2018-01-16 By Robbin Laird The USS Wasp has spent the last few years as the workhorse of F-35B testing for the amphibious fleet. While it was doing this, the Osprey was revolutionizing the strike force onboard the amphibious fleet. And waiting in the wings is the coming of the new…
1/17/2018: USS Wasp pulling in to moor at Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo. The Wasp, capable of operating the U.S. Marine Corp’s F-35B Join Strike Fighter, will replace USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) as the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship in 7th Fleet. The F-35 Enabled USS Wasp Arrives in Japan from…
2017-12-29 As we end 2017, the team at Second Line of Defense would like to note that we have focused for MANY years on the re-norming of airpower associated with the coming of the fifth generation aircraft. There have been many opponents along the way, and many of these folks…
2017-12-31 One of the advantages of having built a digital thread manufacturing line for the F-35 at Fort Worth is the capability which the system allows to add evolving digital capabilities to that line. A recent example was highlighted in a story published on exectuvebiz.com on December 7, 2017: Lockheed…
F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 depart Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 20, 2017. MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN 10.20.2017 Video by Staff Sgt. William Faffler Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
12/03/2017: U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II pilots assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, participate in carrier qualifications aboard the USS Essex (LHD-2) during Exercise Dawn Blitz, Oct. 22, 2017. Dawn Blitz is a scenario-driven amphibious exercise conducted between Expeditionary Strike…
12/01/2017: U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II pilots assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, participate in carrier qualifications aboard the USS Essex (LHD-2) during Exercise Dawn Blitz, Oct. 22, 2017. Dawn Blitz is a scenario-driven amphibious exercise conducted between Expeditionary Strike…
2017-11-17 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Denmark is a small country, but an important player in the NATO Alliance and part of the reworking of Nordic defense with Norway, Sweden and Finland to deal with resurgent Russia. Notably, in mid-October 2017, the Danish government released its proposed new six-year…