F-35 Four Ship Take Offs and Landing at Eglin AFB
07/18/2015
07/18/2015: In this video, F-35s are seen taking off and landing in a four-ship package. Credit Video: 33rd Fighter Wing:7/16/15
Talisman Sabre 2015 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System
07/17/2015
07/17/2015: U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, demonstrate the long-range artillery capabilities of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during Talisman Sabre 2015, Bradshaw Field Training Area, Australia, July 12, 2015. TS-15 is a biennial exercise that provides an invaluable opportunity for nearly 30,000 U.S. and Australian defense…
RAF and Dutch Operations at the 33rd Fighter Wing
07/16/2015
07/16/2015:In this video, the RAF is seen during some operational training with the USMC at the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB. Group Squadron Leader Nichols explains the approach. Also shown in the video are the Dutch engage with the USAF on the F-35A. And as Nichols explained in our…
Next Step in HMS Queen Elizabeth Coming to Life: The Starting of Its Diesel Engines
06/29/2015
2015-06-29 According to a story on the UK Ministry of Defence website published June 25, 2015, the next steps in bringing the HMS Queen Elizabeth to life have been taken. The 65,000 tonne future flagship of the Royal Navy has undergone months of preparation work by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance…
An Update on F-35 Maintenance: The Perspective from the USS WASP and From MCAS Beaufort and Yuma
06/28/2015
2015-06-22 By Robbin Laird During a visit to MCAS Yuma in 2012, I met with many Marines and others involved in the standup of the F-35 at that base. https://sldinfo.com/hangar-80-at-yuma-air-station-a-building-block-for-f-35-global-presence/ https://sldinfo.com/the-f-35-squadron-at-yuma-the-next-phase-begins/ During the visit, in a meeting with maintainers, the early process of standing up the aircraft and maintaining it…
Preparing the F-35B for HMS Queen Elizabeth: Ski Jump Testing
06/24/2015
2015-06-24 The ski jump is a feature on UK warships which have operated the Harrier and will operate the F-35B. The joint UK-US test team at Pax River has recently completed the first test of the ski jump for the F-35B. In the photos below, there are three shots of…
Pax River Integrated Test Team Tests Paveway IV Weapons Separation from F-35B
06/20/2015
2015-06-20 We have written earlier about UK-US collaboration on the launch of the F-35 global enterprise. This has recently been most visible with regard to F-35B shipboard integration operational tests aboard the USS WASP. https://www.sldinfo.com/the-uk-engagement-with-the-uss-wasp-f-35b-opertional-tests/ https://www.sldinfo.com/aboard-the-uss-wasp-participants-in-operational-testing-provide-a-progress-report/ https://www.sldinfo.com/the-new-uk-aircraft-carrier-reshaping-the-royal-navy-and-the-royal-air-force/ https://www.sldinfo.com/its-in-the-hands-of-professionals-aboard-the-uss-wasp-for-the-f-35-operational-tests/ The F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force from Air Test…
The Paris Air Show and the Future of Military Aviation
06/20/2015
2015-06-15 By Robbin Laird The Paris Air Show is dominated by the commercial sector which in terms of market and money is clearly the more important. However, if national survival is at stake, it is not the most important market or consideration. As the world meets in Paris in 2015,…