaching a level of maturity with Phase 1 Enhancements from 1 April 2015 on Tranche 2
with Litening III and Paveway IV capability. According to AVM Waterfall this is very much complementary
with the Tornado and aimed at using the sum of their parts or individually. "By 2019, [however], the time is
right to retire the Tornados and bring a more modern aircraft into the inventory and that is F-35," he said.
An artist's rendering of an F-35B executing a vertical recovery on the UK's future aircraft carrier, Queen
Elizabeth. (Aircraft Carrier Alliance/BAE Systems)
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Carrier-enabled power projection is of course a cornerstone of the UK's F-35 strategy. Commenting on the
amount of time the UK F-35s will spend at sea, AVM Waterfall said: "They are going to be embarked as
frequently as is needed to maintain a level of competency and currency of being able to power project
from a sea base. If that means that the government wants [the F-35] to spend months of the year
delivering defence diplomacy or deterrence in parts of the globe, then so be it. If that is spending months
of the year at Marham protecting UK airspace or projecting air power from land bases, then so be it."
The first-in-class flying trials with the F-35B and the new QEC carrier is planned for 2018.
"When the F-35 comes into service it will bring the combat mass plus its unique capabilities," said AVM
Waterfall. "It's going to be able to go in and perform the air superiority role, defensive counter-air and also
it will have capability in the suppression of enemy air defences [SEAD] role."
Gp Capt Godfrey said the huge advantage of the F-35 is its flexibility. "You have that 'day one' entry
capability dependent on the threat. However, 'day one' could also be close air support in a non-threatening
environment or overwatch of a NEO [non-combatant evacuation operation]. 'Day one' means all sorts of
different things and this aeroplane can do it all. All the things we've been trying to get good at over the
years are the baseline with this aircraft," he said.
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"I think the primary issue is mission data. I would genuinely put the UK as world leaders in mission data
manipulation for the Typhoon. This is a mission-data-fed aeroplane. Clearly Typhoon is as well, but not on
the scale of the F-35. For us to be able to do what we need to, to operate the way the UK wants to operate,
is huge, which is why the up-front investment has gone in to allow us that freedom of action."
Jamie Hunter is a JDW Correspondent, reporting from Florida.
Copyright IHS Global Limited, 2014
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Jane's Defence Weekly

Learning to fly: UK F-35 training ramps up

[Continued in full version]

The new approach

[Continued in full version]

[Continued in full version]

Jamie Hunter is a JDW Correspondent, reporting from Florida.

Copyright IHS Global Limited, 2014

For the full version and more content:

IHS Jane's Defence Industry and Markets Intelligence Centre

For advertising solutions contact the IHS Janes Advertising team

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