The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) has successfully demonstrated advanced tactics for integrating the F-35 Lightning II with the Navy’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) in a cutting-edge virtual environment. This marks a significant step toward deploying manned and unmanned systems as a cohesive team.
During a recent tactical demonstration within NAWCAD’s Joint Simulation Environment (JSE), F-35 pilots controlled multiple virtual CCA—uncrewed combat vehicles—using touch-screen tablets. They executed complex missions against sophisticated threats, employing precision-guided munitions and advanced communications systems to hone new warfighting concepts.
“Modern warfare is demanding more from our aviators,” said NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. Todd Evans. “This milestone shows the Joint Simulation Environment’s impact on equipping them with the advanced tactics they need to win future battles.”
The JSE is a state-of-the-art digital proving ground that replicates real-world combat with high fidelity. Combining cockpit simulators, advanced software, and domed visual displays, it allows for intense, repeatable training and testing without the cost and limitations of physical ranges. In the JSE, pilots can fly more sorties in a week than they might in a year using open-air ranges, dramatically accelerating the development of tactics and operator proficiency.
The Navy’s CCA program aims to develop multi-role uncrewed systems that will operate alongside crewed fighters like the F-35, expanding sensing, strike, and defensive capabilities in highly contested environments. This integration allows human pilots to focus on high-level decision-making while robotic wingmen multiply combat effectiveness.
NAWCAD’s JSE is central to rapidly developing the operational playbook for this teaming concept. Future plans include integrating additional platforms like the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and F/A-18 Super Hornet into the virtual environment by 2026 to enable full-spectrum, joint-force training. The facility already hosts hundreds of U.S. and allied pilots annually, and its success is driving the expansion of similar JSE sites at major Navy and Air Force bases nationwide.
Headquartered in Patuxent River, Maryland, NAWCAD supports the lifecycle of naval aviation through testing, research, development, and sustainment across its facilities in Maryland, New Jersey, and Florida. This latest achievement underscores its critical role in ensuring naval aviators are prepared for the rapidly evolving future of aerial combat.
