Here are the programs that made the biggest news over the past week:
F-35 a Farnborough no-show — In what was a massive disappointment for the F-35 program, the recent grounding of the aircraft — though lifted recently — prevented it from making its highly anticipated appearance at the Farnborough International Air Show last week, we reported. The announcement came a day after the Defense Department lifted its grounding of the F-35. The Pentagon had intended to send a Marine Corps/United Kingdom F-35B jump-jet variant across the Atlantic to participate in the air show, but officials vetoed it. The program has been cleared to return to “limited flight” that includes engine inspections and restricted flights until a root cause investigation is finished. Read more F-35 analysis >>>
V-22 Japan ops move to mainland — Local protests in Japan certainly haven’t derailed operations of the controversial aircraft across the Pacific, but they have prompted the Marines to make some efforts to appease the local populace: more training flights are scheduled over mainland Japan and away from residential Okinawa areas, according to Stars and Stripes. The Japanese government has also been building facilities at U.S. bases on the mainland so that most training can take place outside of Okinawa, and the nation’s defense ministry is looking to secure funding to purchase its own Osprey aircraft next year. Japan is eyeing a fleet of a dozen V-22 over the next few years. Read more V-22 analysis >>>
Navy touts Growler carrier test — Senate appropriators last week became the latest committee to sign off on Navy plans to buy more EA-18G Growlers, which makes it helpful that the Navy was “pleased” with the results of a recent test that put three extra Growlers on the deck of an aircraft carrier, according to a Reuters report. The report quoted a spokesperson who said that the exercise gave the Navy a “deeper understanding” of how best to employ the Growler’s capability from the flight deck. The test took place in late May and early June. The Navy did not request Growlers in its budget, but included 22 of the jets in its “unfunded priorities” list submitted to Congress earlier this year. Read more EA-18G analysis >>>
SBIRS grabs international spotlight — The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) got its day in the sun last week, with reports emerging that it was one of the systems likely used to allow the Obama Administration to state with certainty that the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was launched from within Russian separatist-controlled territory in Eastern Ukraine. SBIRS uses infrared sensors to detect many types of ground-based missile systems using their infrared signature, including that of the Buk launcher used in shooting down the passenger jet. The system allows the Pentagon to precisely detect where the missile was fired from and what kind of missile it was. Read more SBIRS analysis >>>
