Bracing for Budget Battles on the Homefront
DefSec Mark Esper has begun preparations for what will likely be a messy battle for the 2021 defense budget.
Readiness Rate of F-35s Raises Questions
A Project on Government Oversight’s Center for Defense Information June 2019 reports reveals that 8.7 percent of the 23 F-35s jets in the Edwards Air Force Base test fleet were “fully mission capable.”
Senators Urge Expansion of F-35 Foreign Military Sales
Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Pat Toomey are leading the case that the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program should be expanded with additional foreign sales to create a stronger coalition of allies.
First F-35B Lands on British Warship
The first Royal Navy pilot to land an F-35B stealth fighter on Britain’s new HMS Queen Elizabeth tells his story. Flying the test jet from NAS Patuxent River, Royal Navy Cmdr. Nathan Gray touched down to start two months of flight tests.
Panel to Focus on Foreign Military Sales
Defense contractors and any other American businesses who have considered Foreign Military Sales should attend a panel from 9 to 11 am Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, presented by The Patuxent Partnership.
Global Fleet of F-35 Jets Grows
F-35 jets are already in 12 nations, are set to dominate the Western fighter market for decades to come.
F-35s, F-16s Boost Foreign Military Sales
The US is expected to deliver $61.4 billion in foreign military sales by the end of the fiscal year, compared to $41.9 billion last year. Some of the big ticket pending sales include 34 F-35s to Belgium for $6.5 billion, 14 F-16s to Slovakia at a cost of $2.9 billion, and six C-130 aircraft to Germany at a cost of $1.4 billion.
GAO: F-35 Lessons Need to Be Shared Across Services
Supply challenges and unshared lessons learned of the F-35 could imperil the high-tech aircraft’s operational effectiveness, according to a GAO report released last week.
National Guard Begins Deployment at Border
National Guard troops are being deployed to the US border with Mexico. DefSec Jim Mattis has specified that the Guard will assist the Department of Homeland Security but not perform law enforcement missions and will be armed only when necessary for self-defense.
Japan’s Air Force Deploys First F-35
The Japanese air force has deployed its first operational F-35 at Misawa Air Base.
