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NAWCAD’s JSE welcomes F-22 simulators

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The U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) is significantly expanding its Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) training capabilities to encompass a wider range of Navy and Air Force fighter aircraft. Originally designed to provide hyper-realistic training for F-35 Lightning II pilots, the JSE will now integrate cockpits for the F-22 Raptor and other crucial platforms. In this highly realistic digital range, aviators experience the consequences of their mistakes, including mission failure, loss of systems, and even loss of life. The JSE enables pilots to learn those hard lessons, immediately adjust, fly again, and continue the learning process to become a highly capable tactical aviator.

U.S. Navy photo by Terri Thomas

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The end of an era: U.S. Marine Corps marks graduation of last Harrier pilots

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The U.S. Marine Corps is nearing the end of an era as the AV-8B Harrier II transitions out of the Fleet Marine Force. Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 14’s AV-8B Harrier II Fleet Replacement Detachment (FRD) at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, recently saw the graduation of the final two pilots to receive the 7509 Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) qualification, a designation reserved specifically for pilots qualified to fly the AV-8B Harrier II.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Joshua Corbett, a native of New Jersey and a student naval aviator with the AV-8B Fleet Replacement Detachment (FRD), poses for a photo prior to a flight at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, March 27, 2024. Corbett is one of the two final Marines to receive the 7509 military occupational specialty, AV-8B Harrier II jet pilot, as the Marine Corps transitions from the AV-8B II Harrier jet legacy tactical aircraft to the F-35 Lightning II jet. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Daisha Ramirez)

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U.S. Air Force flexes global reach with B-1B deployment to Spain

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The U.S. Air Force has deployed four B-1B Lancer strategic bombers from the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS) to Morón Air Base, Spain, in support of Bomber Task Force (BTF) 24-2. This deployment marks the first time B-1Bs have participated in a BTF mission at Morón AB, a strategic location for U.S. forces in Europe.

Two B-1B Lancers with the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, taxi on the taxiway at Mor—n Air Base, Spain, in support of Bomber Task Force Europe, March 26, 2024. The U.S. is dedicated to security commitments to Allies and partner nations across the globe and routinely operate worldwide and maintain the agility to respond to any challenges in the operational environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Wright)

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Lakenheath F-15Es getting the APG-82(V)1 radar

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Change is sweeping through the hangars of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England. The reason? The wing’s fleet of F-15E Strike Eagles is undergoing a major upgrade, transitioning from the legacy APG-70 radar system to the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, the APG-82(V)1. As part of the transition, the Enhanced Aircraft Radar Test Station (EARTS) of the APG-70 is being phased out, marking the end of an era for the Wing’s radar maintenance procedures.

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