2016-08-02 By Todd Miller Even before the USAF declared the F-35As initial operational capability (IOC) on August 2, they were well ahead of the curve planning the next phase of the F-35A program. This next phase is focused on the priority of F-35A integration within the USAF fighter fleet, and…
2016-07-18 By Robbin Laird USMC and RAF F-35Bs flew from USMC Beaufort Air Station to participate in the RIAT and Farnbourgh air shows. USAF sent F-35As across the Atlantic to participate as well in RIAT. These flights are the latest trans-Atlantic crossings with the Italians coming first on February 5th with…
2016-07-22 When we recently visited the Air Combat Command, we were informed that at RIAT 2016, a session with four pilots had been held at RIAT 2016, which provided a perspective from the squadron pilot’s perspective. The pilots came from the USAF, the USMC, the RAF, and the Norwegian Air…
2016-07-07 By Robbin Laird When I visited Williamtown Air Base in Australia last March, I was given a tour to the bed down of the F-35 at the airbase and the shaping really of a fifth generation infrastructure for the evolution of the Royal Australian Air Force. The challenge put…
2016-07-13 The F-35B will be a staple for the USMC and the RAF and will fly with the Italian Navy as well. There are a number of other Air Forces which are clearly interested in the aircraft as well, including Israel, Singapore, Japan, and Spain. The plane can operate in…
Marines with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One and a Royal Air Force pilot with Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 successfully conducted the first ever trans-Atlantic flight of the F-35B Lightning II, June 29, 2016. The piliots highlight the ground up experience of the two services bringing the…
2016-06-30 By Staff Sgt, Natasha Stannard This historic flight that brought the team to the United Kingdom from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.[WNJSUAAP1] , was a first for not only the Lightning, but the Extender as this was the KC-10’s first time refueling the F-35A, trans-continentally. “Any time there is a…
07/09/2016: U.S. Marine Corps F35B Lighting II assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing(MAW),particpate in aerial refueling missions with KC130J Super Hercules assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Air Group 11, 3d MAW at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz,…