we are getting pretty far from the AESA, that this thread was started for, but here goes
Take a Seat Inside the Virtual Cockpit of an F-35
A veteran test pilot takes the viewer on a tour of the Lightning II’s many features.
By
Kyle Mizokami
Jun 4, 2019
A new YouTube video tour gives a 360 degree view of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The tour, hosted by
Commander Tony “Brick” Wilson, was uploaded by defense contractor and F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Wilson points out some of the less well known aspects of the fifth generation stealth fighter, including the aircraft’s armament capability, sensors, and engine performance.
The F-35 was the second fifth generation fighter to fly. As Wilson points out fifth generation jets are not just defined by stealth but by the ability to fuse sensor data together and present it to the pilot in a useful way. Wilson starts off by showing off the Electro-Optical Targeting System, or EOTS. EOTS is composed of the nose-mounted forward-looking infrared targeting sensor and the Distributed Aperture System, a network of cameras pointing in all directions, giving the pilot the ability to see straight up, down, or even behind without moving his or her head. Together these two sensors allow the pilot to locate, track, and target enemy aircraft, ground vehicles, or other targets in day or night, good weather or bad.
Next, Wilson goes on to describe weapons. The F-35A has a single internal 25-millimeter gun and can carry a total of four air-to-air missiles in two internal weapons bays. It can also carry AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, one on each wingtip. Alternately it can carry a variety of air to ground munitions inside the bays, including JDAM satellite-guided and Paveway II laser-guided bombs. The F-35 has four wing-mounted weapons stations, with the two inner stations rated to carry bombs up to 5,000 pounds.
MEET THE F-35
What It’s Like to Fly the F-35
The best part of the video, however, is when Wilson uses the 360 degree nature of the video to show how the F-35 helmet projects an augmented reality view across the pilot’s field of view. The video simulates the viewer actually sitting in the F-35 cockpit, with colored icons denoting aircraft in the and targets on the ground. This allows the pilot to maintain situational awareness while continuing to remain focused on flying the aircraft.
This video, produced by Lockheed Martin, is no doubt a marketing tool and meant to portray the jet in its best light. That having been said, it does do an excellent job at portraying the jet’s many capabilities, which the company and the Pentagon have at times fallen short in doing.