Posted on April 27, 2010 by Fighter Country
Lockheed Martin, Magestic Systems, Nikon Metrology Win Innovation Award for F-35 Program FORT WORTH, Texas, April 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), jointly with Magestic Systems, Inc. (MSI) and Nikon Metrology, has won a first-place JEC Innovation Award in composites manufacturing for technology used in the production of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. The 2010 JEC Innovation Award was presented in Paris in recognition of the cured laminate compensation (CLC) process – an innovative composite manufacturing solution for achieving precision, as-built laminate thickness without costly post-cure machining. This new metrology-assisted process is used in the production of composite…
Posted on April 27, 2010 by Fighter Country
In response to cost overruns and schedule delays in major weapon programs, The Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 was signed into law to mandate competition through the entire life of major defense programs — including funding competing sources. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program creates the perfect opportunity — a multi-role aircraft replacing numerous tactical fighter aircraft, with potential production for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marines and international customers to reach 5,000 to 6,000 aircraft over 30 years. Without competing engines for the fighter, a $100 billion monopoly will be handed to a single supplier. The…
Posted on April 23, 2010 by Fighter Country
If you missed Wednesday April 21, 2010’s NewsHour on PBS, watch Kwame Holman’s report on the controversial fighter below in five chapters. The Pentagon’s forthcoming warplane, the Joint Strike Fighter, is intended for use across the different branches of the military but has come under fire in Congress for skyrocketing costs and delays. Skeptics and defenders of the aircraft, which will be called the F-35, express their views in the following extended interviews. Author and journalist Bill Sweetman says for the first time the re-equipment plans of the U.S. fighter force is reliant on one program and one manufacturer: Chapter…
Posted on April 23, 2010 by Fighter Country
If you missed Wednesday April 21, 2010’s NewsHour on PBS, watch Kwame Holman’s report on the controversial fighter below in five chapters. The Pentagon’s forthcoming warplane, the Joint Strike Fighter, is intended for use across the different branches of the military but has come under fire in Congress for skyrocketing costs and delays. Skeptics and defenders of the aircraft, which will be called the F-35, express their views in the following extended interviews. Author and journalist Bill Sweetman says for the first time the re-equipment plans of the U.S. fighter force is reliant on one program and one manufacturer: Chapter…
Posted on April 23, 2010 by Fighter Country
The Defense Department is waging a battle over the increasing price of its new stealth aircraft program. Kwame Holman reports on why the Joint Strike Fighter program, which was supposed to save the military money, is taking fire in Washington. Transcript below JEFFREY BROWN: Next: to the saga of a U.S. military plane that was designed to do more for less, but is now hitting headwinds. Congressional Correspondent Kwame Holman has the story… KWAME HOLMAN: It may look like any other fighter jet at Patuxent River Naval Air station, but the Joint Strike Fighter taking shape here is the Pentagon’s…
Posted on April 22, 2010 by Fighter Country
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz.: It’s not every day the morning starts with a phone call from a NASCAR driver, but that’s exactly how a 56th Maintenance Group Quality Assurance inspector began work April 8 here. Staff Sgt. Damon Thurman’s supervisor handed him the phone and Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black car, was on the other end, inviting him to be his honorary pit crew member for the Subway Fresh Fit 600 April 10 at the Phoenix International Speedway. “I didn’t know what to say,” Sergeant Thurman said. “I don’t get overly excited, but I…
Posted on April 6, 2010 by Fighter Country
by Nishi Gupta KTVB.COM – News Channel 7 ****** BOISE — As the government decides where to house the new fleet of F-35 fighter jets, residents decide whether they want them in the Treasure Valley. The U.S. Air Force is considering storing the jets in Mountain Home and training the pilots at Boise’s Gowen Field. Supporters say it will bring money and jobs to the local economy. Critics are concerned what else will come in the tailwinds — noise. A concerned resident held a special meeting Monday night at Owyhee Elementary school in Boise. Monty Mericle decided it was time…
Posted on March 15, 2010 by Fighter Country
SOUTH BURLINGTON — Air Force officials, responding to a request from South Burlington officials, will meet with the public in April to discuss the local deployment of its newest — and probably noisiest — jet fighter, the F-35. City Manager Chuck Hafter said Friday that he’d confirmed the meeting for 7 p.m. April 19, but a location has not been finalized. The Vermont Air National Guard base at Burlington International Airport is one of five installations under consideration for hosting the fighter, which is thought to be several years away from deployment. However, Wednesday is the deadline for the public…
Posted on March 15, 2010 by Fighter Country
The Thunderbirds, the Air Force’s F-16 aerial demonstration team, recently selected Captain Hubbard, 62nd Fighter Squadron instructor pilot, as their newest member. She will be Thunderbird 8, meaning she will narrate the Thunderbirds’ performances. She will also serve as the advance pilot. “It’s awesome,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed with excitement, honor and responsibility that come with being the No. eight. As the advance pilot, I’m the first person to show up at a location, the first to meet the media and the first person to meet kids and talk to them about what I do.” Captain Hubbard says she is…
Posted on March 14, 2010 by Fighter Country
After a three-year hiatus, the largest aerial spectacle in Southern Arizona returns March 20 and 21 to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Air show director Lt. Col. Tim Krauss has been working since last May to bring military and civilian aircraft from around the United States to participate in the free two-day event, whose theme is “Davis-Monthan: Tucson Pride, Air Force Power.” “D-M and Tucson are rich with aviation history and our goal is to highlight the many achievements of the base and our Air Force that could not have been accomplished without the outstanding support of our local community,” Krauss…
