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New Fighter Acquisition Uncertainty Revving Up F-15 Prospects Recent orders for F-15 fighters from Saudi Arabia are securing the future for the Boeing F-15 production line at least until the year 2018. Beside the Saudi mega deal, South Korea has an ongoing tender for the third phase of the FX, while the US Air Force is looking into possible upgrades to keep its F-15C/Es at least through the decade. The USAF is expected to begin evaluating life extensions for the Eagle soon. Such programs could address avionics, radar and survivability enhancements. Boeing is offering an advanced cockpit configuration for future...

UPDATE 1-Italy cuts F-35 fighter orders by 30 pct ROME, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Italy will cut its order for Lockheed Martin Corp's radar-evading F-35 fighter planes by more than 30 percent as part of Prime Minister Mario Monti's battle against state spending, Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola said on Wednesday. Italy plans to buy 90 warplanes instead of the 131 it agreed to purchase a decade ago, Di Paola said in testimony to the joint Senate and Chamber of Deputies defence committees. 'It's a significant reduction that is coherent with our need to reduce spending,' he said. The reduction...

Delays in U.S. and international orders for Lockheed Martin Corp's new F-35 fighter jet will increase its total cost, Lockheed and U.S. officials said on Tuesday, as Italy announced a cut in spending on the warplane. On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed plans to put off orders for 179 F-35s over the next five years to save $15.1 billion and allow more time for testing, a third restructuring in recent years. U.S. officials insist they have not changed their plans to develop and buy 2,443 jets at a cost of $382 billion over the next few decades. Continued schedule delays and...

Italy seems certain to scale back its major investment in Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, heightening uncertainty over the troubled stealth jet's future. Defence Minister Giampaolo Di Paola has said repeatedly since January that the country's originally planned order of the 131 supersonic warplanes by 2018 was being "reviewed" because military spending cuts were necessary as part of Prime Minister Mario Monti's austerity plan to shore up public accounts. General Claudio Debertolis, secretary general of the Defence Ministry and the country's armaments chief, confirmed to lawmakers on Tuesday that cuts were expected. "There will be a revision of...

Aussies’ modest proposal: Sell us F-22s, mate For F-35 proponents, every sunrise brings new reasons for unease about the future of the program. It regularly gets bad headlines in the U.S. The Brits now say they’ll wait until 2015 before committing to buy any more jets. And as we’ve talked about before, there are rumblings Down Under that suggest the Australians may be losing their patience. But proponents in the U.S. and Australia can take heart about one thing — these are the guys they’re up against: Some of the most vehement critics of Australia’s involvement in the Joint Strike...

THE stealth qualities of the futuristic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on order for the Royal Australian Air Force are overrated and the plane's combat performance greatly exaggerated, a defence lobby group has claimed. The complaints by Air Power Australia, longtime critics of the $16 billion JSF acquisition, were made last night before a public hearing of parliament's defence sub-committee. Latest-generation Russian fighters such as the Sukhoi T-50 would easily defeat the F-35 in air-to-air combat, Air Power's Peter Goon said, referring to recent modelling tests by his organisation. "The aircraft we are planning to buy is carrying over 2000 pounds...

Did Chinese cyber spying cause the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s cost spikes and production delays? That’s the question Pentagon budget officials are asking according to Aviation Week. Chinese spies apparently hacked into secure conference calls and listened to meetings discussing the classified technologies aboard the jets. In particular, China may have stolen info about the F-35’s secure communications and antenna systems; leading to costly software rewrites and other redesigns to compromised parts of the plane. The worst part, this problem isn’t just limited to the F-35, though the program’s size and the fact that it’s information systems were apparently designed...

[Exclusive] F-35 may fail to meet key requirements By Lee Tae-hoon The United States Air Force (USAF) variant of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 will likely fail to meet two of the Korean Air Force’s key requirements — the ability to carry weapons externally and fly at Mach 1.6 (1,930 kilometers per hour) or faster, an industry insider said Tuesday. He pointed out that the Korean military has clearly outlined the two key features as compulsory requirements in its request for proposal (RFP) released Jan. 30. “The maximum speed of the F-35 Lightning II, which is still under development, is Mach 1.6,...

