The F-35 and the Japanese Self Defense Force: The Context of the Rollout of the First Japanese F-35

09/24/2016
2016-09-24 With traditional Japanese taiko drums providing a dramatic aural backdrop, Kenji Wakamiya, State Minister of Defence, Japanese Government, came to the stage to discuss the significance of the rollout of the first F-35 for Japan. The State Minister of Defense Japan on the Roll Out of the First Japanese F-35…

A Norwegian F-35 Pilot Provides an Update: Shaping New Combat Capabilities in the Northern Edge of NATO

09/22/2016
2016-09-22  Kampflybloggen (The Combat Aircraft Blog) is the official blog of the Norwegian F-35 Program Office within the Norwegian Ministry of Defence. The author of this post, Major Morten “Dolby” Hanche, has more than 2200 hours behind him in the F-16, he is a U.S. Navy Test Pilot School graduate, and on…

Shaping a Way Forward for the Canadian Air Force: Putting the Fighter Decision in Context

09/21/2016
2016-09-21 By Danny Lam The Canadian Air Force along with the entire Canadian Defence Force faces a tough transition. The challenges to Canada associated with developments in both Europe and Asia or what the recent NORTHCOM/NORAD Commander referred, as threats from the 10 and 2 O’clock are going up, not down.…

Transforming the Power Projection Forces for the Liberal Democracies

09/17/2016
2016-09-12 By Robbin Laird The period ahead could be a very deadly one for the liberal democracies. Ill-liberal powers whether they be states (Russia, China or Iran) or irredentist movements spouting 12th century values are clearly working to change the global order to their advantage. Many factors of power are…

Becoming an F-22 Multi-Tasking Combat Aviator

09/14/2016
2016-09-08 The key to understanding fifth generation combat aviation is sensor fusion and the man-mashine working relationship built into the cockpit.  The F-22 started the  process; the F-35 continues it. At the heart of the new capability is moving from being a sequential multi-mission pilot directing the combat capabilities of…

F-35 and Aegis: Preparing For the Integrated Fight in the Extended Battlespace

09/14/2016
2016-09-14 Many years ago we wrote about the long reach of Aegis and the emergence of the offensive defensive enterprise. Combining Aegis with the new Joint Strike Fighter will enhance coverage and lead to a global honeycomb of defensive capabilities.  Originally designed as a Cold War tool to bolster fleet…

The Way Ahead for the RAAF in the Joint Forces Space and the Coming of the F-35: The Perspective of Air Commodore Kitcher

09/12/2016
2016-09-04 By Robbin Laird Prior to the Williams Foundation seminar on air-sea integration, I had a chance to sit down with Air Commodore Kitcher and to discuss the way ahead for the RAAF in the joint combat space. He is the Director General of Capability Planning in the RAAF. Air…