want to use in the open air,” commented
Tidball. “Also missions where we want a high
density of threats, for example, the simulator
is so good that you can actually do tactics
development and validation. While we have
embedded training modes in the aeroplane,
there will be a lot that needs to be done in
the simulator. In terms of live flying, I expect
you’ll see British F-35s flying close air support
and armed reconnaissance type missions,
as well as some defensive counter-air.
“Live flying is important in that it makes
you appreciate your vulnerabilities and your
capacity to fly in the real world. We are
looking at getting the right balance. The
UK Lightning Force currently includes a
lot of experienced pilots, but we also have
ab initio pilots coming through now, so
there’s a breadth of experience and it will
be interesting to see how much live flying
the new guys need over synthetics.”
The inevitable spiral development of the
F-35 will see testing continuing throughout
the life of the programme. There’s so much
to be gained from the teaming arrangement
it’s unlikely that the UK would want to diverge
from the US and go off on a tangent. Thus,
once IOT&E is complete, the JOTT could well
dissolve, but the ‘Black Knights’ will remain
in the US and will probably stay aligned with
some of the American operational test units.
“For future testing it’s important that we are
co-located with another F-35 user,” concluded
Tidball. “We are all working to the same basic
tactics, but we will have a specific UK manual
that we are currently involved in producing.
Ultimately, there’s a lot of smart people here
working out the optimal way to effectively
employ this aeroplane and make it as lethal
and as survivable as they possibly can.”
Above: The ‘Black Knights’ have completed trials alongside RAF Eurofi ghter Typhoons in order to prove
interoperability aims. More joint trials are planned for 2018. Below: The three operational test F-35Bs for
AFM the United Kingdom are all ‘orange wired’ with test instrumentation.http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #358 JANUARY 2018 // 69