Posted on February 16, 2010 by Fighter Country
Pentagon officials on Feb. 16 confirmed Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn’s announcement one day prior that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program will be delayed by about one year. The Pentagon’s No. 2 official said this week that the jet’s development schedule would slip between 12 months and 13 months despite an aggressive restructuring of the program that was announced earlier this month. “The development was originally projected to last an additional 30 months; we think with the additional test aircraft it will be closer to a delay of about 12 or 13 months, but I can’t give you…
Posted on February 16, 2010 by Fighter Country
Fixing the Pentagon’s dysfunctional procurement system takes more than just killing off anachronistic projects like the now-terminated F-22 jet fighter. It also requires rescuing vitally needed programs from poor military management and private sector cost overruns. That is why we are pleased to see Defense Secretary Robert Gates taking strong steps to revitalize the struggling F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. A cost-effective F-35 is critical to the future combat needs of the Air Force, Navy and Marines. The project already is years behind schedule and nearly 50 percent above its originally estimated cost. That is clearly too much, especially with…
Posted on February 16, 2010 by Fighter Country
New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS) US defence major Lockheed Martin Tuesday said it may consider selling the fifth generation fighter aircraft F-35 if approached by the Indian Air Force (IAF). “We will consider this if the IAF approaches us,” Orville Prins, vice president for Lockheed Martin India’s operation, told reporters at the sixth edition of Defexpo India. The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF) is being developed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co for the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and Britain’s Royal Navy. Beside the US, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and Turkey have…
Posted on February 15, 2010 by Fighter Country
The massive Joint Strike Fighter project is going to be delayed and cost more, the US Deputy Secretary of Defence Bill Lynn says. But Mr Lynn could not say by how much the cost overruns and delays would increase the price tag for the Australian government, which in November committed $3 billion to buy an initial batch of 14 yet-to-be-completed F-35 warplanes. Australia plans eventually to purchase 100 of the fifth-generation stealth warplanes at a cost of about $16 billion. “The development was originally projected to last an additional 30 months, we think with the additional test aircraft it will…
Posted on February 11, 2010 by Fighter Country
The first phase of F-35 collaboration linked 5,000 users at facilities with security safeguards to ensure compliance with USA International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). To date, more than 6,500 users across the extensive supplier…
Posted on February 11, 2010 by Fighter Country
The Yuma community received some reassurance Tuesday that the Marine Corps Air Station will be at the forefront of military technology in the coming years.
A representative of the local base, Lt. Col. Geoffrey Olander, told a community support group that indications are that MCAS Yuma will get its first F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in May 2012…
Posted on February 10, 2010 by Fighter Country
from The Arizona Republic (opinions) State and county leaders put their competing interests aside and agreed on a pact that protects Luke Air Force Base from encroachment and improves the chances of landing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The agreement signed last week by Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General Terry Goddard and adopted unanimously by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors largely prohibits new single-family development around the base, its auxiliary fields and other military installations. It ends years of legal wrangling by the state and county. The deal strikes a balance between property rights and protecting the $2.1…
Posted on February 9, 2010 by Fighter Country
Boise, Idaho — Local leaders are putting together a high-flying campaign to get a fighter jet to the Gem State and are hoping it’s an idea that will really take off. The F-35A Joint Strike Fighter is looking for a home. The Air Force says need for the plane and all the people to run training for it would bring in 3,000 jobs and enough cash to fill a cargo plane. And Boise Chamber President Bill Connors likes the sound of that. “We think it’s a significant economic impact,” said Connors. ”It’s about a billion dollars to support the economy, and that…
Posted on February 8, 2010 by Fighter Country
By Terry Goddard, Attorney General of Arizona The legal agreement to prevent residential encroachment around Luke Air Force Base and its auxiliary facilities represents a major victory for the citizens of Arizona. The settlement is significant in several respects: It brings Maricopa County into compliance with state laws enacted to protect military airports from encroaching development. Those laws were passed to safeguard not only state military installations, but also the health and safety of residents living nearby. It improves Luke’s chances to be chosen as a training base for the next generation of Air Force jets, the F-35 Joint Strike…
Posted on February 7, 2010 by Fighter Country
A series of public meetings are set to gather more input. The Air Force will begin a series of open houses Monday as it decides if its newest fighter jet should be based in Jacksonville – a choice that might be vital to the future of the local fighter wing. Over the next year, the military will look at the environmental impact of putting F-35 Lightning II aircraft at a number of bases, including the Air Guard Station near Jacksonville International Airport. That facility, which employs about 1,000 people, now serves as a base for F-15s, one of the aircraft…
