Britain Demonstrates the Flexibility Inherent in the F-35 Program

07/16/2012
2012-07-16 by Robbin Laird This week the UK government will officially accept its first F-35B. There are a total of 4 under contract, which includes the first operational aircraft to be received in LRIP 7. This is a re-affirmation of the importance of the F-35 and the B version for the…

Business Leaders Support Bringing F-35 to Tucson

07/15/2012
7/12/12  By David B. Pittman (Excerpt) Lockheed Martin officials descended upon Sargent Aerospace & Defense in Marana recently to demonstrate the capabilities of the F-35 Lightning II, which is described as the world’s most advanced military fighter aircraft.

They were greeted by an enthusiastic audience of Sargent employees, elected officials, political…

The Australian Defense Industry Market: Forecast Through 2017

07/15/2012
2012-07-15  Our partner ICD has published a new report looking at the evolution of the Australian defense industry market through 2017. The report offers insights into the market opportunities and entry strategies adopted by foreign OEMs  (original equipment manufacturers) to gain a market share in the Australian defense industry. In…

Military Intervention in Syria? A French Perspective

07/14/2012
2012-07-14 By Lt. General (Retired) Gaviard Last June, in the backdrop of the growing number of casualties in Syria, the French President did not rule out the possibility of a military intervention. As a recent poll showed, the majority of the French public is in favor of an armed solution to…

Central Asian Terrorists in Operation

07/14/2012
2012-07-14 by Richard Weitz Bombing in Northern Afghanistan Confirms The IMU’s Return The suicide bomber who today killed a prominent Afghan MP, a former warlord, and some two dozen other people at his daughter's wedding party in northern Afghanistan probably belonged to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a key…

100th F-35 Lightning II Sortie

07/14/2012
07/26/2012: 100th F-35 Lightning II Sortie 7/12/2012 Marine Lt. Col. David Berke, commanding officer for the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, taxis in from completing the 100th F-35 Lightning II sortie at the 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Fla. July 11. The 33rd FW’s 100 flights completed include 74…

Iraq Oil Problems and Possibilities

07/14/2012
2012-07-14  By Richard Weitz Iraq’s oil industry is indispensable to the country’s economic growth. The oil sector provides more than 90 percent of the government’s revenue and 80 percent of Iraq’s foreign exchange earnings. Iraqi officials have tendered bids and recently awarded ten contracts to international oil companies. These investments…

An “Act of War”? The Law of Naval Mining

07/12/2012
2012-07-12 by  Scott C. Truver, Director, TeamBlue, Gryphon Technologies LC [email protected] As tensions between the United States and Iran increased in early 2012, with threats from Teheran to close the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz––exacerbating concerns in jittery world petroleum markets––countered by increasingly draconian U.S. and UN sanctions, a U.S. Navy…