The F-35 Era Takes Flight
After years of technical delays, performance issues, and massive cost overruns, the Joint Strike Fighter is
finally coming into its own. Now we get to see whether it was worth the cost.
By Jay Bennett
July 13, 2016
The enormous rear door of the KC-10 Extender opens in front of me, and about 30 seconds later, the refueling boom lowers into sight.
The Atlantic Ocean lies 26,000 feet below. Just as the thick clouds below start to perforate, revealing the shimmering water underneath,
an F-35A Lightning II comes into sight on my left, closing on the tanker. Before I know it, the fighter is flying right below me as I stare,
mouth agape, and fumble with my camera.
I'd seen this bird about an hour earlier; it was one of the three F-35s flying in formation next to the KC-10, a little fly against the blue sky.
But this is my first real look at the fighter, a sleek, matte gray, single-seat, single-engine jet with folded stars and stripes displayed proudly
in the cockpit.
Read more:
F-35 Lightning II
- Kailuaboy
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Re: F-35 Lightning II
Say what you will about the F-35, but America's most expensive war machine has a gorgeous helmet
Marine Corps F-35s will go head-to-head with F-18s, F-22s, F-16s, and more at Red Flag
Behold the most expensive weapons system ever and all of its ammunition in one photo
Watch the Marines' F-35 fire an 80-round burst from its gun pod for the first time
Air Force May Declare F-35 Ready for Initial Operations Next Week
Head of US Marine Corps aviation: The F-35B is ready to go to war right now
F-35B Stealth Fighter: How the US Marine Corps Could Dominate the Sky
Marine Corps F-35s will go head-to-head with F-18s, F-22s, F-16s, and more at Red Flag
Behold the most expensive weapons system ever and all of its ammunition in one photo
Watch the Marines' F-35 fire an 80-round burst from its gun pod for the first time
Air Force May Declare F-35 Ready for Initial Operations Next Week
Head of US Marine Corps aviation: The F-35B is ready to go to war right now
F-35B Stealth Fighter: How the US Marine Corps Could Dominate the Sky
- Kailuaboy
- *True Sports Fan*
- Posts: 7822
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 10:41 am
- Location: Kailua (Oahu), Hawaii
Re: F-35 Lightning II
Here's what pilots who've flown the F-35 have to say about the most expensive weapons project in history
By Amanda Macias
August 6, 2016
The fourth US Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrives at the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in this April 24, 2013,
photo released on May 8, 2013. Reuters
America's most expensive weapons program is rolling in good news this week.
On the heels of the US Air Force's decision to declare its version of the F-35 ready for war, a new report from the Heritage Foundation
complied interviews from Air Force pilots to compare the fifth-generation jet to previous fighter jets.
"Only the pilots who have flown the fighter actually know how well the Air Force version of the F-35 can perform, and the 31 who were
surveyed for this paper expressed a high degree of confidence in this extraordinary fighter," wrote the report's author, John Venable,
a senior research fellow for defense policy and a retired US Air Force Thunderbird commander.
Read more:
By Amanda Macias
August 6, 2016
The fourth US Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft arrives at the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in this April 24, 2013,
photo released on May 8, 2013. Reuters
America's most expensive weapons program is rolling in good news this week.
On the heels of the US Air Force's decision to declare its version of the F-35 ready for war, a new report from the Heritage Foundation
complied interviews from Air Force pilots to compare the fifth-generation jet to previous fighter jets.
"Only the pilots who have flown the fighter actually know how well the Air Force version of the F-35 can perform, and the 31 who were
surveyed for this paper expressed a high degree of confidence in this extraordinary fighter," wrote the report's author, John Venable,
a senior research fellow for defense policy and a retired US Air Force Thunderbird commander.
Read more:
- Kailuaboy
- *True Sports Fan*
- Posts: 7822
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 10:41 am
- Location: Kailua (Oahu), Hawaii
Re: F-35 Lightning II
U.S. Navy reaches milestone with F-35B weapons load testing
The F-35B Just Got A Lot Deadlier
Italy becomes the first nation outside of the US to operate the F-35
F-35 pilot explains why the next-generation aircraft is a 'dream to fly'
Israel Is Getting A Single F-35 Test Jet Unlike Any Other
The F-35 Could Get a Better Engine
The F-35B Just Got A Lot Deadlier
Italy becomes the first nation outside of the US to operate the F-35
F-35 pilot explains why the next-generation aircraft is a 'dream to fly'
Israel Is Getting A Single F-35 Test Jet Unlike Any Other
The F-35 Could Get a Better Engine