Shaping a Value Proposition in Logistical Support and Training: A Discussion with Lt. General (Retired) Robling About Meeting the Challenge

04/20/2015
2015-04-20 By Robbin Laird Lt. General Robling recently retired as Commanding General, Marine Corps Forces Pacific (CG MARFORPAC) and is now serving as the CEO of PKL Services, Inc. (PKL), an aerospace services firm. PKL is headquartered in Poway, California, and throughout its now ten years of operation, has employed…

Next Steps in the F-35 Global Enterprise: Cameri’s First F-35A and Norwegian-Australian Collaboration on the Joint Strike Missile

03/20/2015
2015-03-15 The F-35 is not simply a replacement airplane; it is a 21st century air combat system embedded within a unique global enterprise. On the one hand, the commonality of the software on the F-35 allows for allies to develop missiles for "their" F-35s and have "their" missiles available for…

The Maturing of F-35 Manufacturing and Crafting Synergy Among Suppliers, the Final Assembly Line and Maintainers: An Update With Don Kinard

03/13/2015
2015-03-04 By Robbin Laird The F-35 program has been built around a very different manufacturing model for fighter jets, more modeled on what an Airbus would do than the more traditional station build approach. The F-35 is to be built on three final assembly lines (FALs)– Fort Worth, Cameri, and…

The A400M Arrrives in Polynesia

03/06/2015
2015-03-06 On March 2, 2015, the A400M Atlas touched down in French Polynesia. Currently, the French forces use two CN-235s to provide the means to link up with the five Polynesian archipelagos. There is a French Air Force detachment of 190 at Tahiti's Faa'a airfield. The flight from New Caledonia…