Japan, US close to signing deal on F-35 workshare

11/09/2012
11/7/12 Japan and the United States are close to finalizing the workshare arrangement supporting the production of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the Japan Air Self-Defence Force. A spokesman from the Japan Ministry of Defence (MoD) told IHS Jane's on 31 October that the two…

The F-35 and Pacific Strategy: Shaping a Core Lynchpin

11/08/2012
2012-11-08 By Robbin Laird Many analysts and politicians have discussed the F-35 as if it was a simple replacement aircraft. And in such conversations, the notion of stealth is seen as a high-end capability needed only sparingly and in specialized circumstances. If this were true, the Marines would not be…

Northrop Grumman and Terma Work on Composite Parts for the F-35

11/08/2012
Nov. 6, 2012 Northrop Grumman Corporation has entered a long-term agreement (LTA) with the advanced composites manufacturer Terma A/S in Denmark to manufacture component parts for the international F-35 Lightning II program. The LTA, which has a potential value of more than $97 million upon completion of all follow-on options,…

Aussie Air Chief Visits Fuesalage Assembly Line

11/08/2012
11/5/12 The Royal Australian Air Force's Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, met Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC -1.56%  executives during a visit to the company's F-35 Lightning II production facility in Palmdale on Nov. 2. As part of his visit, Brown received an update on the F-35 program…

Israeli team visits Lockheed Martin F-35 production facility

11/08/2012
11/6/12 A team of Israeli air force personnel visited Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp.'s Fort Worth facility in Texas as part of preparations for an initial batch of 20 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters due to receive some Israeli-made systems, Flightglobal reports. Israeli experts are working with the manufacturer to prepare the…

Working with Asians in Asia: Airbus Military Shapes Its Strategy

11/08/2012
Airbus Military has focused for some time on ways to harvest the legacy of CASA to shape a more global strategy.  The historical relationship with Indonesia has provided a very good launch point for such an effort.  CASA has a long history of working with Indonesia and has more recently…