11/21/17: A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II soars over Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 2, 2017, on approach to Kadena Air Base, Japan. [maxgallery id="102799"] This marks U.S. Pacific Command’s first operational tasking for the F-35As and the first time a U.S. Air Force F-35A unit has deployed as a regularly…
2017-11-10 By Robbin Laird The F-35 undergoes final assembly and checkout at three plants around the world – in Italy, in Japan and in Fort Worth, Texas. The Italian and Japanese lines are low rate production lines whereas the Fort Worth line is the high rate production facility. The Fort Worth…
2017-11-11 The first F-35s have arrived in Norway as the Norwegian Air Force stands up its initial training capability. According to an article published November 10, 2017 on the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the ceremony welcoming the new addition to the Norwegian Defence Force was highlighted. Rain, sun, wind and…
2017-11-12 An important aspect of the F-35 final assembly facility in Fort Worth is the capability to produce three variants of the aircraft on the same assembly line. Now that capability has been demonstrated off of the Italian line as the first F-35B built outside of the United States came…
2017-11-01 By Robbin Laird The Marine Corps is being shaped for the transition from a slow motion ground war to higher intensity warfare. This reshaping is being driven by the new aviation assets, the introduction of broad range digital interoperability within the MAGTF and by evolving concepts of operations associated…
2017-11-10 (Updated with Comments on Arrival Ceremony) According to a story on the Ministry of Defence Norwegian website published on November 10, 2017, the comments by the Prime Minister were highlighted regarding the arrival of the F-35 in Norway. The F-35 remains crucial to the continued modernization of our Armed…
2017-10-29 Norway, like Denmark and the UK, is looking forward to the coming and integrative impact of the F-35 on its national and regional defense capabilities. As Major General Tonje Skinnarland. the Norwegian Chief of Staff, put it in an interview earlier this year: “It is not just about adding…
2017-10-20 By Robbin Laird The Nordics are responding to what they see as a new situation in their region. The Arctic opening expands the range significantly of the challenge in what might be called the Nordic Security Zone (NSZNS) and the use of military power in Europe and beyond by…
