ORLANDO, Fla. – The F-35 joint strike fighter is a highly advanced, stealthy fighter that requires significant amounts of training to master. If program officials have their way, it will also be used by US forces and international allies around the globe.

If that international dream becomes reality, keeping current on training becomes a problem. After all, there are only a few major training centers scheduled for the plane, and bringing pilots back from the field costs time and money.

Enter Lockheed Martin's new Deployable Mission Rehearsal Trainer (DMRT), which the company says will help keep pilots current as well as provide high-fidelity mission planning.

The DMRT is a simple concept: two simulators in what is essentially a shipping container. A second container is attached to provide HVAC and power for the system. The system can also link with a second DMRT, giving four pilots a chance to train together.

Mike Luntz, Lockheed's director for F-35 training systems, said his team is focused on getting the DMRT ready for use on a carrier, but envisions it will also be used in the field.

Which isn't to say the DMRT will replace the high-end simulator used at training bases such as Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The system inside the DMRT comes with a smaller visual display, about the size of a large whiteboard instead of a full dome. The cockpit is also static. However, the system uses the same software as the more robust trainer.

"The idea is it could go on an aircraft carrier or be forward deployed in an austere environment," Luntz said. "So instead of pilots having to continuously fly the jets to stay current while on the ship or out in the field, they can just hop inside the DMRT and keep their pilot hours current."

Currently, the company is under contract for two systems. The first DMRT is undergoing tests at Edwards Air Force Base with pilots from the UK, which is purchasing the F-35B jump-jet variant of the fighter. Luntz said the Australian military, which plans to buy 100 F-35A conventional models, is also looking into the system.

The DMRT can also be used for mission planning purposes. If an air strike in Iraq is being plotted, four pilots could climb into their linked DMRT and simulate the attack with high-fidelity, all in the field.

The "pretty novel concept," as Luntz called it, could eventually spread to other Lockheed Martin products.

"If the demand was there," he said, "that is something that would be possible." ■

Email: amehta@defensenews.com.

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