Debut of Republic of Korea’s First F-35A

04/01/2018
South Korea is the ninth country to get the F-35. An article by Nick Zazulia published on March 28, 2018, underscored the South Korean perception of the importance of receiving the aircraft to their defense efforts. Korean ministers, generals and pilots and American legislators all (sang) the F-35's praises and…

F-35-C Aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln

04/01/2018
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jessica Paulauskas Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) completed fleet carrier qualifications (CQ) for the F-35C Lightning II program, marking another milestone for the new aircraft, while underway March 17-21. Pilots assigned to the "Rough Raiders" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125…

Russian Arms Exports to Africa, 2017

03/31/2018
During 2017 Russia exported some $15 billion worth of weapons around the world. This included African nations, which received an array of equipment from fighter jets to ballistic missiles – Africa accounted for 13% of Russian arms sales over the last five years. An article published by our partner defenceWeb…

Arms Exports from Israel to Africa on the Upswing

03/31/2018
Israeli arms sales to African countries are growing steadily, with defence exports increasing 70% between 2015 and 2016 to reach $275 million. According to an article published on March 19, 2018 by our partner defenceWeb and written by Arie Egozi the dynamic was analyzed as follows: 2017 numbers are not…

Pratt And Whitney Deploys Logistics Upgrade for F-35 Fleet

03/31/2018
"Jet-engine builder Pratt & Whitney reported that a team of subject matter experts completed an upgrade to F-35 Lightning II fleet-management system at 12 sites around the world, implementing automated tracking of life-limited propulsion parts for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. "All of the operational bases where the JSF aircraft…

An Australian Update on the F-35 and the RAAF Getting Ready for Its Incorporation Into the Force

03/31/2018
During our visit to Australia in March 2018, we had a chance to get an update on the next round of modernization of the RAAF which is driven by the F-35, the operation of the Growler and the incorporation of the new robotic boom into the KC-30A as well as…

Visiting the KC-30A in Australia: March 2018

03/31/2018
During our latest visit to Australia, the Second Line of Defense team had a chance to talk with the commander of the Air Mobility Group, Air Commodore Bill “K9” Kourelakos, during our visit to Richmond Airbase and with Group Captain Steve Pesce, Office Commanding 86 Wing, at Amberley Airbase. During…

The Changing of the Threat Envelope for Australia: The Perspective of Ross Babbage

03/31/2018
By Robbin Laird At the Williams Foundation seminar on the shift from dealing with the land wars to higher tempo and higher intensity operations, one of Australia’s leading strategic thinkers, Dr. Ross Babbage, addressed the question of “the strategic face of conflict in the 21st Century.” A key focus of…