POGO on F-22 stealth fraud lawsuit
Mandy Smithberger, an investigator for the Project on Government Oversight, has posted the first summary of the F-22 stealth fraud lawsuit. She concludes: “If the allegations are true, the...
View ArticleA new perspective on exporting F-22s to Japan
Two Japan policy experts have written an excellent piece for the Japan Times on the F-22 export issue. The idea of exporting F-22s to Tokyo was thought to have died two years ago, but suddenly revived...
View ArticleAn A400M solution: Swap American transports for French tankers?
Bloomberg columnist Celestine Bohlen this morning proposes a radical solution to the “A400M nightmare”: Have Europe agree to dump the troubled airlifter and buy US-made C-17s and C-130Js. In exchange,...
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US Air Force looks beyond the Reaper
The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc MQ-9 Reaper will rule the US Air Force fleet of medium-altitude unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) through the middle of the next decade. The USAF’s...
View ArticleVIDEO: F-35 press conference at Singapore airshow
Lockheed Martin today bravely faced a packed briefing room fully of reporters inside their chalet at the Singapore Airshow. I will give Lockheed VP Steve O’Bryan credit for taking our onslaught of...
View ArticleUSAF says “Oops!”
The US Air Force has finally confirmed the KC-X tanker contract award will slip into early 2011. Also, according to the USAF, the delay has nothing to do with this new bombshell by Defense News editor...
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USAF, South Korean F-16s walk the walk
South Korea’s Kunsan air base on 2 March played host to a remarkable “Elephant Walk” demonstration with Lockheed Martin F-16s from the Republic of Korea Air Force and the US Air Force. I’m not sure how...
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Boom time: night-time first for F-35
Lockheed Martin has released images showing the first night-time inflight refuelling sortie involving an F-35, with the milestone having been achieved on 22 March using conventional take-off and...
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USAF has discovered root cause of Raptor’s oxygen problems
The US Air Force says that it has discovered the root cause of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor’s oxygen problems. It was basically what I reported before (first!), the Combat Edge upper-pressure...
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A bad day at the office: U-2-style
Every once in a while, a copy of the US Air Combat Command’s “Combat Edge” flight safety magazine lands on my desk; today was that day this quarter. Following on after items about F-4 ops in Vietnam,...
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