04/08/2015:A C-5M Super Galaxy aircrew from Travis Air Force Base claimed 45 aeronautical records in one flight, positioning the U.S. military’s largest airframe as the world’s top aviation record holder with a total of 86 world records. The flight from Travis AFB established standards in 45 previously unset categories. The…
2015-03-27 By Robbin Laird The supply side of the amphibious fleet has gone down over the past two decades. The amphibious ship fleet inventory has been reduced by 50% over the past twenty years and will operate in the range of 28-33 ships in the foreseeable future. The demand side…
2015-03-27 The Japanese are deploying their largest warship in the post-war period. The ship is focused on carrying helicopters but will be operate the Osprey as well. The ship is about 250 meters and displaces 19,500 tons. According to an article published in The Asahi Shimbun on March 25, 2015…
2015-03-23 The 6th Soryu-class SSK, SS-506 Kokuryu, (meaning Black Dragon) was commissioned into service with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries shipyard in Kobe on March 9th. [caption id="attachment_75933" align="alignnone" width="300"] The 6th Soryu-class SSK, SS-506 Kokuryu, (meaning Black Dragon) was commissioned into service with Japan…
2015-03-20 By Robbin Laird During my first visit to the Final Assembly Line of the F-35 since 2012, I was able to visit the line and see a number of changes. I also had a number of interviews which provided updates as well. The first interview with Dr. Mike Skaff,…
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…
2015-03-06 The Royal Navy is building two large deck aircraft carriers. This ship and the USS America are two ships built specifically with the F-35B in mind. The Queen Elizabeth will have its sea trials next year, and construction is moving apace on the Prince of Wales. According to a…
2015-03-03 One of the three large warships which will operate the F-35 is the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The ship is being completed and will begin its sea trials next year. It is the largest warship which the United Kingdom has ever built and incorporates several innovations which we will focus…
