Giovanni de Briganti, Author at DEFENSE-AEROSPACE

Giovanni de Briganti

Editor of Defense-Aerospace.com, a news aggregator covering all aspects of the aerospace and defense industries, principally focused on primary sources (governments, industry, international organizations, think tanks, etc) and selected international media as well as original opinion and analysis articles.

Electronic Warfare

Will the U.S. Retrofit Older F-35s to Fight or Buy New?

The Pentagon owns many early-lot F-35s that cannot meet full combat standards. Commanders now stand at a fork in the road: pour money into deep retrofits or buy fresh jets straight off Lockheed Martin’s moving line in Fort Worth. Vice Adm. Mat

September 20, 2017

Aircraft

Aviation Week Reader Comments Above Story

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program has drawn thousands of reader remarks on Aviation Week since the aircraft reached initial service. The most pointed thread this week grew out of a comment by retired Marine officer Don Bacon. He noted that “150 to 160

September 20, 2017

Aircraft

The F-35: Even the Engine Is Compromised (excerpt)

The F-35 promised reach without rival, yet its heart - Pratt & Whitney’s F135 - burns fuel like an older design. Thrust-specific fuel consumption (TSFC) shows why. The F100-PW-229 that powers late-model F-15s and F-16s clocks 0.726 lb/hr/lb. The F135 sits at

July 2, 2017

Missiles / Drones / Directed Energy

Ahead of Modi Visit, US Approves Sale of 22 Guardian Drones to India

The United States has cleared the sale of twenty-two MQ-9B Guardian unmanned aircraft to India, opening a path for New Delhi to field its first long-endurance maritime surveillance fleet just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets President Donald Trump. U.S. officials

June 23, 2017

Missiles / Drones / Directed Energy

Successful Flight Testing of ISRO’s Scramjet Engine Technology Demonstrator

The Indian Space Research Organisation marked a decisive step toward air-breathing launch systems with the first flight of its Scramjet Engine Technology Demonstrator from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 06:00 IST on 28 August 2016. A twelve-hour countdown ended with a

August 28, 2016

Aircraft

Lockheed’s F-35 Still Falls Short, Pentagon’s Chief Tester Says

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 is America’s most expensive weapons project. After fifteen years in development, the jet is still not ready for the fight the services expect. A confidential memorandum dated Aug 9 from Dr. Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department’s Director of Operational

August 24, 2016

Aircraft

Weapons Tester Cites Further F-35 Challenges (excerpt)

The Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation has sent fresh shockwaves through the F-35 community. His memo to senior leaders says the Joint Strike Fighter remains far from its promised combat edge even though the U.S. Air Force just marked the

August 23, 2016

Digital Systems & Software

US Software Stranglehold Threatens F-35 Foreign Operations

The F-35 is entirely dependent on the ALIS system for its maintenance, and on US-based software laboratories for its mission data loads, so that its operation requires secure and high-speed Internet links between its operating bases and the US. (USAF photo)

November 4, 2015

Aircraft

F-35 Engine Unit Costs Continue to Grow Even As Production Increases

Early F-135 advocates promised a smooth learning curve. They said each production lot would cost less than the one before. Fresh data show the opposite. Unit prices still hover near $30 million, even though annual output has more than doubled since 2011.

April 28, 2015

Aircraft

USAF Plans for Radical F-35 Upgrade Reveal Obsolescence

Foreign air forces that bought the F-35A woke up this week to a blunt statement from Major Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, the U.S. Air Force officer who runs the program. He told Reuters on April 7 that engineers had started scoping a new

April 8, 2015

Giovanni de Briganti

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