HMS Queen Elizabeth Will Begin Her Sea Trials in 2016

03/03/2015
2015-03-03 One of the three large warships which will operate the F-35 is the HMS Queen Elizabeth. The ship is being completed and will begin its sea trials next year. It is the largest warship which the United Kingdom has ever built and incorporates several innovations which we will focus…

Managing Defense Supply Chains: Shaping A 21st Century Way Ahead

03/01/2015
2015-03-01 When the F-35 is discussed, subsumed in the discussion is the evolution of defense supply chains. The F-35 is built around global supply chains, and the digital systems by which the aircraft is built is rooted in a triangular relationship among the digital systems used by suppliers, the final…

Visiting the F-35 Final Assembly Line, Fort Worth

03/01/2015
02/26/2015: By Robbin Laird I had not visited the Final Assembly Line or FAL in Fort Worth since late 2012. Much has changed as the line has matured, and a line stood up in Cameri, Italy and one being built in Japan. The first Italian FACO F-35 rollout will happen…

Cope North 2015 – Maintainers

02/26/2015
02/25/2015: United States Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force's maintainers work together during Cope North 2015.  Credit: Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs:2/23/15 According to a PACAF story published on 2/19/15: by Staff Sgt. Melissa B. White Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs   2/19/2015 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam  -- More than…

“The Plane is a Broker of Information”: A Conversation with Mike Skaff

02/25/2015
2015-02-25 By Robbin Laird The F-35 has entered aviation history at a juncture where information dominance is clearly recognized as the pivotal discriminator in 21st century air enabled defense operations. For the F-35, the cockpit design coupled with the breakthrough pilot helmet synergistically operating with the cockpit is a foundational…