2015-08-11 When visiting the Royal Australian Air Force Base at Richmond earlier this week, there was an opportunity to talk with the C-130 squadron, including the training team, about the RAAF reworking the role of the C-130 with the operations of the C-17 and the KC-30A largely in place. The focus is…
2015-08-06 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake When Secretary Gates decided to put the F-35B on probation and Senator McCain became his powerful echo chamber we responded at the time on the pages of Breaking Defense that these actions were misguided. We have spent many hours with the pilots, maintainers,…
08/04/2015: During a visit to Australia in August 2015, Second Line of Defense had a chance to talk with senior RAFF personnel about the operations in Iraq and Syria. There will be more to come as these interviews are completed, but a key point was that two new combat systems were…
2015-08-04 This Spring, the Marine Corps hosted an amphibious conference in Hawaii which provided a first of its kind look at the evolution of amphibious capabilities in the region. 23 nations from the region joined the Marines and Navy in looking at the amphibious dynamic and discussing ways ahead within…
2015-08-03 With the stand-up of the first operational F-35 squadron comes the IOC for the new data link for the F-35 fleet. The operational advantages of the new CNI system were highlighted by Major General Silveria of the Warfare Center at Nellis AFB. The plane has NONE of the items…
2015-07-17 By Robbin Laird Airpower has become a ubiquitous enabler of combat operations. Indeed, air enablement is a key element of virtually every aspect of the US and its allies in operating worldwide against a variety of threats. Airpower has evolved throughout the “land wars” to become an enabler for…
2015-07-24 No. 70 Squadron (also known as No. LXX Squadron) of the Royal Air Force will be the first operational unit to use the new Airbus A400M Atlas. According to an article published July 25, 2015 on the UK MoD website, the Squadron has also received a new standard. Her Royal Highness,…
2015-07-24 In a first for the French Air Force (FAF), on July 16, 2015, 91 paratroopers jumped from the rear of an A400M in flight. According to the FAF website: “After several months of analysis and preparation by the CEAM and the STAT, a new operational capability was shaped…. [maxgallery…
