BY: JAMES DREW OCTOBER 5, 2015 Lockheed Martin’s F-35 has not yet seen combat, but already the defence manufacturer is exploring “concepts” for installing and employing a high-power fibre laser weapon on the new-generation combat jet for shooting down missiles and other airborne threats. The company believes it finally has the right technology to produce […]
By David Pugliese October 11, 2015 VICTORIA, British Columbia — Whether Canada withdraws from the F-35 program will be decided next week as Canadians select a new political party to form the country’s next government. Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau says if elected on Oct. 19, his government would remove Canada from the F-35 program […]
By DAVID PUGLIESE October 4, 2015 On Sept. 24 Richard Shimooka had an opinion piece in the National Post arguing that the F-35 is still the best bet for Canada. He stated that a competition would be a costly and largely pointless process “with the outcome likely to be the reselection of the F-35.” […]
By: Mandy Smithberger and Dan Grazier September 14, 2015 The Marine Corps triumphantly declared its variant of the F-35 combat ready in late July. In the public relations build-up, the recent demonstration of its performance on the USS Wasp was heralded as a rebuttal to the program’s critics. But a complete copy of a recent memo […]
BY CHRISTIAN DAVENPORT August 30, 2015 One of the biggest battles between Congress and the Pentagon during the past year has been over a snub-nosed grunt of an airplane, a jet so ugly (and fierce) it’s nicknamed the “Warthog.” It is beloved by the troops, particularly those who have been saved when the A-10 Thunderbolt […]
By Phillip Swarts September 16, 2015 The F-35 Lightning II will excel at air interdiction, but was not created to engage in visual dogfights, according to Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command. The general’s comments at the annual Air Force Association’s Air and Space Conference came in response to a series of […]
BY MARCUS WEISGERBER SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 New technical specs about China’s new J-31 fighter, a plane designed to rival the American-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, popped up on a Chinese blog last week. So who has the advantage — the U.S. or China? [FULL ARTICLE]
BY CHARLES P. PIERCE October 1, 2015 It’s been a while since we checked in on the F-35, the Flying Swiss Army Knife, which may be a floor wax or a dessert topping, but which sure as hell isn’t an viable aircraft, but is one of the epic money pits of all time, even by […]
BY JONATHAN BRODER September 30, 2015 The warplanes took off vertically, dipping and diving as they intercepted enemy aircraft, suppressed enemy fire and supported troops on the ground. Then they landed on the deck of an amphibious assault ship, in the same way they took off: vertically. For 10 days in May off the coast […]
By Tony Carr Sept 23, 2015 WASHINGTON — Recently, the Air Force’s F-35 program has been facing fresh skepticism and new scrutiny. Interestingly, it’s not the program’s trillion-dollar price tag, dubious design, or stunted development raising new doubts, but something more fundamental: senior officials speaking for the program are hemorrhaging public credibility with transparently desperate […]