Britain won't decide on F-35 fighter numbers till 2015 LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has deferred to 2015 a firm commitment on how many Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets it will buy, adding to uncertainties over the multinational program which has recently been questioned in the U.S. Congress. "We will not make final decisions on the overall number of aircraft we will order before the next planned Strategic Defence Review (in 2015)," a Ministry of Defence MoD spokeswoman said on Tuesday, adding an initial order would be placed next year. The F-35 project ranks as the most expensive...

Press Trust of India has quoted Pentagon spokesperson Commander Leslie Hullryde confirming that, contrary to press reports, the United States has not made available Lockheed Martin's advanced, fifth generation fighter jet F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters to India. However, it was noted that should India express an interest, the United States would submit technical information and initiate a discussion. "Should India indicate interest in purchasing the JSF, the United States would be prepared to provide information on the JSF and its requirements (infrastructure, security, etc) to support India's future planning" The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family...

U.S. plans $2.8 billion upgrade of F-16 fighter 7:14pm EST By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it plans a $2.8 billion upgrade of about 350 of its aging F-16 multi-role fighter planes to help offset slower purchases of the next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The work, running into the 2020s, will extend the service life of select F-16 airframes. Other upgrades include advanced radar, sensors, cockpit display, electronic warfare and communications capabilities, the service said. "We have worked through the implications of the delays in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program," Air Force Secretary...

HH: snip General Jerry Boykin, a great America, was dis-invited, or was actually asked by West Point to withdraw from a prayer breakfast there after opposition surfaced from CAIR.snip RS: Well, on the USS Yorktown in Charleston harbor, Jerry Boykin endorsed me for president. snip RS: So I’m very proud of having his endorsement. This is a man who has spoken clearly, concisely about the threat of radical Islam. And I am not surprised given this administration who has sanitized every reference to Islam or Muslim out of every Defense Department document when it comes to the threat assessment against...

Congressional caucus is determined to save F-35 WASHINGTON -- For all its high-tech stealth and record cost, the F-35 joint strike fighter embodies the droll military motto "hurry up and wait." Conceived in the heady post-Cold War 1990s, the futuristic fifth-generation jet fighter was to be a technological marvel built in a rush and paid for with "peace dividend" dollars. But now the fighter is billions over budget and years behind schedule. With the Pentagon facing $1 trillion in possible cuts, the F-35's high cost makes it a prime target. But thanks in part to campaign contributions from its main...

Detractors say the F-35 stealth fighter, the costliest military plane ever, is destined to go down as one of the biggest follies in aviation history. But it may have found a savior: deep-pocketed U.S. allies hungry to add its super high-tech capabilities to their arsenal. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/27/struggling-in-us-f-35-fighter-pushes-sales-abroad/?test=latestnews#ixzz1ki2t4WfP

UK considers Rafale and F-18 as 'interim aircraft' 26 January 2012 Ministry of Defence concerns over the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have led to military chiefs looking at other fast jets for the UK's aircraft carrier, it has been reported. According to The Times, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, the current commander-in-chief fleet, said concerns were growing about rising costs and delays in the JSF programme, something now worsened by order cuts from the US. Soar, who was addressing defence companies at the ADS Maritime Interest Group, reportedly said the UK might not receive the $100m per piece F-35 jets until...

[Exclusive] Boeing may give up offering stealthy jet Little progress made in weapons bay development By Lee Tae-hoon Industry insiders raised questions Wednesday about whether U.S. aerospace giant Boeing will fulfill its pledge to offer F-15 Silent Eagles (F-15 SEs) with an internal weapons bay and twin canted tails, two of the core technologies for stealth jets, to Seoul. A source familiar with Boeing’s plan to modify its F-15s said little progress has been made in the making of the F-15SE, especially in the development of its conformal weapons bay (CWB), which allows the aircraft to carry weapons internally. “Only...

Is F-35 program flying high or sputtering? By Bob Cox rcox@star-telegram.com Now that the F-35 joint strike fighter program has gotten a pat on the back and morale boost from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, officials at Lockheed Martin hope to put their recent run of bad report cards and bad press behind them. All those problems with the F-35 that have been reported of late? They're not that bad; they're being fixed. Just watch, they say. "We're starting to see a lot of good stuff happening," Tom Burbage, Lockheed's co-executive vice president and general manager overseeing the F-35 program, said...

