2015-03-20 By Kenneth Maxwell Brazil is facing the perfect storm. There is political gridlock in Brasília. Both in the Congress and in the Presidential Palace. On 19 March, Angeli, a cartoonist of the “Folha de São Paulo", which is Brazil's largest newspaper, portrayed President Dilma Rousseff, who was only re-elected…
2015-03-23 A key part of the transition in Afghanistan on the military side is enabling the Afghan forces to use airpower in the fight against Islamic insurgency. The Super Tucano is coming from the United States, and training on Soviet-era helicopters is part of that transition. And Western forces maintaining…
03/22/2015: A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-17A Globemaster III aircraft has embarked medical personnel and equipment as part of the Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT). Approximately 20 civilian personnel and 15 tons of equipment including a field hospital and water purification system will be delivered by the C-17 from…
2015-03-22 By Gary Schaub Dateline: Copenhagen, Denmark Since Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea and, at a minimum, support for forces in eastern Ukraine that are attempting to secede and join Russia, belligerence in its foreign policy rhetoric is becoming more common, as are references to its nuclear capabilities. An…
2015-03-21 One thing which long range lift airplanes allow a country to do is to operate globally. This point was driven home once again by the RAF flying to Vanuatu in support of the international aid effort to the cyclone-hit Pacific islands. According to an article on the UK MoD…
2015-03-13 By Robbin Laird I have had the opportunity to track the evolution of the Osprey from seeing a small number of planes on the tarmac at New River to watching it mature and revolutionize the assault force. It is clear that the F-35B will have a similar trajectory with…
2015-03-20 By Robbin Laird During my first visit to the Final Assembly Line of the F-35 since 2012, I was able to visit the line and see a number of changes. I also had a number of interviews which provided updates as well. The first interview with Dr. Mike Skaff,…
2015-03-15 The F-35 is not simply a replacement airplane; it is a 21st century air combat system embedded within a unique global enterprise. On the one hand, the commonality of the software on the F-35 allows for allies to develop missiles for "their" F-35s and have "their" missiles available for…
