2014-08-04 According to a Eurofighter press release, and dated August 4, 2014, the first phase of tests for the integration of the Storm Shadow long-range missile onto the Eurofighter Typhoon has been completed. Storm Shadow is a long range, all-weather, high precision, stand-off weapon already in service on Royal Air…
2014-07-29 by Robbin Laird On July 24, 2014, the first two Australian F-35s were on display and an official ceremony held to mark the event. Two visitors to the event highlighted its importance and provided context. The first was Frank Kendall, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology &…
2014-07-28 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Far from the PR fighting fields of Farnbourgh, the USMC is preparing for a significant upsurge in the combat capability of the Navy Marine air/Ground expeditionary force. The first Squadron destined for initial operational capability (IOC) of the F-35B, are the “Green Knights”…
2014-07-31 By Robbin Laird During my latest visit to Second Marine Air Wing, I focused upon the USMC evolution of its use of the KC-130J. I spent a morning in the KC-130J simulator watching Marine pilots hone their skills and did so from the tanker seat in the aircraft. [caption…
2014-07-28 by Robbin Laird In a recent article published by Leatherneck magazine, I have reviewed the nature of the distributed laydown mandated by the National Command Authority and the challenge of ensuring that a distributed force can work effectively organically, with the joint force and with allies. The full article…
2014-07-30 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake During our time at MAWTS-1, we had a chance to talk with Captain Justin “Lumbergh” Sing who represents the new generation of Osprey operators who have not transitioned from other platforms. I have not flown any other fleet aircraft. I went through the…
2014-07-22 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Rather than looking into Putin’s soul and figuring out our next step in the Ukrainian crisis, it would be better to look carefully at the emergence of the next phase of 21st century warfare. War is always with us; but it mutates over…
2014-07-28 By Robbin Laird During my visit to 2nd Marine Air Wing in June 2014, I had a chance to meet with several of the members of the VMGR-252 squadron. [caption id="attachment_67857" align="alignnone" width="232"] Major Montgomery. Credit Photo: Second Line of Defense[/caption] In this interview, Major Mark Montgomery, a KC-130J…
