2014-03-18 By Harald Malmgren In March, world attention turned to fast moving events in Ukraine which set in motion a direct clash between Russia, on one side, and the EU and US, on the other. Viewed as an unexpected, but isolated event in the Ukraine, press and media focused primarily…
2014-03-14 By Robbin Laird During my visit to Australia, I have had a chance to visit No. 33 Squadron, at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Amberley in the state of Queensland. The Squadron operates the KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). My mentor and guide for my day at the…
2014-03-14 By Kenneth Maxwell Brazil quietly deepening air combat capabilities and promoting overseas civilian aircraft exports After years of delays over the choice of a new generation of jet fighter aircraft Brazil has been quietly developing its defense capabilities. The decision to go ahead with the deal with Swedish company Saab…
03/13/2014: F-35 Lightning II Arrives at Luke AFB By Paul Giblin The Republic Mon Mar 10, 2014 11:55 PM Air Force test pilot Roderick Cregier flew several slow, low loops through the Arizona sky before landing Luke Air Force Base’s first F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jet Monday, launching a…
[slidepress gallery='visiting-the-wedgetail-squadron-at-williamtown-raaf-base-australia'] 2014-03-07 The Aussies entered the 21st century with an aging Air Force. The silver lining in that difficult position is that as the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) began to modernize, they could do so within the context of new 21st century capabilities. The process really began by…
2014-03-12 It may be the Pacific Century; but not the PRC Century. At the Williams Foundation seminar on Air Combat Operations:2025 and Beyond, the director of the Kokoda Foundation, Dr. John Lee examined PRC perceptions militarily of the region. He noted that the Chinese are the number two economic power…
2014-03-13 By Andrew Haggard British Prime Minister David Cameron will host the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s next ministerial summit in September 2014 at Cardiff, United Kingdom. Previously, the alliance was expected to focus on “capabilities, partnerships and Afghanistan,” which U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel described as, “three priority areas…
2014-03-09 By Robbin Laird It is clear that the F-35 global enterprise is a unique enabler of the entire re-set of US and allied airpower. Yet this crucial and even central reality is hardly recognized in the mounds or should one say piles of commentary on the F-35 program. And indeed,…
