NAS Patuxent River, Md. –
For the first time, Marine Corps F-35 Lightning II and Air Force F-22 Raptor pilots trained as a joint fighting force March 24-27 in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's (NAWCAD) Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
The training event brought eight Marine Corps F-35s to train alongside four Air Force F-22s in the DOD's most advanced digital test and training range.
“This milestone is a game-changer that ushers in a new era of interoperability for aviation’s combat community and served as a pivotal exercise getting NAWCAD ready to make this joint training standard for Navy and Air Force fighters starting this spring,” said NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. John Dougherty IV.
During the event, F-35B and F-35C pilots from Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons (VMFA) 122, 225 and 311 trained with several F-22 pilots from the Combat Air Forces and test community. Over two days, F-35 and F-22 pilots practiced fifth-generation fighting together in 17 simulated combat missions against advanced enemy threats only available at JSE. After each mission, the pilots reviewed their performance using cockpit video and audio recordings.
“The cross talk [while training in the JSE] is unparalleled in terms of being able to talk tactics [and] actually get in the same room with people,” said F-22 pilot Capt. Brett Myer. “It helps iron out a lot of the small details that really matter when it comes down to it.”
Real-world training on open-air ranges at this scale is expensive, difficult to coordinate and lacks a realistic threat environment. The JSE solves this problem by providing defense aviation a secure simulated range that puts pilots in threat environments not replicable in real life.
“At the end of the day, it's going to be the people that win our nation's wars,” said VMFA-225 pilot Maj. Patrick Kaufer. “Having those person-to-person connections between the Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps [in the JSE] is the most important part and biggest objective that we're able to achieve.”
Developed by NAWCAD engineers and industry partners, the JSE is a digital training and test facility that features realistic domed simulators with actual defense hardware, software and adversary aircraft. The immersive environment enables pilots flying F-35 and F-22 to practice complex combat scenarios and receive instant feedback, accelerating the learning process and honing their skills. Tactical groups training in the JSE fly more sorties in one week than they fly over a year on open-air ranges.
NAWCAD’s JSE is formally integrated into the Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program—commonly known as TOPGUN—and efforts are underway to incorporate JSE training across additional warfighter programs.
NAWCAD will expand JSE’s capabilities with the addition of a highly realistic E-2D Advanced Hawkeye this year, and the F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler next year.
NAWCAD’s military, civilian and contract personnel operate test ranges, laboratories and aircraft in support of test, evaluation, research, development and sustainment for all Navy and Marine Corps aviation platforms. Based in Patuxent River, Maryland, NAWCAD also has major sites in St. Inigoes, Maryland; Lakehurst, New Jersey; and Orlando, Florida.
From Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Public Affairs. 