The F-35 Integrated Test Force at Edwards AFB, California, carried out one of the largest and most complicated test flights to date on 19 August 2014. The objective of the mission, which pitted two F-35 pilots against five Edwards-based F-16 pilots over the Sea Test Range near Point Mugu, California, was to stress the fusion algorithm in the F-35’s mission systems software keeping track of target aircraft maneuvering in multiple dimensions and at various speeds. The profiles chosen during the test were representative of tactical maneuvers that an F-35 pilot may encounter in wartime. Nine total aircraft were involved, including one KC-135 tanker. The Ridley Test Control Facility at Edwards was configured to support the two F-35s simultaneously.
