The Coming Impact of the F-35 on RAAF Modernization: Transformation by a Battle Hardened Force

03/21/2014
2014-03-21 by Robbin Laird After The Williams Foundation seminar, I sat down to discuss with one of the organizers of the seminar, Vice Air Marshall (Retired) John Blackburn his take on the questions, which posed to the seminar and how he thought those answers, were generated. The core questions, which…

F-35 Lightning II Arrives at Luke AFB: And the Aussies Prepare to Come

03/14/2014
03/13/2014: F-35 Lightning II Arrives at Luke AFB By Paul Giblin The Republic Mon Mar 10, 2014 11:55 PM Air Force test pilot Roderick Cregier flew several slow, low loops through the Arizona sky before landing Luke Air Force Base’s first F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jet Monday, launching a…

The Coming of the F-35 to Australia: Shaping a 21st Century Approach to Airpower

03/11/2014
2014-03-12 by Robbin Laird I attended a seminar held by The Williams Foundation yesterday in Canberra, Australia. The focus of the seminar was on Air Combat Operations: 2025 and Beyond. The core emphasis was on the impact of the F-35 on reshaping the Australian combat approach appropriate to the challenges,…

The F-35 Global Enterprise: Viewed from Down Under

03/11/2014
2014-03-09 By Robbin Laird It is clear that the F-35 global enterprise is a unique enabler of the entire re-set of US and allied airpower. Yet this crucial and even central reality is hardly recognized in the mounds or should one say piles of commentary on the F-35 program. And indeed,…

First F-35 British STOVL Vertical Landing

03/05/2014
03/05/2014: Footage of RAF pilot Squadron Leader Hugh Nichols performing the first uniformed British STOVL operation in the F-35 Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base.  Credit: Hurlburt Field : 2/27/14  And a piece by Lauren Sage Reinlie published 2/25/14 The jet shot through the sky, as jets tend to…

Canada and the F-35: A Technological Reset Opportunity

03/05/2014
2014-03-06 Dr. Danny Lam and Dr. Brian Paul Cozzarin The Canadian F-35 procurement represents the largest peacetime acquisition of new aircraft for Canadian forces since the Korean War. Securing industrial benefits from military procurement is essential for advanced industrialized nations, and it has long been Canadian industrial policy to do…