July 10, 2012 With the delivery of four Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] F-35 Lightning II aircraft since June 29, an important milestone was achieved as the Department of Defense now possesses more operational-coded F-35s than test aircraft. A total of nine F-35s have been delivered for the year, giving the DOD a…
July 10, 2012 F-35 program accrued the highest number of test points in single month during June, an accomplishment indicative of the program’s ongoing maturation. Additionally, for the 18th consecutive month the F-35 test program remained ahead of plan. As of June 30, the F-35 Lightning II 5th Generation multirole…
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake This year’s Farnbourgh Airshow is occurring at an interesting juncture in history. On the financial side, there is the Euro crisis, and various dynamics such as the fate of the Chinese and American economies. On the defense side, there is the end of a…
7/1/12: by Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake In a recent report by The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the evolving threat to U.S. space capabilities was highlighted. “China is pressing forward with an ambitious counterspace program, including a ground- and space-based space surveillance systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and kinetic kill…
7/1/12: by Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Much of the Inside the Beltway debate about the F-35 revolves around the program as if it were simply building a replacement tactical aircraft PLATFORM. In reality, the program was established to manufacture a global product in significant numbers to enable a global…
6/29/12: By Robbin Laird By building on the F-35 and leveraging its capabilities, the U.S. and its allies can build the next phase of power projection within affordable limits. U.S. forces need to become more agile, flexible, and global in order to work with allies and partners to deal with…
A key impact of the F-35 as a fleet will be to enable deployed air power to work simultaneously as a strike and defense force. The F-35 fleet will take multi-mission to a new level. A core enabler for such a role will be the combat system capabilities of the…
6:27/12:by Craig Hoyle Excerpt: European manufacturer MBDA has unveiled a UK-developed design for a next-generation air-to-surface weapon suitable for internal carriage by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. To be shown for the first time as a full-scale mock-up at the Farnborough air show, the Spear concept would use…
