Stick and Seat

Stick

A control stick is provided in both cockpits, with near-uniform switchology between the two.

The stick can be hidden by clicking on its base.

Trim Hat

A Trim Control (1) is found on both sticks to provide force reduction and minor flight path correction in the pitch and roll axis.

Trigger and Bomb Button

Weapons are deliverable through both a 2-stage Trigger (3) (for air-to-air missiles and the gun) and a Bomb Release Button (2).

The first stage of the trigger activates the gun camera for recording forward footage.

Air Refueling Release Button

Unique to the front cockpit control stick is the Air Refueling Release (ARR) Button (4) located on the left side of the stick. It is a dual-role control that performs the boom disconnect function its name implies, as well as a number of weapon selection functions.

See 3.2.2. Fuel System for details.

Nose Wheel Steering Button

Both sticks carry a Nose Wheel Steering (NWS or also NGS) button (5) that doubles as a radar auto-acquisition control for the radar in visual range combat, and sensor focus control for video-directed air to ground weapons.

Holding the button down permits the crew member to steer the aircraft using the rudder pedals. See 3.1.3 Gear & Ground handling, Nose Gear Steering section for details.

Emergency Quick Release Lever

An Emergency Quick Release lever (6) on each stick is available to immediately deactivate the anti-skid system, the automatic flight control system (AFCS), stability augmentation (STAB AUG) and the aileron-rudder interconnect (ARI).

See 3.1.3 Gear & Ground handling, Anti-Skid section for details.

Seat

The seat allows the crew to eject out of the plane by pulling either the cord between the legs or above the head.

See the 3.13 Emergency system section for details on the seat and ejection mechanism.

Drag Chute Handle

Additionally, it features a handle on the left side to control the drag chute.

The chute is applied to reduce landing rollout, or as an aid in spin recovery, the drag chute handle is pulled back to deploy the chute, and, once deployed, a button on the handle is pressed while pulling the handle back further to jettison the chute.

Once jettisoned, the handle is released back into its normal position.

See 3.1.3 Gear & Ground handling, Drag Chute System section for details.

Seat Position

The vertical position of the seat can be changed in either direction for about 5cm using this spring-loaded switch on the right side of the seat.

For landing, it is advisable to put the seat in the most upward position for better visibility.

Operation of the motor must be limited to 30 seconds within 10 minutes to prevent it from overheating and breaking.