At 1430 on February 5th, the first Italian made F-35A flew into the pattern at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland and touched down. Known to all Naval Aviators as “Pax” this historic flight of an Italian fighter pilot, wearing his cold water survival suit, flew the single seat, single engine F-35A…
2016-01-19 According to an article published by our partner RID, the second Italian built F-35 (AL-2) was flown for the first time at the Cameri air base on January 15, 2016. The Italian Air Force is training its pilots at Luke AFB where the first flights for training took place…
2016-01-14 The Second Line of Defense team visited Pax River's F-35 Integrated Test Force in early January 2016. We are preparing a set of interviews which highlight not only progress towards the introduction of the F-35C into the carrier air wing but the way ahead for the air wing under…
2016-01-02 By Robbin Laird Although the notion of C5ISR has taken hold, the concept can confuse more than it clarifies. C2 is become an essential element for force structure transformation, rather than focusing excessively on the ISR, or collection of information to inform decisions. The shift from the kinds of…
2015-12-23 By Robbin Laird © 2015 FrontLine Defence (Vol 12, No 6) Counter-insurgency (COIN) warfare has been the dominant template in U.S. military engagements for more than a decade. Joint warfare has been largely defined in terms of the air and naval services supporting the ground forces doing COIN. COIN…
12/18/2015: The F-35A Lightning II from the 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, at Tyndall Air Force Base is seen flying in support of Exercise Checkered Flag 16-01. Checkered Flag is a large-force exercise which simulates the employment of a large number of aircraft and is an opportunity to highlight…
12/18/2015: An F-35B Lightning II from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 conducts a vertical landing at a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) aboard Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, Calif., Dec. 10, 2015. VMFA-121 marked another important milestone in the evolution of the aircraft conducting their first Close Air Support…
12/18/2015: LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- The first two Norwegian F-35s arrived here Nov. 10. Shortly after, a Norwegian pilot flew the F-35 Lightning II for the first time, in conjunction with the Royal Norwegian Air Force's birthday. The F-35 program took its first step forward, integrating partner nations…
