In April, the Spanish Air and Space Force carried out a unique experiment as part of its push toward digital and operational transformation. The tests were led by the Logistics Support Command and involved a fighter jet and a simulator from the 12th Air Wing.
During the tests, a Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon was linked to a flight simulator, and both were integrated into an air surveillance and control system.
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According to Infodefensa, the tests were intended to meet a number of key objectives. First and foremost, they aimed to verify voice communication between the fighter jet and the simulator, test their operation as a single combat unit, and assess the feasibility of creating a shared scenario.
The experiment appears to have been a success, as reports indicate that communication was successfully established and a "formation flight" involving a real fighter jet and a flight simulator was conducted.
As noted, this marks the first time a fighter jet has been successfully connected to a flight simulator and to the command and control network. Overall, the experiment is part of a broader plan to transition to digital and scalable training models.
This experiment was conducted to explore new ways of simulating complex combat situations without deploying all the necessary physical resources. Ultimately, this concept is expected to radically transform the way aircraft pilots are trained.
On the one hand, integrating a fighter jet allows for a more comprehensive and realistic flight simulator training experience while optimizing available resources. On the other hand, as modern combat aviation systems evolve into a "combat cloud" integrating manned and unmanned platforms, pilots will be better prepared for future operational scenarios.
However, it remains unclear when the Spanish Air and Space Force will fully integrate this technology into its training programs, as further experimentation is still needed to refine it.
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