The F-35 is being developed with Lockheed Martin - with its industrial partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems - and Survitec Group has worked very closely with Lockheed Martin to ensure the provision of a fully integrated yet modular clothing system designed to improve pilot performance and operational effectiveness.

 
David Griffiths, Vice President of Defence Sales, Survitec Group said: “We are delighted to see the first F-35 delivered to the UK MoD considering the considerable contribution from British industry. At Survitec this has been a major programme for us and we have worked intensively on the technical approach to garment and product design to deliver a high quality, low burden, solution with integrity and quality assurance proven by in-service performance.
 
”Survitec Group’s centre of technical excellence for Pilot Flight Equipment is based in Birkenhead. Also key to Survitec’s successful contribution has been the availability of in-house dedicated testing facilities for aircraft integration and qualification, combined with effective partnering with other UK vendors, notably Martin-Baker and Honeywell to provide optimised pilot life support and escape systems.
 
“At our Eglin AFB Pilot Fit Facility, we capture each pilot’s anthropometric data, deliver familiarisation training, and ensure that the initial fitting is completed to ensure effective functionality. This has been a vital component of the F-35 programme, resulting in a truly world class total support solution.”

Above:   Full below the neck F-35 pilot equipment.
 
The UK was the first of eight international partners to join the F-35 programme and plans to acquire the F-35B short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft. The F-35 is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the USAF, the F/A-18 for the US Navy, the F/A-18 and AV8-B Harrier for the US Marine Corps and a variety of fighters for at least 10 other countries. The UK will play a vital role in the F-35’s global production, follow-on development and sustainment over the next 40 years, bringing strong economic benefits to the country.
 
Survitec Group - a provider of marine, defence and aerospace survival technology headquartered in London - employs 2,000 people across eight manufacturing sites and 35 service stations, operating through a network of a further 550 distributors and agents to bring its products and services to a global customer base. Operating for over 160 years, Survitec's key products include marine, defence and aviation liferafts, world leading submarine escape technology, lifejackets for commercial airlines and the offshore industry as well as pilot flight equipment, including anti-g clothing used for the Eurofighter and JSF programmes.