2017 Forecast: Trump Loves Marines (Too Much?)

2017 Forecast: Trump Loves Marines (Too Much?)
2017 Forecast: Trump Loves Marines (Too Much?)

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump’s election is mostly good news for the Marine Corps — but there are a couple of important caveats. Both his campaign promise to increase Marine combat battalions by 50 percent and his public lambasting of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could cause problems for Marine Corps leaders as they struggle to explain…

No, Mr. Trump, You Can’t Replace F-35 With A ‘Comparable’ F-18

No, Mr. Trump, You Can’t Replace F-35 With A ‘Comparable’ F-18
No, Mr. Trump, You Can’t Replace F-35 With A ‘Comparable’ F-18

President-Elect Trump’s recent announcement that he is considering acquiring the F/A-18 Super Hornet in place of the F-35 Lightning II does not add up for a leader who seeks “to make America great again.” Too much is at stake for the United States to rely on a fighter aircraft design whose roots extend back to…

F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%

F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%
F-35 ‘Not Out Of Control’: F-35A Prices Drop 5.5%

ARLINGTON: One week after President-Elect Donald Trump tweeted that the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was “out of control,” the F-35 program office announced the price of most variants had dropped yet again. The contract for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot 9 will buy 57 aircraft, 34 for the US and 23…

Mr. Trump: We Need F-35s Built Faster, Not Fewer

Mr. Trump: We Need F-35s Built Faster, Not Fewer
Mr. Trump: We Need F-35s Built Faster, Not Fewer

Today’s United States Air Force faces a stark challenge: securing the sky in the face of ever increasing threats. Decades of deferred investment and an increasingly unstable world make this a critical issue facing the new Trump administration. Over 3/4 of the current Air Force fighter fleet is comprised of 1960s and 1970s designs that average…

Trump Vs. Pentagon: Is F-35 Really ‘Out Of Control’?

Trump Vs. Pentagon: Is F-35 Really ‘Out Of Control’?
Trump Vs. Pentagon: Is F-35 Really ‘Out Of Control’?

WASHINGTON: Just hours after the President-Elect tweeted F-35 costs were “out of control,” sending manufacturer Lockheed Martin‘s stock price into a nosedive, the first two F-35s to be based abroad landed in their new home country, Israel. Is the famously hard-nosed Israeli Defense Force deceived about what they’re getting for their money? Or is the…

Marines Pound USS America’s Deck With F-35Bs: VIDEOS!

Marines Pound USS America’s Deck With F-35Bs: VIDEOS!
Marines Pound USS America’s Deck With F-35Bs: VIDEOS!

ABOARD THE USS AMERICA: Somewhere near San Diego on the Pacific Ocean, the Marines have been putting F-35Bs and their pilots through a series of qualifications and tests with an eye to better understanding just how the small-deck carriers, the F-35s, V-22s and combat-ready Marines can best function together. With a careful eye on both China and…

A Bridgehead Too Far? CSBA’s Aggressive, Risky Strategy For Marines

A Bridgehead Too Far? CSBA’s Aggressive, Risky Strategy For Marines
A Bridgehead Too Far? CSBA’s Aggressive, Risky Strategy For Marines

UPDATED with Brig. Gen. Turner remarks on the report WASHINGTON: Marines are famously aggressive, but a new battle plan from a leading thinktank makes Iwo Jima look low-risk. The Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments’ proposed concept of operations is imaginative, exciting and more than a little scary: In a future war, rather than stay far…

F-35B Weapons Bay Fire: No Fleet Or Unit Groundings

F-35B Weapons Bay Fire: No Fleet Or Unit Groundings
F-35B Weapons Bay Fire: No Fleet Or Unit Groundings

WASHINGTON: So far it looks like an isolated incident, but the Marines at Beaufort Marine Air Station report an F-35B was damaged by a fire in its weapons bay during a training flight. The Oct. 27 aircraft mishap, first reported by my colleague Hope Hodge Seck at Military.com, has been tentatively classified as Type A, meaning…

F-22, F-35 Outsmart Test Ranges, AWACS

F-22, F-35 Outsmart Test Ranges, AWACS
F-22, F-35 Outsmart Test Ranges, AWACS

CAPITOL HILL: How smart is too smart? When F-35 Joint Strike Fighters flew simulated combat missions around Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, their pilots couldn’t see the “enemy” radars on their screens. Why? The F-35s’ on-board computers analyzed data from the airplanes’ various sensors, compared the readings to known threats, and figured out the…

Rep. Wilson Of HASC Signs On For Monthly Op-Eds

Rep. Wilson Of HASC Signs On For Monthly Op-Eds
Rep. Wilson Of HASC Signs On For Monthly Op-Eds

One of America’s top defense lawmakers, Rep. Joe Wilson, will write an exclusive monthly opinion piece for Breaking Defense. As Breaking D readers know, Rep. Randy Forbes, outgoing chairman of the HASC seapower and power projection subcommittee, started this tradition. But the voters spoke and, sadly, Mr. Forbes is moving on after the election. Wilson,…

Zap. Marines Like Lasers For F-35B

Zap. Marines Like Lasers For F-35B
Zap. Marines Like Lasers For F-35B

WASHINGTON: Lasers. On the F-35B. Ok, there’s no money, And no timetable. But the head of Marine requirements, Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, told reporters he could “absolutely” see the Joint Strike Fighter armed with lasers. This is consistent with plans we’ve heard from Northrop Grumman for the notional sixth-generation fighter and with the heavy push…

Air Force Declares F-35A IOC; Major Milestone For Biggest US Program

Air Force Declares F-35A IOC; Major Milestone For Biggest US Program
Air Force Declares F-35A IOC; Major Milestone For Biggest US Program

UPDATED: Adds ACC Carlisle, CSAF Goldfein, SecAF James JPO Bogdan Comments PENTAGON: Critics of the F-35 warned it was too heavy. They warned its stealth wasn’t good enough. They warned stealth, however good, wasn’t enough against advanced detection methods. They warned its range was too short and its weapons load too light. They warned it was…

Marine Flight Readiness Improving …Slowly; Thornberry Will Keep Pushing

Marine Flight Readiness Improving …Slowly; Thornberry Will Keep Pushing
Marine Flight Readiness Improving …Slowly; Thornberry Will Keep Pushing

WASHINGTON: Marine Corps aviation is on a “glide slope” to reaching acceptable readiness levels by 2020, the deputy commandant for aviation said Friday. But today the only units fully ready — with enough spare parts, trained maintainers and air crews, and adequate monthly flight hours for pilots — are two squadrons flying brand new Lockheed Martin F-35B…

Acrobatics, Big Planes (A380 & A400M) & Little Planes (Gripen & Starduster)

Acrobatics, Big Planes (A380 & A400M) & Little Planes (Gripen & Starduster)
Acrobatics, Big Planes (A380 & A400M) & Little Planes (Gripen & Starduster)

The F-35B isn’t flying again til Friday so you won’t see it here. Today was the first day of halfway decent weather at the biennial air show so we’ve got some pretty lovely flying and perspectives here. Enjoy!