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.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.