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The air wings are not yet a key part of that transition, but when the planes get to the
squadron, change will happen more rapidly than many people think.

Already, the first training squadron of F-35s came to Fallon for an exercise and that was
an eye opener for Fallon.

The knowledge is there inside the Navy.

And, equally important, is getting it down to the user to understand what the airplane
is going to do and to accept what’s already been designed to do.

That is the challenge.

Editor’s Note: There is another aspect of the impact of fifth generation systems on pilots, notably
the new pilots who come directly into fifth generation systems.

A key point was made about an Aussie F-22 exchange pilot who is an experienced F/A-
18 operator.

For RAAF Fighter Pilot Matthew Harper, the systems in the fifth generation aircraft, which take
a giant leap forward with the F-35, provide the pilot with a decision making role, not an over-
burdened “look at your screens” and sort out what to do role.

He summarized the impact that he saw with three key examples:

First, within the first 30 minutes of sitting down in the simulator, he grasped that his ability to
dominate the air space with the F-22 was clear.

Second, the abilities of the pilots are significantly augmented with fifth generation capabilities.
He cited a recent example where a USAF pilot with only 350 total flight hours flew in Red Flag
and dominated his airspace. For Harper, this would be virtually impossible to imagine in any
other plane.

Third, he cited the experience of a USAF F-15C pilot who told him:

“I have more SA with only 20 hours on the F-22A than I ever had with over 1500 hours on the
F-15C.”

Second Line of Defense Lessons Learned at Pax River
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