UKIP: 'UK must build naval Typhoon' 19 January 2012 The UK should cancel the purchase of the F-35C and invest in developing a naval variant of the Eurofighter Typhoon, the UK Independence Party (UKIP) has said. Lord Alexander Hesketh, UKIP's defence spokesman and former executive deputy chairman of Babcock International Group, said that adopting a naval Typhoon would allow the UK to restore carrier strike capability on its Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers before 2020 while saving money and protecting UK jobs. UKIP estimates suggest it would cost £1.4bn to develop a naval typhoon, with unit costs of around £80m....

Navy's £5bn Harrier jet replacement 'unable to land on aircraft carriers' The Royal Navy's multi-billion pound fighter plane programme is under threat amid claims that its new all-purpose jets cannot land on aircraft carriers, it has emerged. Leaked Pentagon documents claim a design flaw in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has caused eight simulated landings to fail. The “F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Concurrency Quick Look Review” claimed the flaw meant that the “arrestor” hook, used to stop the plane during landing, was too close to the plane’s wheels. When a fighter lands on an aircraft carrier an arrestor cable catches...

Britain voices concern over future of F-35 in US WASHINGTON — British Defence Minister Philip Hammond voiced concern on Thursday about possible cuts or delays in the US F-35 fighter program as London plans to equip a future aircraft carrier with the stealthy aircraft. In a visit to the US capital, Hammond said he wanted to hear from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta about the potential effect of a new US military strategy and budget plan on the future of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. "One of the things I hope to understand in the meetings I am to have later...

The F-35 is set to become the dominant fighter plane of the U.S. and its allies in the 21st century. A conglomerate of aerospace industry leaders (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Pratt & Whitney) have combined manufacturing, engineering and technological capabilities to develop the F-35 Lightning. While the Joint Strike Fighter program has been incredibly expensive, here is a look at the final product– and 10 reasons why it is a true fifth generation multi-role air superiority fighter. 1) Mission Flexibility The Basic F-35 design is multi-role, but in addition, there are three variants that add mission specific...

Boeing, loser in Japan, eyes more fighter contests (Reuters) - Losing a big Japanese order to Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) was clearly a disappointment for Boeing Co (BA.N), but a $29.4 billion order from Saudi Arabia for F-15 fighter jets and several other competitions will keep the company in the fighter business for now. The U.S. government and Saudi Arabia are finalizing a letter of agreement on the sale of 84 Boeing F-15s, and may announce that deal soon, according to one source familiar with the discussions, who was not authorized to speak publicly. Boeing, which has rung up big...

Japan Chooses F-35 For Next Generation Fighter Jet . TOKYO—Japan's Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa said Tuesday that Tokyo has selected Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter as its next-generation jet, capping a multiyear vetting process to upgrade its aging fleet. The contract for the new fighter, dubbed the FX, totals 40 to 50 planes, according to Lockheed Martin, valued at an estimated $4 billion. It is Japan's most expensive fighter procurement ever and one of the world's largest military contracts this year. The Lockheed Martin jet won the contract over two lower-cost, combat-tested aircraft—Boeing Co.'s F-18 Super...

Boeing: F-35 hasn’t yet won in Japan Despite news reports claiming that Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will win Japan’s F-X fighter contest, Boeing officials say Tokyo delayed the contract award until next week because it is still heavily weighing all three contestants, including Boeing’s Super Hornet. “We think what they’ve done is taken another hard look at the full situation and have decided that if they do pick F-35 there are some things that they are not sure of right now, some risk in terms of cost and schedule,” saidPhil Mills, Boeing’s lead salesman for the F-X contest...

Israeli developed systems for F-35 not in this "restaurant" By Arie Egozi on December 13, 2011 You have in your restaurant the best products for preparing a gourmet dinner‫,‬ but your partner, who is stronger physically and has a larger bank account, forces you to serve a simple dinner that will not satisfy the guests. This is a colourful way of describing the feelings of some Israeli defence and aerospace industries when they talk about the contract to buy 20 Lockheed Martin F-35s. When Israel joined the F-35 programme very late, it did not realise that not being able to...

Japan likely to pick F-35 fighter - Nikkei (Reuters) - Japan is likely to pick Lockheed Martin's (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of F-4 Phantom fighters, Japanese media reported on Tuesday, reaffirming strong security ties with the United States. The government will choose between two U.S. models -- the F-35 and the Boeing (BA.N) F/A-18 Super Hornet -- and a European third contender, the four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon, at a meeting of the national security council on Friday, the Nikkei business daily said. Analysts say the purchase is potentially worth $8 billion. The F-35 or Joint Strike...

