The first Japanese F-35A took its maiden flight on Aug. 24 in Texas. The aircraft, called AX-1, took off from the Lockheed Martin assembly plant in Fort Worth and flew for about an hour and a half, Lockheed announced. The Japan Air Self Defense Force will purchase 42 F-35As; the first four are in production and are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. The rest will be assembled at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries final assembly facility in Nagoya, Japan, according to Lockheed. Japanese pilots will start training in November at Luke AFB, Ariz.
In an effort to improve connectivity aboard Air Force tanker and mobility aircraft, the Pentagon’s commercial technology innovation unit wants a system to install new applications on aircraft, such as a moving map display that helps aircrew see through the fog of war.
