Northrop Grumman announced Wednesday that it has delivered the first set of instructional materials needed to train pilots and aircraft maintainers at the F-35 schoolhouse opening later this year at Eglin AFB, Fla. This “courseware” of electronic materials includes the presentation materials for classroom instructors self-study materials and pilot briefing materials for students. Northrop is one of the principal industrial partners to lead F-35 contractor Lockheed Martin. “The goal is for every pilot and every maintainer to reach the same level of knowledge about the jet, regardless of where they started,” stated Mark Tucker, Northrop’s F-35 program manager. The current courseware deliveries support the Block 0.5 software installed in the first two production-version F-35s. Subsequent deliveries of courseware will support the more advanced software blocks now being installed in the aircraft in the succeeding production lots.
B-21 Raider First Flight Now Postponed to 2023
May 20, 2022
The Air Force says the B-21 Raider won't make its first flight until 2023; about a six-month delay from the last official estimates. No reason was given for the delay. While other programs have recently chalked up schedule slips to supply chain and labor shortages, the Air Force has said…