According to a Reuters story (excerpts only): The Pentagon has reached an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp on a $450 million program to enhance electronic warfare equipment on the F-35 fighter jet, and integrate Israeli-unique systems beginning in 2016, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. The deal, to be…
2012-07-26 By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake There were only four men in U.S. History awarded the five star rank of Fleet Admiral: Chester Nimitz, “Bull” Halsey, William Leahy and Earnie King. From their days at Annapolis to commanding the greatest Naval Fleet in history, each man spent significant time at…
Landing an F-35B vertically is more straightforward than it looks, and far easier than doing the same in an AV-8B Harrier, said Peter Wilson, a former U.K. military aviator who is now BAE Systems’ chief test pilot. “It’s just like magic,” Wilson told the reporters who assembled at the Farnborough…
2012-07-26 An overview of the F-35 program from the standpoint of the pilots in the program is provided in the videotape of the session at the Air Show on July 10, 2011 As readers of Second Line of Defense know, we have spent considerable time with F-35 test pilots and…
2012-07-23 In this piece translated from the French. General Patrick Tanguy one of the architects of modern Army aviation con-ops discusses the modern air mobility concept relied upon by the French forces, and highlighted in Libyan and Afghan operations. General Tanguy is on the editorial board of our partner publication…
2012-07-23 by Richard Weitz June 2012 proved to be one of the most violent months in recent Iraqi history, with more than two hundred people killed in violent attacks. These attacks, for which the Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda affiliate, claimed responsibility, have continued in early July, with Shiite…
2012-07-23 ZM135, a British F-35B and the first international Lightning II, takes off from Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base at 9:03 a.m. CDT en route for Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. United Kingdom Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Jim Schofield piloted the short takeoff and vertical landing…
2012-07-19 by Richard Weitz Iraq faces another danger in the country’s overwhelming economic dependence on oil: The constant threat of price instability. Price instability in international energy markets constantly threatens government revenue, deters private investment, and curtails government-funded projects. The implications of oil market fluctuations for the country’s budget were…
