kbrockman,
The acceptable live:synthetic training ratio for F35 is likely to be different to that for non-stealth platforms, even assuming equal levels of sophistication in the simulations. The reason I say that is that the flight profiles of a stealth platform are more benign (and hence more amenable to practice in the simulator), whereas non-stealth platforms are more reliant on things like low flying and evasive manoeuvres, which are harder to replicate in simulation and need to be trained 'live' to help build the required physical responses.
An extreme example would be the B-2, in which I daresay a typical "night one" mission could be practiced in the sim with high levels of realism and little or no need for live training. Clearly, F-35 pilots will need live flying to practice things like air combat manoeuvring, with its associated 'g' forces, but the importance of such training in the CONOPS will be lower for the F-35 than for platforms such as F/A-18 or F-15. Hence my postulation that less 'live' flying will be needed for the F-35.
Furthermore, it is always possible that stringent peacetime limitations might be imposed on the use of various F-35 capabilities, which will render 'live' flying less valuable than simulation in some key areas.
Last edited by Easy Street; 24th Apr 2013 at 23:27.