:

Navy/USMC

Amos: Engineers Found Fix for Cracks in F-35B Aluminum Bulkhead

Defense Daily Staff

Tuesday, June 24th, 2014

SHARE:

Amos: Engineers Found Fix for Cracks in F-35B Aluminum Bulkhead

The Marine Corps' short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B performs a vertical landing. Photo: Lockheed Martin.

The Marine Corps will redesign the aluminum bulkheads on the F-35B to prevent cracking, which was discovered on one plane in February after nearly 10,000 hours of testing, Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Amos said Tuesday. The structural bulkhead of the plane is made of aluminum to minimize weight, but engineers discovered cracks in it during dynamic testing after about 9,800 hours–past the expected 9,000-hour service life of the plane, Amos said at the American Enterprise Institute. Despite…

Congress

Key Defense Committee Members Face Tight Midterm Races, Including HASC GOP’ers In Virginia

As the mid-term elections near with polls showing an increasing likelihood of a switch in majority control in the House and potentially the Senate, three Virginia Republicans on the House […]

‘Theoretical Potential’ to Achieve 1,509 Combat-Coded Fighters by 2035, USAF Says

In the latest U.S. Air Force fighter force structure report submitted to Congress, the service speaks of a “theoretical potential” to achieve a goal of 1,509 combat-coded fighters in the […]

Budget

Hegseth Pushes For Reconciliation With At Least $350 Billion For Defense ‘Regardless’ Of Midterms Outcome

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday the Trump administration plans to continue its push for at least $350 billion in defense funds via the reconciliation process “regardless of what happens […]

Congress

Bipartisan Push in Senate to Hasten Export of 155 mm, GMLRS, HIMARS for Ukraine

A small, bipartisan group of senators is backing the Fast Tracking European Investment in Ukraine’s Defense Act, S. 5175, to hasten the export of allied buys of U.S. munitions for […]