Four SPEAR 3 missiles were carried on board an F-35B from the Integrated Test Force at NAS Patuxent River earlier this year, marking the first time that the new weapon has flown on the fifth generation aircraft. The long awaited news of SPEAR 3’s first flight test on the F-35B – which took place on […]
Pour renforcer sa furtivité, le chasseur-bombardier F-35 arbore un revêtement dit RAM [pour Radar Absorbent Material], censé «absorber» les ondes émises par les radars. Or, celui-ci a tendance à se décolorer sur les appareils mis en œuvre depuis des porte-avions [c’est-à-dire les versions B et C]. L’exposition à l’eau de mer, la projection d’autres fluides...
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To mitigate delays to the integration of the SPEAR 3 missile, the Ministry of Defence confirmed plans to procure SDB II munitions from the U.S. through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program have been given the go ahead. First reported by our friends at the UK Defence Journal, a letter published on May 14, 2026, […]
The image shows Italy’s STOVL stealth fighters inside Pantelleria’s cavernous wartime aircraft shelter, a massive reinforced-concrete structure built into the island’s volcanic landscape before World War II. Two F-35B aircraft, belonging to the 101° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 32° Stormo (Wing), based at Amendola Air Base, deployed to Pantelleria airport, from Apr. 20 to 24, […]
La livraison tant attendue des F-35B au Royaume-Uni révèle des enjeux militaires cruciaux.
Unique partenaire de premier niveau pour le programme «Joint Strike Fighter», le Royaume-Uni avait initialement l’intention de se procurer un totale de 138 chasseurs-bombardiers F-35B [la version à décollage court et à atterrissage vertical], à savoir 114 pour la Royal Air Force [RAF] et 24 pour la Fleet Air Arm. Seulement, cet objectif n’a pas...
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The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Izumo-class helicopter carrier JS Izumo (DDH-183) has appeared in public view with a dramatically redesigned bow, marking a key milestone in its conversion to operate F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fighter jets. The lead ship of the class was recently sighted alongside the quay at Japan Marine ...
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Italy is set to become the first European operator of the TB3, beyond Turkey.
L'abandon des F-35B par l'Espagne soulève des enjeux stratégiques majeurs.
Pour des raisons politique, le gouvernement espagnol, emmené par le socialiste Pedro Sanchez, rechigne à acquérir des chasseurs-bombardiers F-35 auprès de l’américain Lockheed Martin alors que le F-35B, c’est-à-dire la version à décollage court et à atterrissage vertical [STOVL] de cet appareil est le seul qui puisse remplacer les EAV-8B Harrier II [ou «Matador»] de...
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La politique de «discrimination positive» conduite durant ces dernières années par la Royal Air Force [RAF] afin de recruter 40 % de femmes et 20 % de personnes issues des minorités ethniques était non seulement illégale mais aussi inefficace. Le résultat est qu’elle est désormais confrontée à une pénurie de pilotes. L’an passé, citant une...
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The UK MoD has confirmed that its F-35B Lightning stealth fighters engaged and destroyed drones over Jordan, as it announces additional protective measures for RAF Akrotiri. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced via social media shortly after 1600 UTC on Mar. 3, 2026 after much speculation in the British press that the Royal Navy had been […]
Speaking at a geopolitics and aerospace conference in Rome, the Commander of the Italian Air Force’s Operational Forces said the service is evaluating the possibility of operating F-35s from highway strips if conventional airfields are threatened. Italy is assessing the possibility of landing and operating its F-35A Lightning II 5th generation aircraft from selected highway […]
Six F-35Bs have been sent to RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus in a move, sources told The Times, intended to better protect base should current tensions in the region break into open conflict. The six jets left RAF Marham in two batches on Friday Feb. 6, 2025, accompanied by two Voyager refueling aircraft from RAF Brize […]