02/26/2015: By Robbin Laird I had not visited the Final Assembly Line or FAL in Fort Worth since late 2012. Much has changed as the line has matured, and a line stood up in Cameri, Italy and one being built in Japan. The first Italian FACO F-35 rollout will happen…
2015-02-22 The distributed aperture system or DAS is a key set of sensors on the F-35 which provides data for the fused cockpit system and the helmet display. In an interview which we did at Pax River with a USMC test pilot in the spring of 2010, it was clear…
2015-02-12 The A400M is being operated already by 4 air forces, with 4 more initial customers to come. It is early days but the interactive process of multi-national training will be a crucial aspect of shaping an A400M enterprise. A briefing provided in 2012 by the head of training for…
2015-02-11 The UK has added new tankers and is starting the process of adding a new airlifter to its lift fleet, the A400M. The arrival of the A400M at its new base in the UK was announced by the UK government as follows in a November 27, 2014 press release:…
2015-01-26 CVN 78 is being built to support a half century of air-breathing platform innovations. The new carrier will see the UCAS, the new Hawkeye, the Osprey and the F-35C come onboard. This is the beginning of the decade ahead of innovation. But what comes next? The new catapult and landing…
2015-01-24 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake The coming of the USS Gerald R. Ford sets in motion a very different type of large-deck carrier. The hull form of the Ford is a tribute to the very successful Nimitz-class hull design. That is where the comparisons basically end. As the…
2015-01-22 When visiting the Gerald R. Ford and making the trek to the bridge, one notices quickly that the deck space in front of the island is significantly expanded over a Nimitz class carrier. We talked with the Captain and a construction engineer about the changes on our visit to…
2015-01-22 Second Line of Defense visited the next generation carrier CVN 78 (Gerald R. Ford) on January 9, 2015. We had a chance to interview the Skipper of the ship, Captain John Meier, and afterwards tour the ship with the Captain and senior construction personnel. We will publish the interview…
