When governments buy airplanes, they face many of the same constraints that we do. If it is a new airplane, it takes a long time to develop. And, the fewer engines the airplane has, the more affordable it can be. The next generation fighters, the F-22 and the F-35 (Joint Strike Fighter) are perfect examples of this. I learned something about both of these impressive new airplanes from the Lockheed Martin folks at the Fighter Demonstration Center in Arlington, Virginia. This was at the invitation of Sean Hanrahan, Lockheed Martin manager of NAVAIR programs. Sean was a Naval aviator for 22 years and is currently a keen general aviation pilot.
They have a demo cockpit of both airplanes that is not a full simulator but that has a wraparound visual and all the good stuff on the panel. And you can really fly them and simulate combat missions. I’ll tell you up front that I bagged a bunch of MiGs and some tanks.
