The Italian Way of Procuring the F-35: Shaping a European Base for the Global Fleet

11/01/2013
2013-11-01 By Robbin Laird During my trip to Italy in October 2013, I was able to spend two days at the Cameri F-35 facilities and to then discuss my visit with two senior Italian Air Force officials, intimately familiar with the program and the Cameri effort. I sat down with Lt.…

The Zumwalt Leaves its Dry Dock

10/31/2013
10/30/2013: The Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer DDG 1000 is floated out of dry dock at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard. The ship, the first of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces.…

The Impact of Advanced Fusion in 5th Generation Fighters on Combat Capability

10/30/2013
2013-10-30 by Michael Skaff, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company When Col John Boyd documented the concept of the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loop as it pertains to tactical aviation and the energy maneuverability egg it was in an era when fighter physical performance was the dominant factor. Although there were simple fire control radars…

An Update from Cameri on the Cameri F-35 Campus: October 2013

10/30/2013
2013-10-30 By Robbin Laird During a visit with Ed Timperlake at Yuma USMC Air Station and then at the Lockheed Martin Fort Worth F-35 facility, Ed and I had a chance to discuss the Cameri F-35 effort with two young Lockheed Martin Aero officials involved in that effort. We sat down…

First F-35 Fuselage Delivered to Cameri

10/29/2013
2013-10-29 In a July 23, 2013, press release from Northrop Grumman, the delivery of the first NG fuselage to Italy was highlighted. Northrop Grumman Corporation delivered the center fuselage for Italy's first F-35 Lightning II to the newly commissioned Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility at Italy's Cameri Air…

Assembly Plant of the Year Award to Northop Grumman F-35 Facility

10/29/2013
2013-10-29 In a Northrop Grumman news release, the role of a key plant in producing the center fuselage's for the F-35 is discussed. Northrop Grumman Corporation's  F-35 Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) was named "Assembly Plant of the Year" by Assembly Magazine in recognition for the facility's world-class processes to reduce…

Shaping an Africom Approach to Africa

10/29/2013
2013-10-29 By Guy Martin DefenceWeb The US military’s Africa Command (Africom) has cautioned that a military approach by itself will not solve Africa’s challenges as economic, social and political development is also needed. “The solution to terrorism in the region is a long-term, broad, whole-of-government approach by all our partners…