F-35 Lightning II
The Air Force expects to operationalize the F-35’s latest “3F” software iteration by October or September of this year, a development which will integrate additional technology and equip the stealth aircraft with a wider range of weapons such as the Small Diameter Bomb and AIM-9X, service leaders said. After experiencing some challenges during developmental testing, the 3F software drop is now improved and sharpened up for delivery, Brig. Gen. Scott ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Two F-35A Lightning IIs and about 20 supporting Airmen arrived at Graf Ignatievo Air Base April 28 from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England. The F-35As are participating in the first training deployment to Europe. The aircraft and total force Airmen are from the 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing, and the Air Force Reserve’s 466th Fighter Squadron, 419th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. “The United States and ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
At last week’s Avalon Airshow in Melbourne, Australia, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program director said the company is looking to ship more F-35 joint strike fighters to European clients, The Indian Express reported. “We are starting to see other customers think about the F-35 being added to their fleet,” Jeff Babione, an executive at Lockheed, told reporters in Australia. Finland may be interested in the F-35 as well, an unofficial source told The Indian Express. “We are talking ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Israeli air force pilots conducted their first night flight with the F-35 since receiving the new 5th-generation fighter jets. The flight was conducted to assess the aircraft’s nighttime capabilities. After the mission’s completion, Israeli air force officials commended what they called a successful operation, going as far as to say there was no difference between day flight and night flight. “Night flights are not unusual occurrences,” Lt. Col. Yotam said ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Jan
12
F-35s head to Japan
Mrking a major milestone in its development, the long awaited operational deployment of the F-35 is underway. A group of Joint Strike Fighters from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the “Green Knights,” left their home base at MCAS Yuma in Arizona on Monday, starting their hop across the Pacific to their new home at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan. Once bedded down there, a total of 10 F-35Bs ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
In October, pilots of the 56th Fighter Wing began flying integrated direct support practice sorties in the F-35A Lightning II and the F-16 Fighting Falcon for the first time as a regular component of the training curriculum at Luke Air Force Base. The integrated training comes as part of the next step in the development of F-35 training and tactics, and helps pilots become efficient in conducting futuristic mission sets ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Aboard the USS America – The surf was high where the amphibious assault ship America sailed off the coast of San Diego — high enough to make the flight deck pitch and roll and set the conditions for a few minutes of crisis when an unfortunate sailor fell overboard and had to be rescued by helicopter. But with sea states between three and four, indicating swells from three to eight ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Senior Japanese and U.S. government officials joined Lockheed Martin to celebrate the roll out of the first Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) F-35A Lightning II, marking a major milestone in Japan’s enhanced national defense and strengthening the future of the U.S-Japan security alliance. The ceremony was attended by more than 400 guests from both governments, militaries and defense industries. Kenji Wakamiya, Japan’s State Minister of Defense spoke at the ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Sep
17
Air Force grounds 15 F-35
Less than two months after declaring the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ready for combat, the Air Force on Friday announced that it was temporarily grounding 15 of the jets after it discovered that insulation was “peeling and crumbling” inside the fuel tanks. The setback is the latest for the $400 billion system, the most expensive in the history of the Pentagon. The problem comes as the program, which for years faced ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been hailed as the ‘most expensive weapon in history,’ and with a price tag of $400 billion for 2,457 planes, the fifth-generation fighter has been plagued with issues. But it appeared the tide had finally turned earlier this month when the U.S. Air Force has declared an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin Corp F-35A fighter jets ready for combat. Now, the Pentagon’s director of ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Aug
14
A close-up look at the F-35A
The U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of fifth-generation fighter jets, the F-35A Lightning II, combat ready earlier in August. This remarkably advanced and powerful single-seat, single-engine fighter features advanced situational awareness, stealth, speeds of about 1,200 mph and much, much more – and it’s designed to be capable of a range of missions with just one aircraft. The next-gen jet is designed to strike highly-defended targets anywhere on ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Today, the F-35 was officially selected as Denmark’s future fighter aircraft. Terma looks forward to continue and increase cooperation with Lockheed Martin and their partners. The announcement from the Danish Minister of Defence declares that Denmark will acquire 27 F-35As. “It is with great pleasure that I receive the news of the decision on the fighter aircraft acquisition. I congratulate the Danish government and the Danish Defense on reaching this ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
Although the Joint Program Office maintains the F-35 program remains on track, the Pentagon’s top weapons tester recently raised concerns that the fifth-generation fighter jet’s software development could fall behind. In a Dec. 11 memo, Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation, described as being “not realistic” the JPO’s current plan to finish work on the F-35’s Block 3F software — the final software block required for full ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
The F-35, touted as the jet of the future, has just run into perhaps its single most damning issue yet — the jet cannot effectively dogfight against the older jets it is meant to replace. According to a brief written by an F-35 pilot and obtained by David Axe at War is Boring, the new jet was “at a distinct energy disadvantage” compared to a rival F-16 during a mock ...
Category: F-35 Lightning II
