Fully Delivered

Australian Defence Force PILOT TRAINING SYSTEM DELIVERED

Lockheed Martin Australia has fully delivered the AIR5428 Pilot Training System, combining simulators and aircraft, to prepare Navy, Army, and Air Force pilots for today’s complex aircraft.

Lockheed Martin Australia, in collaboration with its Team 21 industry partners Pilatus and Jet Aviation, and the Royal Australian Air Force, developed a training system that encompasses PC-21 aircraft, flight simulators, cockpit trainers, as well as mission planning and maintenance support.

To date, the Pilot Training System has graduated 35 RAAF, 27 Army and 11 Navy pilots.

“Lockheed Martin Australia proudly welcomes the Commonwealth’s acceptance of the AIR5428 Pilot Training System,” Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Warren McDonald said.

“This is a significant program milestone for Lockheed Martin, our industry partners and the Commonwealth, as it signifies that this innovative system has been successfully delivered and offers enduring training capability to meet the ADF’s requirements.

“We look forward to advancing and sustaining the AIR5428 pilot training system with excellence and in conjunction with our Team 21 partners and the RAAF.”

To complete the AIR5428 acquisition phase, Lockheed Martin Australia and its project partners undertook an intensive six-month assessment that involved: • performing more than 3500 flight simulator and 10,000 aircraft-flying events; • achieving a greater than 97 per cent mission-success scorecard for all events against the contract’s program performance metrics; and, • achieving 100 per cent success for ground-school-contracted performance measures.

Lockheed Martin Australia Vice President of Rotary and Mission Systems Operations Steve Froelich said the company was immensely proud of the program outcome.

“This is a testament of Lockheed Martin Australia’s sustained focus, strong collaboration with our Team 21 partners, and a mission-first mindset to deliver an innovative and tailored system to meet the future needs of ADF pilots.”

Project AIR5428 was a $1.5 billion investment that will ensure young pilots looking to serve in the Australian Defence Force have access to the latest facilities and training methods.

The ADF will now have an intake of up to 165 trainee pilots each year at RAAF Base East Sale.