Lockheed Martin Australia achieves final acceptance for AIR5428 pilot training system acquisition contract

Aviation Defense News February 2022 aerospace air force industry
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Lockheed Martin Australia has delivered the AIR5428 Pilot Training System, combining simulators and aircraft, to prepare Navy, Army, and Air Force pilots for today’s complex mission requirements.

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Lockheed Martin Australia achieves final acceptance for AIR5428 pilot training system acquisition contract 01 PC-21 aircraft (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

Lockheed Martin Australia, in collaboration with our Team 21 industry partners Pilatus and Jet Aviation, and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), 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 Air Force, 11 Navy and 27 Army 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 Australia, 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.” Further he said, “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, together with our partners, undertook an intensive six-month assessment. This involved:

- performing over 3,500 flight simulator and 10,000 aircraft flying events;
- achieving a greater than 97% mission success scorecard for all events against the contract’s program performance metrics; and
- achieving 100 percent success for ground school contracted performance measures.

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

“This outcome 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.”