F-35B Lightning II Operations Aboard USS America (LHA 6) Wrap Up

12/06/2016
12/06/2016: PACIFIC OCEAN (NOV. 17, 2016) The F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) wrapped up its third and final developmental test phase (DT-III) of the F-35B Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant aboard amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on November 17. The Pax River ITF’s…

Green Knights reunion: VMFA-121 follows in the footsteps of their brothers

12/06/2016
12/06/2016: Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 hosted a squadron tour for Green Knight veterans who served during 1966 and 1967. Together, they celebrated the Marine Corps’ 241st birthday in Yuma, Ariz., Nov. 19. MCAS YUMA, CA, UNITED STATES 11.17.2016 Video by Lance Cpl. Jake McClung  Marine Corps Air Station Miramar…

The Marines Onboard the USS America: The Remaking of the Amphibious Strike Force

12/05/2016
2016-12-04 By Todd Miller “We’d always say ‘if its really a bad air to air (A2A) threat, get some additional jets up there, get some more capability.’  I have no pause or hesitation that this jet will dominate in an A2A environment, would dominate in a strike environment, dominate in…

F-35 and Collaborative Cost Savings: The Norwegian Case

12/02/2016
2016-12-02 The F-35 global enterprise provides an opportunity for leveraging collaborative efforts to shape more effective capabilities at a more effective cost point. According to a post by Endre Lundeon December 1, 2016 from the Norwegian Ministry of Defence: How international cooperation saved us NOK 96 million in 2016. The F-35…

DTIII Testing for F-35B: November 5, 2016

11/29/2016
2016-11-29 DTIII Testing for F-35B: Working an Integrated MAGTF at Sea The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. USS America, with VMX-1, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and…

The Next Phase for the F-35B: Empowering the Sea-Base

11/29/2016
2016-11-29 By Todd Miller The US Marine Corps (USMC) F-35 program is accelerating rapidly, and deployment is underway. Second Line of Defense had the opportunity to see the progress in action during a “Proof of Concept” demonstration on the USS America off the coast of Southern California November 18-20, 2016.…

DTIII Testing for F-35B: November 4, 2016

11/28/2016
2016-11-28 The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. USS America, with VMX-1, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing and the third phase of developmental testing for the F-35B…

DTIII Testing for F-35B: November 3, 2016

11/27/2016
2016-11-27  DTIII Testing for F-35B: Working an Integrated MAGTF at Sea The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant is the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft. USS America, with VMX-1, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) embarked, are underway conducting operational testing…