USAF Chief of Staff, Mark Welsh, III Visits the F-35 Factory

10/25/2012
2012-10-25 The new USAF COS underscored the importance of the F-35 to USAF and its approach to air superiority and operations in denied air space. The F-35 brings several core capabilities to the USAF in shaping its evolving approach to global combat presence and capability. First, the aircraft is a…

Israel and F-35 Production

10/23/2012
Advanced negotiations are underway between IAI and Lockheed Martin, as the IDF is considering procurement of a second F-35 squadron Against the backdrop of the Israeli intent to procure a second squadron of F-35 fighters from Lockheed Martin, negotiations are advancing over the production of several hundred pairs of the…

BAE Assembly Line for F-35 Key Elements

10/23/2012
A new state of the art production line for the F-35 fifth generation fighter jet has been switched on at BAE Systems’ Samlesbury site. The new production line, known as the Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) has been installed in the latest phase of the new F-35 fifth generation stealthy fighter…

Rethinking US Defense Strategy in the Pacific

10/23/2012
2012-10-23 by Robbin Laird The United States became a Pacific power by means of gaining Spanish territory after the Spanish-American war, and events in Hawaii that eventually led to Hawaii becoming a U.S. territory.  The late 19th century saw the emergence of the U.S. as a Pacific power, so the pivot…

The UK and the F-35

10/22/2012
10/08/12 Excerpt from The Manfucturer The best engineering solutions for specific parts of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft have inadvertently created a very British supply chain. Will Stirling reports. When plans for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) were first drawn up about 20-years ago, the prime contractor Lockheed Martin…

The Strategic Impact of the Global Sustainment Approach of the F-35

10/22/2012
2012-10-22 By Robbin Laird The F-35 is a fifth generation aircraft, which has been characterized by one of its most notable pilots as a “situational awareness machine.” I referred to in a Defense News op ed in 2005 as a “flying combat system.” But too often in a platform centric acquisition…

The Christening of the America Class Amphibious Ship: The Opening of a New Era (Updated)

10/21/2012
2012-10-19 By Robbin Laird I am attending the christening event for the new America class ship which will be held October 20, 2012.  And have had the opportunity to discuss the ship with several key players in developing and defining the new ship. Discussions have been held with the prospective…

BAE Turns on New Automated F-35 Facility

10/19/2012
10/18/12  According to The Engineer: The new Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) at the company’s Samlesbury site in Lancashire will help the company ramp up production from the current level of one per week up to one per day by 2016 Installed in the latest phase of the new F-35 fighter…