Building an 8,000-Hour Tactical Aircraft: 21st Century Materials Technology

08/03/2015
2015-07-27 By Ed Timperlake and Robbin Laird “Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them” from the James Michener book Space. The quote originated from one of the legendary American Aeronautical Engineers, Jack Runckel who began with NACA before WWII and finished with NASA. As many history books state:…

First Flight of F-35 With Australian Vertical Tails

07/27/2015
2015-07-27 A key aspect of the F-35 global supply chain is suppliers from a variety of nations building parts which become elements of other nations airplanes. It is not simply about Australia building parts for Australian F-35s; it is about building for the global fleet. An example are the vertical…

F-35 Academic Training Center: A Video Overview

07/18/2015
07/16/2015: Second Line of Defense visited the 33rd Fighter Wing prior to any Academic Training Center (ATC) being built, let alone functioning. The video produced by the 33rd Fighter Wing shows the ATC operating today and several of the activities conducted at the ATC. The students in the classroom and…

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…