North American Defense and the Evolving Strategic Environment: Admiral Gortney Focuses on the Need to Defend North America at the Ten and Two O’clock Positions

05/08/2016
2016-04-22 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake We had the opportunity in late 2012 to interview the then head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command (NORAD-NORTHCOM), Army General Chuck Jacoby. Then on March 31, 2016, we sat down with the current NORAD and NORTHCOM Commander,…

The RAF and Royal Navy Prepare for the F-35 (Video)

05/06/2016
2016-05-06 According to the UK MoD: "Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Pilots are training to fly the new state-of-the-art stealth jet the F-35B Lightning II alongside their US counterparts at Marine Air Corps Station Beaufort, South Carolina. The highly advanced 5th generation jet will come into UK service from…

A-29 Super Tucanos Train for Close Air Support Role in Afghanistan

05/06/2016
05/06/2016: The highest priority skillset for the Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano pilots is the effective execution of close air support (CAS). Pilots are trained to employ rockets, precision-guided bombs, general purpose bombs, and strafe. The A-29 can employ a variety of weapons to do this mission: .50 cal…

F-35s at Luke AFB: Dropping GBU 12s

05/03/2016
05/03/2016: An F-35 Lightning II from the 61st Fighter Squadron lines up into an attack route in preparation to drop a GBU-12 500-pound laser-guided bomb, April 25, 2016, at the Barry M. Goldwater Range in Gila Bend, Ariz. Three F-35s successfully delivered six inert GBU-12s during the practice bombing, making the 61st FS the…

Shaping the Template for Air Interceptions While Russians Continue Their Hot Dog Tactics

05/02/2016
05/02/2016: It is not difficult to see how air intercepts in the Northern European region could escalate. Nato is working hard to shape an effective air intercept template. A number of fighter jets from NATO and NATO partner nations have been training together at an airbase in Estonia. Among the…

New Approaches to Air-Land Integration: A New Special Report

05/02/2016
2016-04-19  On March 17, 2016, the Williams Foundation held its latest seminar on fifth generation enabled combat operations, this one focused on new approaches to air-land integration. The terms of reference for the seminar highlighted the way ahead. “Air forces need to be capable of delivering air and space power…