An Update on Eurofighter: Longer Range Missile Integration, An Historic Trans-Atlantic Flight and Going to Red Flag 2016

02/15/2016
2016-02-12 The Eurofighter is being effectively modernized with a new radar and with the integration of longer-range missiles for both ground attack and air-to-air operations. The Eurofighter as well is subsuming Tornado missions with the integration of key missiles such as Brimstone and Spear. According to a press release from Eurofighter…

An Update on Red Flag 16-1: Air Combat Integration and the Role of the F-22, the Typhoon and Wedgetail.

02/15/2016
2016-02-15  Red Flag is evolving as the services and partners focus on the need and capability to operate in the extended battlespace. In early 2015, we visited Nellis, and discussed the evolution of Red Flag with senior USAF officers. Col. Jeffrey Weed, the Commander of the 414th Combat Training Squadron clearly…

Re-birth of the Afghan Air Force: Options for the Way Ahead

02/14/2016
02/14/2016:  It is clear that at the critical point in the initial destruction of the Taliban, that the United States could have avoided a full blown engagement in Afghanistan. The problem with occupying a country with such a radically different culture from that of the United States will always be…

An Italian First: The F-35 Crosses the Atlantic and Lands at Pax River, February 5, 2016

02/12/2016
2016-02-06 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Last week saw one of the worst snow storms ever experienced in the Washington DC area. And the weather the last couple of days have been rough as well with storms and heavy rain. But yesterday after a stormy beginning, the sun peeked…

Maintainers at Red Flag 16-1: Providing the Infrastructure for Combat Effectiveness

02/12/2016
2016-02-12 by Senior Airman Alex Fox Echols III It is a given that no aircraft leaves the ground unless it is working properly.  But that challenge is multiplied here during the three-week Red Flag 16-1 exercise. Hundreds of aircraft maintainers assigned to flying squadrons from around the world work long hours…

Ship Survivability: A Key Fleet Consideration for the Evolving Amphibious Task Force

02/12/2016
2016-02-12 By Scott Truver In the early morning of Feb. 18, 1991, the U.S. amphibious warship USS Tripoli (LPH-10) struck an Iraqi contact mine in the northern Persian Gulf, ripping a 25-foot by 23-foot hole in her starboard side below the waterline. The quick reaction of her commanding officer and his crew managed…