Working F-35-HIMARS Integration: Shaping a Way Head for a 21st Century Distributed Shooter-Sensor Capability

06/19/2018
By Robbin Laird During my latest visit to MAWTS-1 in May 2018, the work of the MAWTS-1 team during WTI-18-2 was the focus of attention. MAWTS-1 is working on reshaping Marine Corps approaches to moving forward from a primary focus on counter intersurgency. The strategic shift from counter-insurgency to contested…

Launching the Second Hundred Years of the RAF: Setting in Motion UK F-35 Operations

06/16/2018
By Robbin Laird In early May 2018, I visited RAF Marham where the RAF and the Royal Navy was getting ready to receive their F-35s which have been operating in the United States with the USMC and the US Air Force, the former at MCAS Beaufort Air Station and the…

The HMS Queen Elizabeth and Crafting the Way Ahead for Its Initial Deployment

06/15/2018
By Robbin Laird The coming of the HMS Queen Elizabeth to the UK combat force is a trigger for significant defense transformation. Most of the analysis of the new carrier really focuses on the platform and what is necessary to get that platform operational but that is far too narrow…

Working the Way Ahead for the USMC: How MAWTS-1 Supports Change

06/13/2018
By Robbin Laird During my latest visit to MAWTS-1, I had a chance to focus upon recent developments generated by the latest WTI course. Last year, I had a chance to talk with Col Wellons and LtCol Ryan Schiller, the Aviation Development, Tactics and Evaluation Department Head, about work on…

VMFA-121 At Misawa Air Base

06/13/2018
Marine Aircraft Group 12 forces deployed several F-35B Lightning ll's for a regularly scheduled aviation training relocation at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 9, 2018.  [maxgallery id="117631"] ATR's are designed to increase operational readiness and bilateral interoperability for both U.S. and Japanese forces.  AOMORI, JAPAN 05.22.2018 Photo by Lance Cpl. Alexia…

VMFA-121 Works Standard Ordinance Evolution

06/12/2018
Marines from the ordnance section of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, load inert explosives into an F-35B Lightning II as part of a regularly scheduled aircraft training relocation at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 15, 2018.  [maxgallery id="117647"] ATR's are designed to…

RAAF’s F-35s Complete 1000th Sortie

06/10/2018
RAAF personnel at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, reach a flying milestone as the Australian F-35As complete their first 1000 sorties.  The RAAF F-35A team are working together with the 56th Fighter Wing USAF and Lockheed Martin to develop Australia’s initial F-35A capability. Royal Australian Air Force pilots and maintenance…

The Arrival of the F-35s at RAF Marham: The Dambusters Return

06/08/2018
The arrival of the first F-35s from the United States to Britain on June 6, 2018 to their operating base at RAF Marham required a change in the sign entering RAF Marham as can be seen in the featured photo. The entire effort to rebuild Marham to support the UK…