USAF is “comfortable” with the decision to terminate the F136 alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wood. Modern engines are so reliable that the Air Force doesn’t feel an alternate is a compelling requirement in order to guard against a fleet-grounding problem with the F135.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.