Danish Minister of Defense Soren Gade on Feb. 27 in Copenhagen signed a memorandum of understanding for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production and sustainment and follow-on development, making Denmark the ninth and final partner nation to continue with the JSF program. Italy signed earlier this month, following Australia, Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, and the US. According to a Lockheed Martin release, Air Force Brig. Gen. C.R. Davis, F-35 program executive officer, called the signing event “not the end of a process but rather the beginning of constructing the world’s greatest airpower coalition.”
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…