Re-visiting the USAF Tanker Impact on Con-ops

07/15/2010
Air Force Association White Paper Excerpts As the support functions ramp up, the USAF has relied more on the KC-10s to provide for the tanker gap.  And as the Administration moves forward to make a tanker decision, it is important to re-visit why tankers are so important to the US…

Maintaining the F-35B: Not So Much Of A Learning Curve

07/07/2010
On April 21st, 2010, SLD sat down with Gunnery Sergeant Larone Thomas and discussed F-35 maintenance.  Gunnery Sergeant Thomas is in charge of maintenance for the F-35Bs undergoing tests at Pax River and  has recently received major recognition from the service for his capabilities in an annual logistics award.  he…

The Projected Impact of F-35B on USMC Operational Costs

07/07/2010
By Lieutenant General George J. Trautman, III, Deputy Commandant for USMC Aviation Affordability is the balance of cost and capabilities required to accomplish assigned missions. For over a decade the Marine Corps has avoided the cost of new procurement during a time when the service life of our legacy aircraft…

An Update on the Distributed Aperture System

07/06/2010
SLD talked with Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems’ Mark Rossi about the Distributed Aperture System (DAS) on the F-35, which together with the helmet provides 360-degree situational awareness for the F-35 pilot. Mark has served as the Director of the AN/AAQ-37 Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (EO DAS) for the F-35 platform,…

Crafting the F-35 Sustainment Approach: A Central Element of the Con-Ops of the New Aircraft System

06/29/2010
SLD sat down with Kimberly Gavaletz, Vice President from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, and head of the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment Program, to discuss the F-35 sustainment approach.  The F-35 is a new generation “flying combat system” which is built around a man-machine interface, which builds on developments in…

Managing Chaos Texas-Style (Part I)

06/29/2010
By Steve Nerheim As the USCG participates in the current challenging Gulf oil spill crisis, the danger of the tropical storm season coming upon us reminds us that crises can be telescoped.  In this two part article by Steve Nerheim, the USCG approach to partnering in crisis management is analyzed…