Lockheed Martin yesterday rolled out the first F-35C, the variant of the stealth fighter optimized for operations from big-deck aircraft carriers, at its assembly plant in Fort Worth, Tex. This aircraft, designated CF-1, is the ninth F-35 test aircraft to come off the assembly line; it joins the existing fleet of Air Force conventional takeoff F-35A and Marine Corps short takeoff F-35B test aircraft that have already logged more than 100 flights, the company said in a release. CF-1 will undergo ground tests before its first flight, which is scheduled for late 2009. Lockheed said the Navy is on track to have its first F-35C unit available for combat in 2015.
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…