By Robbin Laird During visits to the United Kingdom, I have had a chance to see and visit with RAF the operators of the quick reaction air capability in the United Kingdom. A key point is that to have two aircraft ready to fly on a moment’s notice, or within…
Last year, we visited RAF Marham and got an update on the progress with regard to the base in preparation for the arrival of its first squadron of F-35s. This year, we visited RAF Marham and got an update in early May 2018 from Air Commodore David Bradshaw, Commander of…
By Robbin Laird I have had the opportunity to visit F-35 bases since the standup of the first one at Eglin Air Force base. And this year, I have visited Williamtown, RAF Marham, Ørland, and MCAS Yuma. In each case, changes have been made to accommodate the coming of the…
On April 18, the U.S. Navy’s Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-147 ‘Argonauts,’ completed its first F-35C flight at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, Calif. The inaugural flight supports the squadron’s transition from the F/A-18E Super Hornet to the F-35C, marking a significant step forward in the integration of the F-35C weapons…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Norway in April 2018, I had a chance to meet with and discuss the Norwegian way ahead on airpower with Brigadier General Aage Longva, Vice Chief of the Norwegian Air Force. We met at his office at Rygge Air Station south of Oslo.…
In a press conference held by the Japanese Defense Minister, he provided an update on the standup of Japanese F-35s in Japan. I will provide a report on the additional deployment of F-35A aircraft to the Misawa Air Base. The concrete schedule of the additional deployment of Air Self-Defense Force…
We recently visited RAF Marham and will report on that visit along with visits to RAF Coningsby and Portsmouth as well. On May 16, 2018, the UK Ministry of Defence announced the imminent arrival of the first jets for the Dambusters squadron. Gavin Williamson confirmed the imminent arrival of the…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to Ørland Airbase, I had a chance to talk with Brigadier General Aage Longva, Vice Chief of the Norwegian Air Force, whose last post was Wing Commander at Ørland Airbase as well as with Lt. Col. Eirik Guldvog, XO/COS 132 Wing Commander. Those interviews…
