F-35B Lightning IIs of the United States Marine Corps’ Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 have become the first United States aircraft to conduct cross-deck operations for a mission utilizing… Continue reading "VMFA-211 F-35Bs Conduct First Cross-Deck Mission In Modern US Naval History"
The Italian Navy announced on 30 July that one of its F-35Bs had landed aboard the ITS Cavour aircraft carrier on the same day. The landing is the first time… Continue reading "First Ever Italian Navy F-35B Landing Aboard ITS Cavour"
Welcome to another Weekend Briefing, where we round-up the week’s most important defense news and some of the stories that may have flown under the radar. This week at Overt… Continue reading "Weekend Briefing (19 – 23 July)"
The Senate Armed Services Committee announced on 22 July that it had voted 22-3 to advance its markups of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, raising the topline of the… Continue reading "SASC 2022 NDAA Markups: More Money For USAF F-35 Sustainment"
Welcome to another Weekend Briefing, where we round-up the week’s most important defense news and some of the stories that may have flown under the radar. This week at Overt… Continue reading "Weekend Briefing (12 – 16 July)"
The Royal Australian Air Force announced on Tuesday that it had recently held the first operational conversion course for F-35 pilots that was completed in Australia. The course was conducted… Continue reading "First RAAF F-35 Operational Conversion Course Completed In Australia"
The “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 have become the first F-35C squadron of the United States Marine Corps to declare full operational capability, with the 1… Continue reading "First US Marine Corps F-35C Squadron Declares Full Operational Capability"
Swiss Defense Minister Viola Amherd announced today that Switzerland’s Federal Council has selected Lockheed Martin’s F-35A Lightning II as the country’s next fighter aircraft as part of the Air 2030… Continue reading "Swiss Federal Council Selects F-35A For Next Swiss Fighter"
The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence announced today that F-35Bs of the Royal Air Force’s 617 Squadron have flown operational missions as part of Operation Shader, the UK’s campaign against… Continue reading "Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group F-35s Conduct First Combat Missions"
Following a series of projects that went grossly overbudget, most notably the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Zumwalt class destroyers, acquisitions by the US Department of Defense (DoD) has… Continue reading "US Department of Defense Claims Progress on Acquisition Reform"