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Your mission systems are so good that you can start operating weapons very early in your train-
ing and operations.

We have to air-to-air pilots working with air-to-ground pilots and merging the cultures.

You are not focusing on your sensors; you are focusing on the end objective of your mission.

The big difference with this aircraft is situational awareness.

You see everything, and I mean on the surface and on the ground and you command attack, de-
fense and electronic warfare functions within the aircraft.

In short, the plane is here and is already reshaping the thinking of several air powers,
the USMC, the USAF, the USN, the Australian RAAF has generated its Plan Jericho to
leverage the plane, the RAF sees it as a key part of its triple transition involving mod-
ernization of Eurofighter intersected with the F-35s flying from their new carrier, the
Italians are doing a double transition with Eurofighter modernization with F-35s, the
Norwegians and Dutch are preparing to fly an all fifth generation fleet. And all of these
squadron pilots are currently flying together at Luke AFB with the F-35As and for the
USMC and RAF at Beaufort Air Station with the Bs.

The future is now.

The F-35 Learning Curve

Pax River is the home of a key F-35 Integrated Test Force (ITF), which is focused on var-
ious aspects of the sea services F-35Bs and F-35Cs. The ITF test regime is on the air-
frame, and flying characteristics in modes both symmetric and asymmetric, of the
Lightning II.

Another F-35 test center is at Edwards AFB and is focused on expanding the flight enve-
lope for the F-35A variant and verifying the capabilities of the mission systems and the
fusion of information in the cockpit for the Lightning II force.

Second Line of Defense Lessons Learned at Pax River
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