2015-05-09 By Robbin F. Laird In the famous opening lines of Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities, he noted that “it was the best of times; its was the worst of times.” So it is for aircraft carriers. The critics of aircraft carriers focus on their vulnerability and the rise…
2015-05-16 The Baltic states have no air force. NATO provides the Baltic Air Patrol to provide for air protection for them. According to one of the first articles on the UK MoD website after the Purdah publishing ban during the time of the election, RAF typhoons from 6 squadron intercepted…
2015-05-08 By Robbin Laird With the Russian approach to Ukraine as defining a threat envelope, the question of Baltic defense has become a central one for NATO. And deterrence rests not simply on having exercises and declarations but a credible strategy to defeat the Russians if they decided to probe,…
05/15/2015: F-35B pilots, Maj. Aric Liberman (05 jet) and Capt. Brian Hansell (01 jet), with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 based out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., perform short take off and vertical landings as part of required flying field carrier landing practices (FCLP) at the stations auxiliary…
05/14/2015: Lt. Col. Christine Mau completed her first training flight in the F-35 Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, making her the first female F-35 pilot. According to a story in the Daily News: The first female F-35 fighter jet pilot took to the skies Tuesday. Lt. Col. Christine…
2015-05-13 The tragic crash of an A400M (MSN 23), a plane for the Turkish Air Force, at Seville on May 9th, 2015 near the final assembly plant, reminds us of how risky the introduction of new systems can be. The plane was due to be delivered to the Turkish Air…
2015-05-12 By Robbin Laird The bomber has a long and distinguished history in first the Army Air Corps and then the US Air Force. When the B-17 was born, it was a controversial aircraft, which proved its worth when Nazi Germany controlled a continent and only the B-17 fleet could…
2015-04-29 John Blackburn retired as an Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Australian Air Force in 2008 and has been involved in a number of strategic issues since then in Australia. He is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Sir Richard Williams Foundation, an Australian think tank focused on Air Power.…
