F-35 Prepares to Fly With Heritage Aircraft
04/06/2016
04/06/2016: The F-35 Heritage team at Luke prepares for the 75 Years of Air Power at Luke Air Force Base. Credit:56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs:3/31/16
Shaping the Airpower Transition: The Perspective of “Zed” Roberton, Commander Air Combat Group (RAAF)
04/06/2016
2016-04-06 By Robbin Laird Air Commodore Steve “Zed” Roberton knows about airpower transitions. He led the transition in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) from F-111 to Super Hornet, Commanded the RAAF’s initial Air Task Group to the Middle East, where for the first time the RAAF took an integrated…
A New Special Report: The F-35 Arrives into the Combat Fleet
04/06/2016
2016-04-06 This report provides an update of the roll out of the F-35 as of March 31, 2016. The report is based on interviews with pilots, maintainers, testers and industrialists involved with the program. The F-35 is not a future program; it is here now. The Marines already have their…
Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Team Launches the Joint Standoff Weapon in the Atlantic Test Ranges
04/01/2016
2016-03-31 According to a Joint Program Office Press Release, a new weapon has been added to the bow for the F-35 as the archer. An F-35C Lightning II launched its first AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) over the Atlantic Test Ranges on 23 March. Test aircraft, CF-05, cleanly released the 1,000-pound air-to-surface…
Mastering the Reshaping of the Joint Force Capability Puzzle: A Discussion with Air Marshal Davies of the Royal Australian Air Force
04/01/2016
2016-04-01 By Robbin Laird During my March 2016 visit to Australia to attend the Airpower Conference on Multi-Domain Integration and the Williams Foundation Seminar on New Approaches to Air-Land Integration, I had a chance to meet with Air Marshal Davies throughout those sessions and then to meet at his office…
Air Vice-Marshal McDonald Views the Way Ahead for the RAAF in the Joint Operations Space
03/30/2016
2016-03-30 By Robbin Laird During the first day of the RAAF Conference on Airpower, I had a chance to sit down and to talk with the Deputy Chief of Staff of the RAAF, Air Vice-Marshal McDonald. This is the third time I have had the opportunity to interview him, initially…
Lt. Col. Raja Chari Talks About the Way Ahead with the F-35: The Renorming of Airpower Seen from Edwards
03/24/2016
2016-03-24 By Edward Timperlake and Robbin Laird An organization is known by the individuals that make it successful, and there is no more demanding organization than a Combat Fighter Squadron. To become a successful fighter pilot it all begins with their first tour Squadron experience in beginning their personal journey…
Visiting the RAAF Williamtown Air Base: Preparing for the Future and Remembering the Past
03/24/2016
2016-03-25 By Robbin Laird The RAAF’s Williamtown Air Base is the home of key current combat assets, the historic home of several legacy air assets, and the future home of a major part of the F-35 capability. This was my third visit to the base, the first being to 2nd…