Over 500 Subsystems to be Delivered the Next Four Years

Cubic Global Defense announced on 20 September that Lockheed Martin has contracted it to deliver over 500 Air Combat Training System (ACTS) subsystems for the F-35 LIGHTNING II over the next four years, as part of production lots 12-14. Prior to deliveries under this order, Cubic and Leonardo DRS – its principal subcontractor – will have delivered over 500 low-rate initial production units.

The F-35 ACTS consists of the P5 Combat Training System (P5CTS) – a pod-mounted solution that relays Time, Space and Position in Information (TSPI) between participating aircraft during training sorties – and the P5 ground software. P5CTS enables real-time, live monitoring and recorded mission data for air-to-air, air-to-ground and surface-to-air training scenarios for post-mission analysis. However, unlike the previous wing-mounted P5 pods, the internal subsystem in the F-35 is placed inside the aircraft.

“Fifth-generation aircrew require a complex training scenario to prepare them for combat operations in a contested environment,” explained Cubic Global Defense President, Dave Buss. “With this next-generation air combat training system, F-35 fighter pilots can receive not only a dedicated training system to accurately capture exercise data, but [can] also have the capability to train with fourth-generation aircraft that carry [the] wing-mounted pod version of the P5 Combat Training System.”