Tag: F-35

After a slew of aviation incidents in recent years, attributed largely to reduced maintenance and increased operational tempo for America’s workhorse fighters, Defense Secretary James Mattis has issued a new directive to Air Force and Navy officials: Bring America’s fighter fleets back up to an 80% readiness rating — and even more dramatically — do […]

Throughout the F-35’s troubled development, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Defense Department have repeatedly suggested that despite the advanced stealth and better level of awareness F-35 pilots have of the battlespace, the F-35’s real secret weapon is its ability to serve as a data hub. This advanced capability, which some consider to be a requirement […]

Syrian Conflict The Syrian War started in 2011 as an uprising and protests against the government of Syria led by Bashar Al Assad. Originally, the rebel forces were known as the Free Syrian Army, but later splintered into several different groups, one of which is ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). The conflict […]

China has a long history of skipping the research and development stage when it comes to fielding new military aircraft, instead opting to purchase or outright steal aviation technology from peers and competitors like the United States and Russia. Much ado about China’s fifth-generation J-20 and forthcoming J-31 platforms has already been made in the […]

China’s J-20, an advanced fighter built using stolen F-22 plans, is usually referred to as a “fifth-generation fighter.” But its capabilities question that designation. The problem with these sorts of classifications is that there is no universal or official set of characteristics an aircraft needs to exhibit in order to fit in a category—not unlike […]

For the first time since their inception, American F-35B Joint Strike Fighters have entered into combat operations, according to statements released by Pentagon officials on Thursday, September 27. While details remain sparse, it has been confirmed that at least one Marine Corps F-35B took off from the USS Essex amphibious assault ship and delivered ordnance […]

China’s long-serving aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, boasts a small fleet of troubled J-15s and, as of 2016, only 25 qualified pilots. Now, as the Chinese test and expedite production of two new domestically developed aircraft carriers, they face a number of significant challenges. Their goal is to become a true “blue water” Navy. But they still have much […]

Media outlets the world over have been reporting on Air Force documents outlining the projected costs associated with establishing a new branch of the American armed forces tasked specifically with orbital defense (Space Force), and based on the headlines, it seems like many outlets have never seen the defense budget before. According to the Air […]

For nearly two decades, the United States Air Force has been engaged in combat operations in multiple theaters around the globe, all the while maintaining a deterrent presence in many other regions. Now, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson is calling on lawmakers to dramatically increase the size of the force to offset the negative effects […]

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, the world’s first ever fifth-generation fighter, is still widely considered to be not only a superior dogfighter to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter but likely, the most capable air superiority fighter on the planet. Its unique combination of stealth characteristics, speed, and maneuverability set it apart from acrobatic fourth-generation fighters […]

Sometimes it can be tough to appreciate the logic behind which defense technologies the United States Government deems suitable for export. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, for instance, is regularly touted as the most advanced aircraft ever developed, but Uncle Sam is happy to distribute them willingly to paying nations with friendly relations to help […]

China’s DF-21D anti-ship missile, a hypersonic platform with a range of nearly a thousand miles, could arguably be seen as a tailor made threat to American military strategy overseas. The U.S. maintains not only the largest carriers in the world, but the largest fleet of them, allowing its Navy to deploy more military might from […]