By Valerie Insinna August 8, 2016 The Air Force’s first F-35 squadron has completed all preparations necessary to declare the joint strike fighter combat capable, and sources say an initial operating capability declaration is due within days. Twelve jets have received the modifications necessary for IOC, 21 combat- mission-ready pilots are available, and the maintenance […]
By Phillip Swarts July 25, 2016 The Air Force’s newest multi-role fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, could deploy to Iraq and Syria very soon if called upon, and before too long will be sent around the world, said Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command. “The minute I declare initial operational capability, if […]
By Nate Carlisle July 27, 2016 The United States’ newest fighter jet, and pilots and maintainers from Utah, are almost capable of deploying to a war zone, officers from Hill Air Force Base said Wednesday. In a conference call with reporters, the commanders said the F-35 and the personnel performed well in recent mock deployments […]
By Valerie Insinna July 25, 2016 The first overseas Air Force base to get the F-35 joint strike fighter is making preparations for the jet’s arrival in the early 2020s, but its commander is worried that the service will not be able to build the new facilities needed to beddown the plane as quickly as […]
August 22, 2016 The Air Force will soon stand up interim F-16 training units to increase pilot output, the service announced Aug. 11. “We need to increase our pilot production, and soon we will announce the stand up of new F-16 training units,” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told reporters at a State of […]
By Gareth Corfield August 1, 2016 US restrictions on the F-35 fighter jet’s targeting system will make it “almost impossible” for training to be carried out in the UK, the Ministry of Defence fears – but its press office insists the constraints are normal. The F-35’s electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) includes a target designator laser […]
By Stephen Stuebner Nov. 28, 1994 The Air Force’s decision Oct. 6 to back off on building a new bombing range in the Owyhee canyonlands is a victory – and therefore shocking. Who would have thought that a coalition of local and national environmentalists, hunting groups and a few members of Congress could stop the […]
By Nicole Higgins DeSmet June 28, 2016 Frantic and frustrated attempts to dominate the narrative by well-meaning parties both for and against the F-35 basing and a related safety and sound lawsuit have upset some South Burlington residents and confused others. There is an incredible amount of information available for the general public to consume: the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), legal filings, […]
By Thomas I. Chittenden June 22, 2016 The city of South Burlington has no imperative to commit our good name and our resources to a private lawsuit against the U.S. government designed to stop military aircraft at Burlington International Airport. This question was not on the ballot this past March. Residents of South Burlington did […]
June 22, 2016 Public Hearing on F-35 Lawsuit. South Burlington City Council Special Meeting. [FULL ARTICLE]