An F-35A Lightning II taxis before takeoff to participate in simulated defensive counter air operations Dec. 8, 2016, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. (U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Peter Thompson)
Military.com: Only Half of F-35s Available for Flight, Program Head Says
News that two-thirds of the Navy's aging F/A-18 Hornets were stuck on the flightline lit up headlines last year. But the defense department's brand-new 5th-generation fighter program is also struggling to ensure that its shiny new aircraft are flyable, the three-star director of the program this week.
Of the 280 operational F-35s purchased to date by U.S. and international partners, only 51 percent are currently available for flight, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, director of the F-35 Joint Program Office, told reporters Wednesday at a round-table event.
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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 5, 2018
Lockheed Negotiating Tactics Delaying F-35 Deal, Program Director Says -- DoD Buzz
Russia Admits Su-57s Were In Syria But Claims They Left After Just Two Days -- Warzone/The Drive
A new 'Kraken' arises? Russians eager to name doomsday arms -- AP
Why is Russia Building Nuclear Powered Cruise Missiles? The Answer: “Capacity” -- Dave Majumdar, National Interest
Russia's Navy Might Be Modernizing—But It's Overstretched -- Lyle J. Goldstein, National Interest
China Completes Military Staff Reduction by 300,000 Soldiers -- Sputnik
Japan's navy to buy tanker to fuel ships patrolling East China Sea -- Channel News Asia/Reuters
North Korea’s Time-Buying Strategy -- Khang Vu, RCD
Iran Claims It Turned a Sidewinder Into a "New" Anti-Tank Missile -- Warzone/The Drive
EU forces training CAR soldiers to rebuild army -- Al Jazeera
Weapons: Ukraine Goes West For Sniper Rifles -- Strategy Page
A Guide to the Type 26 ‘City class’ Frigate -- UK Defense Journal
Airbus Signals Job Cuts for Troubled Jumbo, Military Programs -- Bloomberg
US aircraft carrier visits Vietnam for the first time since 1970s in a wake up call to China -- Business Insider/Reuters
Shipbuilders Worried About Navy Plan for 1 LCS in 2019 Ahead of Frigate Transition -- USNI News
The US Navy's next advanced aircraft carrier is 70% complete — watch the latest 888-ton chuck drop into place -- Business Insider
Army Speeding Up Robotics Acquisition Process -- National Defense
Soldiers See Real-Time Drone Feeds From New Handheld Devices -- Warrior Maven
The next generation of bomb disposal robots -- Defense Systems
Air Force tries to create a warrior culture in space -- Space News
Key Missile Defense Installation Will be Uninhabitable in Less Than 20 Years -- Scientific American
Wichita airman’s idea could save the Air Force $132 million -- Wichita Eagle
Electronic Weapons: Smart Eyes That Never Sleep -- Strategy Page
More military families come forward with deportation fears -- Military Times
Mystery surrounds 'non combat' death of female soldier battling ISIS in Iraq as her body is returned home and Department of Defence announce an investigation -- Daily Mail
The Scam Artist Who Sold Fake Armored Trucks to U.S. Army -- Daily Beast
$1.5 Trillion for Defense May Not Be Enough -- Harlan Ullman, Observer
