Osprey: The Challenges of Maintenance In Iraq and Afghanistan

11/28/2010
An Update on the Osprey from New River (VI) An Interview With Corporal Warshek And Sergeant Fante 11/28/2010 - Second Line of Defense in late August 2010 talked to Osprey maintainers at New River Air Station. One theme, which was discussed, was the challenge of maintaining the aircraft in the…

The F-35 Seat’s Enhanced Maintainability

11/18/2010
An Interview With Armando Martinez 11/18/2010 - During a visit to the Lockheed Martin F-35 facility mid-September, “Mondo” Martinez was interviewed with regard to the new seat in the F-35, which represents an important increase in maintainability.  On average, what takes the F-16 maintainers more than three hours to do…

Osprey: a heavier medium-lift capacity

11/18/2010
An Update from New River (V) [download PDF of full report] An Interview With Lieutenant-Colonel Garcia on the Osprey in Iraq and Afghanistan 11/18/2010 - Lieutenant-Colonel Garcia discussed his time in Iraq and Afghanistan involving both rotorcraft and the Osprey. The tiltrotor craft was used differently in the two countries…

An Update on the Eglin F-35 Training Facility

11/18/2010
An Interview With Colonel Arthur Tomassetti 11/18/2010 - In October 2010, Second Line of Defense visited the F-35 training facility located at Eglin AFB. This is a return visit with the first report emanating from a January 2010 visit.  This report provides an update on progress at the training facility,…

“Fly Before Buy”

11/15/2010
The Air Force Tanker Decision: A ‘Fairer’ Way Forward By Michael W. Wynne,  21st Secretary of the Air Force Credit: KC-135, http://www.aviationexplorer.com 11/17/2010 - The Air Force is confronting a conundrum that in 1998, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) called a mandatory replacement program for the aging tanker fleet.  There…

F-35: “Fighting And Sustaining As A Team”

11/06/2010
Shaping a Fleet Sustainment Strategy For The Next Generation Fighter Pilots An Interview With General Art Cameron (Ret.), Director, F-35 Global Sustainment Customer Alignment, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company SLD, September 2010 11/06/2010 - During a visit to the Lockheed Martin F-35 facility in September 2010, SLD sat down with (Retired)…

Preparing for the Maintenance of the F-35 at Langley AFB

11/05/2010
An Interview with Senior Master Sgt. Steven Wehrle and Master Sgt. David Freeman 11/05/2010 - In September 2010, Second Line of Defense sat down with maintainers at Langley AFB to talk about F-22 experiences and preparation for the F-35.  As the maintainers described it, a significant cultural change was underway…