The Italian Way of Procuring the F-35: Shaping a European Base for the Global Fleet

11/01/2013
2013-11-01 By Robbin Laird During my trip to Italy in October 2013, I was able to spend two days at the Cameri F-35 facilities and to then discuss my visit with two senior Italian Air Force officials, intimately familiar with the program and the Cameri effort. I sat down with Lt.…

Building Out an F-35 Fleet Sustainment Center in Italy

11/01/2013
2013-11-01 By Robbin Laird During my October 2013 visit to Italy, I spent two days at the Cameri F-35 facility. While there, I had a chance to discuss the facility and the approach of the Italians with Debra Palmer, Lockheed Martin’s General Manager at the facility. Palmer comes from a military…

An Update from Cameri on the Cameri F-35 Campus: October 2013

10/30/2013
2013-10-30 By Robbin Laird During a visit with Ed Timperlake at Yuma USMC Air Station and then at the Lockheed Martin Fort Worth F-35 facility, Ed and I had a chance to discuss the Cameri F-35 effort with two young Lockheed Martin Aero officials involved in that effort. We sat down…

Depot Level Maintenance of the F-35

09/28/2013
2013-09-28 Several hundred people gathered today in hangar 237 to witness the first F-35A Lightning II which arrived for depot level maintenance during a ceremony hosted by the Ogden Air Logistics Complex commander, Maj. Gen. H. Brent Baker Sr. The ceremony addressed Hill's key role in the depot repair and…

An Update on F-35 Low Observable Maintenance at the 33rd Fighter Wing

09/24/2013
2013-09-25 One of the issues Secretary Wynne was briefed on and given a hands on look was Maintenance of Low Observable characteristics approach being shaped at the 33rd FW. USAF maintainers showed the Secretary how they were addressing the effort and rolling out the LO maintenance capability. The LO maintainers…

F-35 Maintainers for the F-35A at Eglin: Rolling Out a New Capability

07/25/2013
2013-07-24 Recently, the F-35A maintainers received an award from the base command which highlighted their progress for the past year. According to a press release (July 17, 2013) from the 33rd Fighter Wing: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program continues to garner accolades, as the 33d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron won the…

An Update on F-35 Maintenance: The USAF at Eglin Works the Challenges and Receives Recognition

07/17/2013
2013-07-17 The F-35 is built around a new maintenance approach.  The computer-based system is designed to facility a global supply system with significant advantages for improvements in sortie generation rates and global supportability.  But like any new system, the effort is a work in progress. With the declaration of entry into…