The RAAF Gets Ready for the Arrival of their First F-35s

12/06/2018
The RAAF is getting ready to receive their first F-35s in country on December 10, 2018. In preparation for the arrival in country, the Australian Department of Defence has generated a series of videos explaining the F-35 and its unique capabilities to the public. This one focused on the helmet…

Report from the International Fighter Conference 2018: Perspectives on the Way Ahead with Airpower Modernization

11/28/2018
This year’s International Fighter Conference held in Berlin provided a chance for the participants and the attendees to focus on the role of fighters in what we have been calling the strategic shift, namely, the shift from the land wars to operating in higher intensity operations against peer competitors. It…

The Return of Direct Defense and Danish Airpower Modernization

11/26/2018
In effect, the Danes like the other Nordics, are having to focus on direct defense as their core national mission, within an alliance context. This will mean as well a shift common to other alliance members from a focus on out of area operations, such as in Afghanistan, back to…

The RAAF Explains the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter  

11/02/2018
The F-35A Joint Strike Fighter is the most advanced, affordable fifth generation multi-role stealth fighter to meet Australia’s need to defeat emerging threats well into the future.  The F-35A is truly next-generation due to its stealth capability, advanced sensors, data fusion and its ability to share information with other aircraft,…

The First Shipborne Rolling Vertical F-35B Landing onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth

10/26/2018
The first shipborne rolling vertical landing by the F-35B on HMS Queen Elizabeth October 13, 2018 Credit: UK Ministry of Defence An update on HMS Queen Elizabeth initial testing with the F-35 was provided in an article by Jeff Newman, Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs published on October 19, 2018.…

The ADF and the Way Ahead for an Australian Deterrent Strategy

09/24/2018
In this report, the major presentations and discussions at the Williams Foundation seminar on the imperative for an independent strike deterrent held on August 23, 2018 in Canberra, Australia are highlighted along with interviews conducted before, during and after the seminar as well. The focus is upon shaping an effective…

F-35B flies over Mt. Suribachi on its Way to Valiant Shield 2018

09/19/2018
A KC-130J Hercules Aerial Refueling Tanker and an F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter conduct aerial refueling during Exercise Valiant Shield 18 while flying to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Sep. 18, 2018. Valiant Shield is a biennial, U.S. only, field training exercise (FTX) with a focus on integration of…

F-35C Operational Testing Onboard USS Abraham Lincoln

09/01/2018
In a story by USNI News’s Megan Eckstein published on August 27, 2018, the operation of F-35s onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln was highlighted. ABOARD USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, IN THE ATLANTIC The Navy’s F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter has been incorporated into a carrier air wing’s cyclic flight operations…