Japan Weighs Options for Pricey Fighter Jets By CHESTER DAWSON TOKYO—Japan is upgrading air defenses increasingly tested by China and Russia, and officials are wrestling with a fundamental question: Can the country still afford to pay for the most advanced technology and nurture its domestic industry? In a move expected as soon as this month, Japan's Defense Ministry will pick a replacement for its aging squadrons of Vietnam-era F-4 fighters from among three finalists, two American and one European. The order for a new fighter is expected to total 40 to 60 planes valued at an estimated $4 billion. It...

First time in the air now for the Navy's carrier version of the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II, the F-35C- like all variants a descendant of the F-35X JSF (Joint Strike Fighter). While the F-35 program is not without it's problems, Navy test pilot Lt. Chris Tabert successfully flew the F-35C test aircraft -which features Harrier-type VTOL capabilities via advanced thrust-vectoring- on Nov. 18, the first launch of the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter from the Navy's new electromagnetic aircraft launch system, 'set to install on future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)'... nice piece of kit, this thing: [YouTube] Video/specs/more at...

UPDATE 1-GE, Rolls Royce drop effort to build F35 engines Dec 2 (Reuters) - General Electric Co and Rolls Royce are dropping their effort to build an alternate engine for Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 joint strike fighter, giving up on what they said could be a $100 billion market. The decision to end their funding of the project beyond 2011, which the companies announced on Friday, is a boost for United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney unit, which builds the engine used in F-35's early production models. The Defense Department earlier this year canceled funding for the second engine. That...

Pentagon budget cuts almost certain to affect F-35 By Bob Cox rcox@star-telegram.com The stealth design of the F-35 joint strike fighter is supposed to make it nearly invisible to enemy radar, but the super high-tech combat aircraft may not be able to avoid the bull's-eye of Pentagon budget-cutters. Congress' failure last month to agree on $1.2 billion in additional deficit reduction measures means the Defense Department is facing enormous funding cuts mandated by law. Without new congressional action to restore funding, experts say, the Pentagon will be forced to make big cuts in spending on new weapons. And the F-35...

Lockheed Martin girds for battle After the debt supercommittee's failure, defense contractors are preparing for turbulent times. Can Lockheed save the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter? Perilous times await Lockheed Martin, the world's largest military contractor. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down. Because the congressional supercommittee failed to agree on a plan to curb the federal deficit, the Pentagon faces spending reductions that could add up to about $1 trillion over the next decade. One likely target: Lockheed's controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive weapons program in history. Robert J. "Bob" Stevens, Lockheed's CEO, can't be happy...

Eurofighter best option for Japan's ASDF David Warren / Special to The Yomiuri Shimbun The international security environment is evolving. Particularly in terms of air defence, new technology is constantly being developed, including fifth generation fighter aircraft with high stealth performance that prevents targets from being detected easily by a radar. The Japanese Air Self-Defence Force, therefore, needs to take measures to ensure it can meet any challenge in the future. Which aircraft to select as a successor of ASDF's F-4 fighter aircraft that has become obsolete will be a critical decision for Japan's air defence for the next 20...

PICTURES: Lockheed rolls out UK's first Joint Strike Fighter By: Craig Hoyle London Lockheed Martin has rolled out the UK's first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), with the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft to be delivered in 2012. As the first F-35 to have been manufactured for an international partner, aircraft BK-1 will now enter a period of functional fuel system checks at Lockheed's Fort Worth site in Texas. It will then undergo "ground and flight tests in the coming months", the US-based airframer said. © Lockheed Martin The UK ordered three STOVL F-35Bs to participate in the...

Three of the five developmental Lockheed Martin F-35Bs have developed tiny cracks in a lift fan-related component which prevent the flight-test aircraft from reconfiguring in flight and landing vertically. Two flight-test aircraft - BF-1 and BF-2 - are now being modified with a redesigned actuator support beam, according to the joint programme office. BF-4 has also developed "hairline" cracks in the same part, but is continuing to fly in conventional mode only until the part is modified, the programme said. The potential for cracks to develop in the actuator support beam was identified several years ago. A redesigned beam was...

