F-35 Demo Team at Defenders of Liberty Air And Space Show, May 2019

06/04/2019
Captain Andrew "Dojo" Olsen, an F-35 Demonstration Team pilot and commander, performs aerial maneuvers in an F-35A Lightning II before the Defenders of Liberty Air & Space Show. BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LA, UN 05.17.2019 Video by Senior Airman Stuart Bright  2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs 

Warlords Fly at MCAS Beaufort Air Show

04/29/2019
We had a chance to attend the 2019 Beaufort MCAS Airshow on Friday, April 26, 2019. A visit the day before with the CO of the Warlords provided the framework for viewing the airshow and its star, the F-35 with its 3F software capabilities. The upgrade from the earlier version…

Luke’s F-35 5-year Anniversary

04/04/2019
Luke AFB is where the F-35 global enterprise has been launched. Pilots AND maintainers have been trained for the USAF and all the partner nations which have purchased the F-35A. They fly together — including flying each other's airplanes — and maintain together. When we use the term F-35 global…

The Strategic Shift: The Role and Impact of the F-35 Global Enterprise

03/31/2019
The liberal democracies are facing a key strategic shift from a primary focus on the land wars in the Middle East to facing the challenges posed by peer competitors. The Pentagon has referred to this as the return of Great Power competition which requires a significant shift from the forces…

The Return of Direct Defense in Europe: The Challenges for Germany

02/17/2019
We have been looking at the strategic shift for the liberal democracies from a primary focus on the land wars in the Middle East to the challenge of dealing with crisis management involving peer competitors who can engage in force-on-force conflict. We have done so both with regard to the…

F-35Bs at Sea

02/13/2019
F-35B Lightning IIs with Medium Marine Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (Reinforced) conduct flight operations carrying Guided Bomb Units from the USS Wasp (LHD 1), Philippine Sea, Feb. 3, 2019.  Naval Aviators with the detachment fly the Marine Corps' newest, most advanced multi-role fighter, the F-35B.  The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, the…

RAAF F-35s Arrive at Williamtown, December 10, 2018

12/10/2018
In an historic day in Australian aviation, the first two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters to be permanently based in Australia arrived at RAAF Base Williamtown. The Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, and Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Steven Ciobo MP, were there to welcome the aircraft…