2012-12-24 In a discussion with Denton Clark of Lockheed Martin, the focus was upon how to meet the challenge of counterfeit parts in the supply chain. Denton Clark, an AIT Manager, is the Automated Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) Integrated Process Team (IPT) lead, for Lockheed Martin Corporation. In this…
2012-12-12 It is anticipated that four A400Ms will be delivered in 2013. The first delivery to the French Air Force, of MSN7, is planned for the second quarter. Another milestone has been passed for the aircraft as it nears its first delivery. According to a recent Airbus Military press release:…
2012-12-06 MBDA released a press release today which announced the successful launch of the new MBDA meteor air superiority weapon from a Eurofighter. The Meteor missile thereby takes one more step closer to deployment. According to the Press Release: The Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile has been successfully launched…
2012-12-05 We have written often about allies and their role in the F-35 program. We have also written about the unique aspects of the impact of the F-35 as a fleet of aircraft. And we have brought the two together in a discussion of evolving Pacific strategy and the potential…
2012-12-03 Airbus military has delivered the last of its tankers under contract to the RAAF. An update on the Aussie tanker was recently discussed by a senior RAAF officer. https://sldinfo.com/an-update-on-the-a330-tanker-from-down-under/ Commodore Gary Martin, commander Air Lift Group, noted “This aircraft can take six fighters from Australia to the mainland United…
2012-12-02 The first flight of the jointly developed European UAV was seen this week. [caption id="attachment_48186" align="alignnone" width="300"] First flight of jointly developed European UAV. Credit: Alenia[/caption] According to an Alenia press release from December 1, 2012: The nEUROn, the first European technology demonstrator for an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV),…
2012-11-30 Earlier Second Line of Defense had a wide-ranging discussion with Don Kinard of Lockheed Martin, one of the best production specialists in the aviation business today. In that conversation we focused on the approach to building wings for the F-35. https://www.sldinfo.com/the-f-35a-lands-at-eglin-what-does-that-say-about-the-current-state-of-production/ https://www.sldinfo.com/an-update-on-f-35-manufacturing-the-case-of-wing-assembly/ In our most recent visit to the F-35…
2012-11-20 According to an Airbus Military press release: The initial three production A400M new generation airlifters are seen together for the first time in this latest image of the Airbus Military final assembly line (FAL) at Seville, Spain. The photo shows MSN7 (furthest from the camera, and first to be…
