Aussie P-8 Does First Search and Rescue at Sea

05/18/2017
2017-05-18 Not yet operational, an Aussie P-8 on a training mission, performed a search and rescue mission at sea. According to an article published May 17, 2017 on the Australian Department of Defence website: The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) latest maritime surveillance and response capability—the P-8A Poseidon,has assisted with…

New Special Report: Designing and Building an Integrated Australian Defence Force

05/18/2017
2017-05-09  By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation working closely with the Australian Defence Force has provided a public forum for rethinking how to reshape their defense force to deal with 21st century challenges. This is the sixth Special Report produced in cooperation with Second Line of Defense. The first report looked…

Another Italian First: The First F-35B Built Abroad

05/13/2017
2017-05-07 By Robbin Laird In a 2015 piece, I highlighted three historic firsts for Italy in the F-35 program delivered in 2015. LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- At the beginning of the 20th Century, Italy was a pioneer in combat aviation. Although different at the beginning of the 21st century,…

USN-Marine Corps Team Tests New Technologies for the Amphibious Strike Force

05/11/2017
05/11/2017: The Navy (All Hands Magazine) and U.S. Marine Corps team officially wrapped up the Ship-to-Shore Maneuver Exploration and Experimentation Advanced Naval Technology Exercise 2017 this month at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Marines and sailors field-tested more than 50 new technologies, everything from swarming unmanned surface vessels to self-driving…