One of the main deciding factors for the next-generation training aircraft will be how good the system’s simulators will be, in addition to how the aircraft performs in the air, Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, the commander of Air Education and Training Command, told reporters Sept. 15 at ASC15. The need for high-level training in threatened environments makes the need for simulators with enough fidelity to replicate intense training in anti-access/area-denial situations. “We in AETC are focused on getting the state of the art capability in the virtual constructive environment so we can, from the beginning, train to a level that’s going to allow us to fight in that (high-threat) environment,” Roberson said. The T-X’s simulators will need to get a pilot so into a mission that he can’t tell “he’s not out flying in the airplane for real,” he said. AETC has worked to be open with contractors on the changing requirements for the system. The T-X contract award is expected in 2017.
Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test
March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon on March 13 fell short of a fully successful test, but the Air Force isn’t saying what went wrong with the Lockheed Martin-built hypersonic missile. The defense giant's Missiles and Fire Control division recently said the ARRW is "ready…