Loren Thompson, Chief Operating Officer of the Lexington Institute, published the following article in response to a recent Time Magazine report. Last week, Time magazine published a lengthy diatribe against the Pentagon’s biggest weapons program, the F-35 fighter. The plane is being built in three versions to meet the diverse warfighting needs of the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. If it is successful, America can look forward to another four decades of global air dominance — the warfighting edge that explains why no ... Read more

Categories: News Report

The first Lockheed Martin production model F-35C carrier variant, known as CF-6, flew its first sortie Thursday. Upon delivery later this year, the jet will be assigned to US Navy Fighter Attack Squadron 101 (VFA-101) at Eglin AFB, Florida. The unit will serve as the Fleet Replacement Squadron, training Navy F-35C pilots and maintainers. While CF-6 will be the first carrier variant jet assigned to Eglin, it will join a fleet of nine F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jets and ... Read more

Categories: News Release, Photos

An F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, known as AF-1, completed its final test mission for clean wing flutter recently. Flutter testing was conducted to ensure the jet’s structure could withstand various aerodynamic loads verifying the F-35A’s design. The mission, flown by Maj. Ryan “Gunner” Reinhardt, marks the conclusion of three years of testing that now allows the F-35A to proceed with tests continuing to expand its flight envelope and validate predictions in real-world scenarios. The testing demonstrated ... Read more

Categories: News Report, Photos