Building a High Speed Helicopter

12/20/2010
Interview with Jean-Michel Billig 12/21/2010 - "The X3 helo demonstration project began its flight tests on September 6 at the Istres test facility in southern France. The helicopter combines conventional rotary blades with forward positioned turbo prop blades. The X3 is a blend of the Dauphin fuselage, the EC155 main…

The F-35 Pilot: An Interview with Test Pilot Squirt Kelly at Pax River

05/28/2010
SLD went to Pax River in April 2010 to interview several members of the Pax River test team. In this interview, Ed Timperlake and Robbin Laird talked with test pilot “Squirt” Kelly about his thoughts on the F-35 experience. [slidepress gallery=’the-f-35-pilot-an-interview-with-test-pilot-squirt-kelly-at-pax-river’] SLD: You’ve been testing the helmet and the plane.…

The Expeditionary Airfield Capability: A Core USMC Competence for Global Operations

04/29/2010
The setting up of the expeditionary airfield at Dwyer to support USMC combat operations in Afghanistan has highlighted the expeditionary airfield capability of the USMC. General Walsh, USMC, Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Forward deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and now back at Cherry Point, NC, underscored…

The F-35 Low Observability’s Lifelong Sustainability: A Revolutionary Asset for 21st Century Combat Aviation

03/22/2010
Everyone knows that the F-35 is a stealth aircraft. This is one element of what makes it a fifth-generation aircraft. But what is not widely known is that the stealth or low observable (LO) character of the aircraft is significantly different from other stealth aircraft like the F-22. The F-35…