Stirling Dynamics deliver 250th F-35B stick and throttle unit
Active control specialists, UK-based SME Stirling Dynamics, have reached a milestone with the successful delivery of the 250th production F-35 unit (stick and throttle) into the simulator programme.
“The JSF F-35 is truly a groundbreaking, unique aircraft. It is the first production fighter jet to use active control technology and advanced sensor and avionics systems,” said Stirling’s AMS Business Manager, Gareth Vaughan. “It is considered by many to be the most advanced fighter jet in the world and for a UK manufacturing company to be involved in the training programme - providing advanced pilot active hand controllers for the F-35 simulators - is a massive achievement.”
Stirling has been engaged in the research and development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Programme for many years. The company’s involvement can be dated back to the 1980s on a joint US-UK study into ASTOVL (Advanced Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing) aircraft. At that time, a team of Stirling’s consultants were contracted by the UK Ministry of Defence to evaluate the A-STOVL technologies. A few years later, Stirling was selected to provide the flight controller for the rear seat of the VAAC Harrier; an experimental aircraft designed by the MoD to look at the active control technology for the A-STOVL programme. By 1996, these R&D programmes were merged into the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme. Stirling provided the active sticks and throttles used in the development simulators.
Stirling also supported BAE SYSTEMS in the development of the sticks and throttles, which they later supplied to Lockheed Martin. In 2005, Stirling was selected by Lockheed Martin as a sole source contractor to design and manufacture active sticks and throttles for the F-35 pilot training simulators.
From the pilot’s perspective, Stirling’s training stick and throttles have been designed to be visually and functionally equivalent to the flight worthy controllers and it is the ability to control the feel and haptic feedback of the sticks that dramatically improves the pilot’s situation awareness, therefore providing a more realistic simulation experience and a much more effective training environment.
The immersive and innovative nature of the training system was recognised in December 2014 when the F-35 Lightning II Training System was honoured with a top award from the National Training and Simulation Association. The 2014 Modelling and Simulation award recognised the US Air force’s 33rd Fighter Wing, the F-35 Joint Program Office and Stirling’s customer, Lockheed Martin, for “delivering an effective, immersive training experience for F-35 pilots and maintainers”.
To commemorate their 250th delivery milestone and the F-35 JSF’s first flying display at Farnborough, Stirling will also be displaying the high fidelity simulation stick and throttle set used to train F-35 JSF pilots, at next week's Farnborough International Airshow (FIA).