US Air Force vows to spare F-35 from budget cuts

The US Air Force vowed Monday to "protect" costly weapons programs despite budget pressures, saying the country needed the F-35 fighter jet, a long-range bomber and other aircraft.

While acknowledging the need for reductions to the defense budget, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley proceeded to list several big ticket programs that were not up for negotiation.

"There are certain capabilities we will protect. We will apply best military judgment to oppose reductions that would cause irreparable harm," Donley told retired members of the Air Force in a speech.

The firm line taken by Donley comes as the Pentagon seeks to fend off possible deep budget reductions by lawmakers. Congress has to find a way to trim the country's deficit by a November 23 deadline or else automatic cuts will be triggered that could derail the Pentagon's budget plans.

With an aging fleet of fighter planes, it was crucial to build the next generation combat aircraft, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, to ensure US air superiority, Donley said.

"With a fighter fleet now averaging 22 years old and with two decades of declining fighter force structure, modernizing our aging and smaller fighter force depends on the fifth generation capabilities of the Joint Strike Fighter," Donley said.

"Simply put, there is no alternative to the F-35 program. It must succeed," he said of the aircraft, which has been plagued by cost overruns and delays.

The F-35 has come under growing scrutiny amid speculation that the Pentagon may be forced to downsize the program, including possibly eliminating a version of the plane designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings.

The civilian head of the Air Force also argued for maintaining funds for a planned long-range bomber, space satellites, nuclear forces, unmanned robotic aircraft and benefits promised to service members when they joined.

Donley said that budget reductions would require the Air Force to accept "greater risk in some areas, terminate some lower priority programs, streamline others," but did not provide details.

In his speech to the Air Force Association, Donley also said that within 10 years the force could be "potentially smaller than in previous decades" but did not offer an estimate.

Wasp Prepares for Joint Strike Fighter

The crew of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) is preparing the ship to become the first at-sea test platform for the U.S. Navy’s test variant of the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Recently, four members of Wasp’s Air Department traveled to one of the Navy’s premier test facilities at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., to help give them a good idea of what WASP can expect when testing begins. The group consisted of Cmdr. Stephen McKone, Wasp’s Air Boss; Lt. Michael Curcio, Wasp’s Aircraft Handling Officer and F-35B Ship Integration Project Officer; Ens. Maguel Brooks, Wasp’s Air Bos’n; and Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handler) Richard McCray.

Navy Test Pilot Completes First F-35C Flight

The carrier variant of the F-35 (CF-1) Joint Strike Fighter flew for the first time with a Navy test pilot at the controls Feb. 11.

Taking off at 2:06 p.m., Lt Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus flew the F-35C for approximately two hours. Buus' first flight in the CF-1 checked the function of the flutter excitation system, which will help measure structural loads of the airframe during various flight maneuvers.

"The aircraft flew great for more than two hours with no issues. It's a really smooth, solid flying airplane and a joy to fly," said Buus. "This flight was a great milestone for me, personally, and more importantly, for the services during the 100 year anniversary of naval aviation. This airplane is going to give us a great leap in capability, and I'm looking forward to putting it through the demanding carrier suitability tests required to ensure it's ready for the fleet."