F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] has begun delivering full-mission simulators for the fighter jet to foreign customers, the company announced Nov. 6.
The Israeli, Italian, Japanese and Norwegian air forces have become the first international recipients of the pilot-training system, which features a virtual cockpit in a 360-degree dome, Lockheed Martin said. The simulator is designed to replicate flight characteristics, sensors, weapons and threats, and it can be used for pilot qualification training, continuation training and mission rehearsal training.
Lockheed Martin has now delivered a total of 50 full-mission simulators to U.S. and foreign customers, and it plans to push that number to over 70 by the end of 2018, company spokesman Nate Simmons said.
Lockheed Martin is also delivering the F-35 aircraft systems maintenance trainer to customers around the world.