2013-02-27 On February 27, 2013, Second Line of Defense interviewed the head of the Military Sealift Command, Admiral Buzby, in his office in the Navy yard. The ship is to be christened this coming Saturday on March 2. The full interview will be available soon. But here we are presenting…
2013-02-27 It is a good week for the new A330MRTT tanker. At the Australian airshow this week, the Royal Australian Air Force will highlight the tanker at the Avalon air show. [caption id="attachment_51168" align="alignnone" width="300"] The RAAF has 5 new tankers. Credit Photo: Airbus Military[/caption] They have also declared the…
2013-02-27 By Dave Deptula Recently there have been multiple commentaries questioning the efficacy, legality, and appropriateness of using remotely piloted aircraft (RPA)—also referred to inaccurately as “drones.” Many of those who embrace constraining America’s RPA operations have formed their positions as a result of two fundamental areas of misunderstanding. One…
2013-02-23 By Ed Timperlake Last summer Embraer and Boeing announced a teaming agreement to integrate GPS guided munitions on Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano. The program would start with the JDAM and eventually include the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB). The Super Tucano has already demonstrated it's ability to deliver laser-guided munitions in…
2013-02-23 America Praises the Work of the French Army By Laure Mandeville, Le Figaro Washington Correspondent Published in French in Le Figaro, February 23, 2013. Translated by Second Line of Defense. Admiration, anxiety and relief. Those are the prevailing sentiments in Washington as Americans watch the French operation in Mali. The…
2013-02-22 According to a USMC press release on February 21, 2013, the first operational F-35B flew at Yuma. Blue skies welcomed the Marine Corp's first operational F-35B Lightning II flight at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. Feb. 21. BF-20, flown by Maj. Aric Liberman, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121…
02-21-2013 Second Line of Defense participated extensively in the coverage of Bold Alligator 2012. https://sldinfo.com/special-report-bold-alligator-2012-and-the-future-of-the-expeditionary-strike-group/ We hope to continue that coverage during Bold Alligator 2013 this Spring. According to Col Bradley Weisz, Deputy ESG 2, BA 13 is designed to continue the revitalization of amphibious warfare expertise at the Expeditionary…
2013-02-20 The kind of capability which the A400M delivers will be highly valued by the French forces when deliveries start later this year. The evolving concepts of operations by the French forces are built on rapid insertion of force and keeping up a tempo of attack. Airlifters are a central…