#DXB11: Dubai Air Show's biggest non-story is ... the F-35 The Lockheed Martin F-35 is the story that won't happen at the Dubai Air Show, which opens Sunday, and we're not entirely sure why. There is of course no shortage of big headlines at what is now the world's third-largest aerospace event and rising quickly. It's possible the United Arab Emirates will finally sign a check to buy some number of Dassault Rafales, although the total could be fewer than the stated requirement of 60. We may also hear more about the UAE's postponed deals for large airborne early warning...

Fresh delays in F-35 program will test aging CF-18 fleet: expert Undated handout photo of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, also known as Joint Strike Fighter, in flight. Photograph by: Handout, Lockheed-Martin OTTAWA — The Conservative government says a new, anticipated two-year delay in rolling out the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will not impact Canada. But analysts say the delay will increase the stealth fighters' already-controversial price tag while pushing the country's aging CF-18s to the extreme limit of their life spans. On Nov. 2, U.S. Maj.-Gen. Jay Lindell told members of the congressional subcommittee on tactical air and...

US offers India the Joint Strike Fighter, top defence technology Washington, Nov 2 (IANS) Although the US lost out in the bid to sell India 126 multi-role combat jets, it has offered New Delhi ''top-of-the-line technology'', including ''the best in the world'' Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). "The US F-16 and F-18 competed, but were not down-selected, in the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition in April 2011," the US defence department said in a report to the US Congress on US-India Security Cooperation. "Despite this setback, we believe US aircraft, such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), to be the...

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE - The Pentagon's weapons testing office wants to delay F-35 pilot training because of safety concerns. Initial training for the jets at Eglin Air Force Base is scheduled to start in November. Bloomberg news say the director of operational testing wants that pushed back as much as ten months. He says the F-35 "Has not yet met the prerequisites previously set for reducing" air-mission abort rates and "resolving other safety-related issues." Those issues include software fixes for a flaw that grounded the jets for two weeks in August. A Department of Defense spokesman says the Air...

Boeing's Super Hornet competes for sales in Congress and abroad By Robert Koenig, Beacon Washington correspondent Posted 5:45 pm Fri., 10.28.11 WASHINGTON - Like a strike fighter aircraft that averts danger from all directions as it heads toward its mission, the political agility of the Boeing Corp.'s F/A-18 Super Hornet program is being tested as it maneuvers through congressional budget-cutters, dodges errant flak from the Missouri legislature and hones in on foreign sales. The mission: selling enough Super Hornet strike fighters to maintain profitability and keep open the production line. And the stakes are high in the St. Louis region,...

WASHINGTON/ATLANTA, Oct 26 (Reuters) - After months of grumbling behind the scenes, U.S. arms makers are now publicly criticizing Pentagon plans to change the way it buys weapons and make industry shoulder more of the risks of development. snip Chief Executive Robert Stevens told reporters after the earnings release on Wednesday that Lockheed would be reluctant to accept "unbounded liabilities for unpredictable or unknown events."

Lockheed offers Japan F-35 final assembly Lockheed Martin has dangled the possibility of final assembly of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in front of Japan as part of its plan to win the country's F-X fighter competition. The US airframer confirmed that final assembly and check out, component manufacture, and F-35 maintenance, repair and overhaul have been included in its response to Tokyo's request for proposals. "These key fifth-generation production technologies are state-of-the art for the aerospace industry, and will provide Japan with a cornerstone for building long-term industrial leadership," said Lockheed. Industrial participation is an important component of the...

South Korea weighs options to replace F-4E Phantoms By: Greg Waldron Singapore "Korea is faced with a vast array of growing threats, both in the air and on the ground" - Lockheed Martin South Korea is surrounded. To the south, east and west lie the sea. To the north lies its arch-rival North Korea. While the region south of Seoul is full of industrial and residential development, the 50km (31-mile) stretch to the demilitarised zone that has divided Korea since 1953 is barely developed, only rolling hills and forest under blue skies. "Property gets cheaper the further north you go,"...

