2013-03-09 According to a Lockheed Martin press release, a new F-35B has flown but this time with a new Center Wing Assembly produced in Georgia. The first Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II with a Center Wing Assembly (CWA) built at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Ga., was…
This video shows the arrival of another F-35A to Nellis AFB. The Weapons School at Nellis and the Marine Corps MAWTS at Yuma can drive significant innovation in their services as the F-35 rolls into the operational fleets. Lt. Col. Benjamin Bishop, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron director of…
2013-03-05 by Robbin Laird and Murielle Delaporte This past Saturday, we attended the christening of the latest US Navy ship at General Dynamics’s NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. Fully loaded, the new ship will displace more than 80,000 tons – yet it isn’t an aircraft carrier. Instead, the USNS Montford…
2013-03-08 While the US dithers on offshore patrol boats, Canada doesn't. Ottawa’s plan to bolster the navy’s fleet nudged toward the drawing board Thursday after it signed a contract to design the next generation of Arctic offshore patrol ships. The deal with Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax is worth an estimated…
2013-03-08 By Richard Weitz In the past decade, Sino-African relations have increased in importance. Recent trends point to Chinese involvement in three areas of interest: economic policy, diplomacy, and military cooperation. Beijing’s policies with reference to sub-Saharan Africa reflect clear goals: 1) expanding export markets (to Africa’s growing middle class) 2) …
2013-03-07 During the week prior to the christening of the new Mobile Landing Platform in San Diego, Second Line of Defense sat down with Rear Admiral Mark Buzby to discuss the role of the ship and the evolution of the seabase. We have focused on several dynamic tools being added…
2013-03-07 by Richard Weitz In the past decade, the PLA has increasingly participated in multilateral peacekeeping operations in Africa. Since 2000—when China deployed fewer than 100 peacekeepers—there has been nearly a twenty-fold increase in troops-on-the-ground. In recent years, China has provided more troops, police, and observer teams to UN peacekeeping…
2013-03-07 According to an Airbus Military press release of March 6, 2013: [caption id="attachment_51288" align="alignnone" width="300"] The first French A400M will be delivered soon. Credit: Airbus Military[/caption] The first production Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter has made its maiden flight, marking a key milestone towards its delivery to the…
