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The US Marine Corps' VMFAT-501 training squadron, which is assigned to the US Air Force's 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida, launched its first F-35B eight-ship earlier today. The unit flew one mission and then conducted a hot pit refueling before going back up again.

China to build second, larger aircraft carrier, says report China will build a second, larger aircraft carrier capable of carrying more fighter jets, the official Xinhua news service reported late Tuesday, quoting a senior officer with the People's Liberation Army (PLA ) Navy. The report comes after Chinese officials denied foreign media reports in September 2012 that China was building a second carrier in Shanghai. "China will have more than one aircraft carrier ... The next aircraft carrier we need will be larger and carry more fighters," Xinhua quoted Song Xue, deputy chief of staff of the PLA Navy, as...

Rare glimpse of life aboard the aircraft carrier Liaoning Naval experts say latest pictures of nation's first aircraft carrier, released by the PLA, show how it has been transformed from its original design Beneath the expansive decks of the aircraft carrier Liaoning, facilities enjoyed by the ship's crew include a canteen, medical centre and on-air studio. Photos: SCMP The People's Liberation Army Daily has revealed what China's first carrier, the Liaoning, looks like on the inside. Western naval and shipbuilding experts say the hull's design is totally different from that of the ship from which it was adapted, the Soviet...

BAE checks Harpoon fit for anti-ship Typhoon BAE Systems has conducted first windtunnel tests to assess the suitability of integrating Boeing's AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile with the Eurofighter Typhoon. An image released by the UK company showing a model of the Typhoon reveals the combat aircraft carrying three of the air-launched weapons. In this configuration, one would be carried on the aircraft's centre-fuselage stores station - ordinarily reserved for an external fuel tank - and two more beneath its wing. BAE Systems BAE says the test activity is intended to assess the aerodynamic characteristics of carrying the Harpoon. "This testing...

LAAD 2013: DCNS reveals Brazilian carrier design DCNS is offering an adapted version of its PA2 design for a future Brazilian aircraft carrier. A model of a 60,000t displacement 285m-long PA2 carrier is being shown by the company at the LAAD exhibition in Rio de Janeiro. Eric Perrot, DCNS surface ships project director, told Shephard that the Brazilian Navy had plans to acquire one or two new aircraft carriers to replace their existing carrier, NAe Sao Paulo, after 2025. The Brazilian Navy released a request for proposals (RfP) in 2012 for specifications for aircraft carriers and Perrot said that DCNS...

The Blue Angels, the Navy's revered aerial acrobats, have been grounded for the rest of the year due to sequestration cuts.

Japan unveils new antisubmarine patrol planes English.news.cn 2013-03-26 21:03:13 TOKYO, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) received the first two of a fleet of next generation P-1 antisubmarine patrol aircraft on Tuesday, with the planes scheduled to be deployed at Atsugi Air Base in Kanagawa Prefecture later this month, local media reported. The official delivery ceremony held earlier in the day in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, heralds the beginning of the JMSDF's plans to acquire seven of the high-tech planes to be deployed by March 2014 and a total of 70 P-1s in the long-run, officials said....

The Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II aircraft will be based at RAF Marham, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed, securing the future of the station. But other stations will be affected in a "rationalisation" of the defence estate, ministers have said. The fighter aircraft, which has continued to hit recent headlines due to design issues, is to be the most advanced jet ever delivered to the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence said. RAF Marham will now receive additional investment and infrastructure so that it can become the main operating base for the aircraft which will also operate from the...

Cutting whole U.S. Navy buy of F-35s would hurt: top officer (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy's top officer on Tuesday underscored his commitment to the C-model, or carrier variant, of Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jet, saying it would be "detrimental" if the Navy decided not to buy any of the new radar-evading plans. But Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert left the door open for possible adjustments in the Navy's planned purchase of 260 jets, saying that the Navy was just "getting into the discussion" about how many of the new F-35s the Navy would need, and...

China fighter designer compares J-15 to F/A-18 Hornet The chief designer of the Shenyang J-15 fighter has compared the aircraft to the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet, and suggests that the developmental J-31 could one day serve aboard Chinese aircraft carriers. In an interview with Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Chinese aircraft designer Sun Cong said that the J-15 is "generally close to the US F/A-18, reaching world class standards". He adds that the J-15 could have a combat radius of over 1,000km (540nm) if powered by domestic engines. This comment could corroborate reports that the J-15s conducting flight tests aboard the...

