Michael Adler, Author at defense-aerospace

Pakistan Strikes Back

Pakistan Air Force jets crossed the Line of Control at dawn and released laser-guided bombs against selected sites on the Indian side of Kashmir. Islamabad called the targets “non-military” and said the aim was to show both resolve and restraint. No casualties were reported at the time, yet the flight paths left a clear message: Pakistani aircraft could strike across the line and return home before Indian radar cues reached firing authority.

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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 Winter, then head of the Joint Program Office, told reporters on Sept 18 that annual production would climb from forty-six aircraft in 2016 to about one hundred thirty in 2018 and rise again afterward.

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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 jet “ready for war.” Engineers still chase hundreds of software defects, the 25 mm gun refuses to shoot straight, and the off-boresight missile link misbehaves whenever pilots swivel their helmets too far off center.

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