Analysis: F-35 jet a bargain $65M? By Terry Milewski, CBC News Posted: Oct 3, 2011 9:31 PM ET It's not every day that a defence contractor tells you you're planning to pay way too much for their latest hi-tech gizmo. But don't say it can't happen. When buyers are drowning in debt and sticker shock sets in, it's only natural for sellers to announce that they've got a great deal, just for you. Still, who knew we could snag 65 state-of-the-art F-35s fighter jets for just $65 million a pop? If that sounds like a lot, you obviously don't spend...

Aircraft carriers, naval aircraft and austerity Rome, Italy - The project F-35 Lightning II is dying, the Harrier in retirement: what will Italy embark on the "Garibaldi" and on the "Conte di Cavour"? (WAPA) - In recent weeks several media reported the withdrawal from the Libyan-Mediterranean war theater of the aircraft carrier "Garibaldi" (displacement of 13,000 tons, daily expense of 135,000 euros), which had been operating for about three months against the Gaddafi forces with six AV8-B Plus "Harrier II" fighter jets (no longer in production). The "Garibaldi" was replaced by the support ship "San Giusto" (8,000 tons, three helicopters...

Norway’s Kongsberg warns JSM deal is critical for F-35 order By Stephen Trimble Norway's Kongsberg has warned that the country needs a commitment from the US government within six months to integrate a national-specific missile on the Lockheed Martin F-35, or it could withdraw from the programme. So far, Norway has received no assurance that the Kongsberg joint strike missile (JSM) will be integrated as part of the Block 4 software update on the F-35 in 2019. The absence of such a commitment could prompt the Norwegian parliament to reject an expected request early next year from the nation's defence...

Pentagon to recommend Taiwan buy F-35B, AV-8B fighters: report 2011/09/21 20:48:32 Washington, Sept. 20 (CNA) A U.S. Defense Department study has concluded that Taiwan should buy short-takeoff and vertical-landing jets such as the British-designed AV-8B Harrier jump jet or the new F-35B vertical-takeoff jet, the Washington Times reported Monday. The Pentagon will deliver the congressionally-mandated study on Taiwan's air power to Capitol Hill later this week, the newspaper said. Citing U.S. officials familiar with military aircraft, the report said the Pentagon conclusion was based on anticipated mainland Chinese missile strikes against Taiwan's airfields with cratering munitions that would thwart takeoffs...

Taiwan eying acquisition of F-35 fighters: deputy defense minister 2011/09/19 14:18:17 Richmond, Virginia, Sept. 18 (CNA) Taiwan would be pleased if the United States has indeed agreed to help upgrade its fleet of F-16 A/B jet fighters, and plans to move toward procuring the even more sophisticated F-35 model in the future, Taiwan's Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang said in Richmond Sunday. "The retrofit of the F-16 A/B fleet is part of Taiwan's national defense policy. It would be great if the U.S. approves the deal," said Yang on the sidelines of the 2011 U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, at which...

Lockheed to assemble Korean T-50 jets 2011-09-15 19:49 U.S. company hints at transferring some of stealth technologies to S. Korea FORT WORTH, Texas ― Lockheed Martin will establish facilities in the U.S. for the final assembly of Korea’s T-50 supersonic aircraft to meet the possible U.S. demand for trainer jets, a senior official at the defense giant said last week. It has already reached an agreement on this with Korea Aerospace Industries, the country’s sole aircraft maker which developed the T-50 with technological assistance from Lockheed Martin. The move triggered concerns that the U.S. assembly line would decrease the profits...

Arms companies fight over fighter moniker 7:03pm EDT By Jim Wolf WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A squabble among arms companies over what to call the world's most advanced warplanes could roil the competition for multibillion-dollar fighter contracts worldwide. At issue is an esoteric term, "5th generation," to describe aircraft designed to dodge detection by enemy radar even when loaded with their weapons. The term is applied first and foremost by aerospace experts to Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) F-22 and F-35 fighters, which are built to appear as small as a swallow on radar screens. Boeing Co...

Save the Lightning Why we need the F-35 By Thomas Donnelly The Weekly Standard Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Thanks to the provisions of the Budget Control Act and the subsequent directions of President Obama's budget director, Jack Lew, the Department of Defense is figuring out how to trim $1 trillion from its current and planned budgets. Perhaps the principal target in the sights is the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program (aka the Lightning II)—a fact that neatly encapsulates the Pentagon's severe budgetary, programmatic, operational, and strategic problems. It's only modest hyperbole to conclude that as fares the Lightning, so fares...