DefenceTalkThe first Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing was officially delivered during a ceremony attended by dignitaries and hundreds of local civic leaders, wing military and civilian members here today. The F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing variant, known as LF 5030, is the first of 144 F-35As scheduled for delivery […]https://www.defencetalk.com/luke-air-force-base-receives-first-f-35a-lightning-ii-59051/

DefenceTalkSouth Korea plans to finalise the purchase of 40 next-generation F-35 jet fighters from US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin later this year, Seoul’s military procurement agency said. “We will… push to sign the contract in the third quarter… after testing and further negotiations,” Jung Kwang-Sun, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s aircraft department director, told reporters […]https://www.defencetalk.com/south-korea-to-finalise-f-35-jet-fighter-deal-this-year-50180/

DefenceTalkTyndall Air Force Base received the first five-of-24 F-22 Raptors scheduled to transfer from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., Jan. 6 as part of their new combat mission. The aircraft are now a part of the 95th Fighter Squadron, which was reactivated in October 2013. “We have been talking about the arrival of this mission […]https://www.defencetalk.com/first-combat-deployable-f-22s-arrive-at-tyndall-air-force-base-50063/

DefenceTalkAs training with the new F-35B Lightning II stealth aircraft continues in Florida, USA, a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot has described how impressed he is with the ‘game-changing’ jet. Flight Lieutenant Hugh Nichols completed his first sortie in the next-generation stealth fighter at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, United States earlier this month. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35b-lightning-ii-impresses-raf-pilot-as-training-continues-in-usa-49775/

DefenceTalkLockheed Martin and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) celebrated the beginnings of the first F-35 Lightning II for Australia yesterday. The aircraft, designated as AU-1, officially began the mate process, where major components of the aircraft are joined together to form the aircraft’s structure. AU-1 will then make its way down the assembly line […]https://www.defencetalk.com/first-f-35-for-australia-takes-shape-in-fort-worth-49348/

DefenceTalkThe Navy’s first F-35C Lightning II carrier variant aircraft squadron, the “Grim Reapers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 101, hosted a rollout ceremony for their new aircraft at the squadron’s home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct.1. The rollout ceremony commemorated the long, storied history of the “Grim Reapers” and the establishment of VFA-101 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/strike-fighter-squadron-101-hosts-f-35c-lightning-ii-rollout-ceremony-49266/

DefenceTalkThe US military’s bureaucratic watchdog on Monday accused companies building the F-35 fighter of shoddy management that could jeopardize the reliability, performance and cost of the aircraft. The Pentagon inspector general cited 363 problems in the design and manufacture of the costly Joint Strike Fighter, the hi-tech warplane that is supposed to serve as the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-f-35-jet-plagued-by-shoddy-quality-control-audit-49237/

DefenceTalkLeaked documents from a Pentagon budget review suggest that the agency is tired of its costly F-35 fighter jets, and has thoughts about canceling the $391.2 billion program that has already expanded into 10 foreign countries. Pentagon officials held a briefing on Wednesday in which they mapped out ways to manage the $500 billion in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-considers-cancelling-f-35-program-48653/

DefenceTalkCombat Air Forces, or CAF, units from multiple commands began flying again today after many stopped flying in April of this year due to sequestration. The restored flying hour program represents $208 million of the $1.8 billion reprogramming allocation authorized by Congress. The money reinstates critical training and test operations for the CAF fleet across […]https://www.defencetalk.com/combat-air-forces-to-resume-flying-48470/

DefenceTalkLockheed Martin recently delivered the 100thElectro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) for the F-35 Lightning II. EOTS provides affordable, high performance multifunction targeting to the F-35’s full spectrum of military operations. EOTS is the first sensor that combines forward-looking infrared and infrared search and track functionality to provide F-35 pilots with situational awareness and air-to-air and air-to-surface […]https://www.defencetalk.com/lockheed-martin-delivers-100th-targeting-system-for-f-35-48462/