J-31 may become China's next generation carrier-borne fighter jet Sun Cong, chief designer of the J-15 carrier-borne fighter jet and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, accepted a special interview with Xinhua News Agency on March 2. The J-15, nicknamed "lying shark", is China's first generation of carrier-borne fighter jet. When the piloted J-15 fighter landed on the Liaoning aircraft carrier for the first time and successfully took off, Sun was filled with excitement. J-15 carrier-borne fighter jet has filled the technological gap in the related fields. Compared with land-based aircraft, the carrier-borne...

SANFORD — Trayvon Martin's girlfriend, the state's most important witness in the George Zimmerman murder case, was caught in a lie, it was revealed Tuesday. It was not the first piece of misinformation tied to her, but it was the most damaging to date and left prosecutors in a very awkward position. They had to publicly acknowledge that their star witness had lied under oath and had to answer questions about what they intend to do about it.

2/22/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- All F-35s have been grounded as a precaution after a routine engine inspection revealed a crack on an engine blade, Defense Department officials said Feb. 22 here.

All Lockheed Martin F-35s are grounded while the programme investigates the root cause of a crack discovered on 19 February in a third-stage low-pressure turbine (LPT) blade deep inside the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine. The discovery of the blade crack comes five years after the first flight of the F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant was delayed several months due to fatigue-related blade failures in the third-stage LPT. The latest crack - discovered only days after the F-35B returned to flight following a 25-day grounding caused by a fueldraulics failure - was discovered on 19 February by...

Bell Helicopters' upgraded H-1 generates foreign interest (Reuters) - As U.S. budget pressures mount, the U.S. Marine Corps says growing foreign demand could help drive down the unit cost of its new upgraded H-1 utility and attack helicopters built by Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc (TXT.N). Major General John Croley, assistant deputy commandant for aviation, said the new helicopters had greater range and capabilities that would enhance the Marines' ability to work with allies across the Asia-Pacific region. He said increased interest from countries in Asia and the Middle East could help lower the cost of the new...

Report: Navy's P-8 Aircraft Plagued with Problems; Deployment in Doubt (c) asa663@verizon.net Received from a former P-3 crewmate. It would appear that there are some serious development problems with the new P-8 aircraft. Here is some input from a friend, USN Retired, who is working for a defense contractor who has a contract with both P-3 and P-8 development. He is working with the P3 but has a LOT of input from the P-8 part of the company. Three cases in point about the waste of our defense establishment. Sonobouy launching: The P-8 can’t launch sonobouys at any high speed....

P8-Is: Indian Navy's eye in the sky The Boeing P8-I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft (LRMRA) which the Indian Navy got lat month is the most sophisticated weapon system in its inventory yet. The aircraft, which is now being used for training by Indian naval personnel in coordination with the US Navy in the US, has the latest radars, electronic warfare systems, and weapons to kill hostile submarines, several of which lurk underwater in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal around the Indian coast. Built on the body of a civilian Boeing 737-800 jetliner with the wings of a 737-900,...

'These new computer-generated images put into context the huge scale of the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. The Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) has released a series of powerful posters illustrating the sheer size of the warships. The computer-generated images show the warships dwarfing some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. Another notable poster is of the under-construction HMS Queen Elizabeth berthed alongside in Portsmouth, Hants. The ACA is a consortium of defence companies behind the construction of Portsmouth's newest carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. Ian Booth, programme director of the ACA, said: 'These...

Plans call for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to get its first overseas deployment in 2017 to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in line with the military’s “Pacific pivot,” according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. The F-35B Lightning II — the Navy and Marine Corps variant featuring short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities — has been billed as the next-generation stealth fighter despite complaints about noise and cost overruns. It can travel at speeds of Mach 1.6 — about 1,200 mph — and can land on ships or damaged runways, according to the web site for developer Lockheed Martin Corp....

The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman have conducted the Navy's first catapult launch of an unmanned aircraft on Thursday, marking the first of a series of shore-based catapult-to-flight tests over the next few weeks. Using the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator, the Navy's UCAS Carrier Demonstration program plans to catapult the aircraft from a ship base, making history, next year. Mike Mackey, UCAS-D program director for Northrop Grumman, said, "Today's successful launch is another critical milestone in the carrier-stability testing phase of the UCAS-D program." The test was conducted at a shore-based catapult facility at Naval Air Station...