05 Desember 2017 A35-003 takes off from Fort Worth. (photo : AustralianAviationCarl Richards) The Royal Australian Air Force’s third F-35A Lightning II, A35-003, has completed its first flight. Photographer Carl Richards captured these images of A35-003 taking off on its first flight, from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, on December 1. The aircraft is due to be delivered to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona in early 2018 to be used for pilot and maintainer training, before being permanently relocated to Australia in 2020. A35-003, known to its manufacturer Lockheed Martin as AU-3, had its RAAF markings, including its 3 Squadron tail flashes, applied in early November, the final phase of the aircraft’s production process. 3 Squadron is due to become the first RAAF F-35 operational unit. ( AustralianAviation )
17 November 2017 Singapore's first-of-class Littoral Mission Vessel, RSS Independence. The vessel has been deployed to a regional activity for the first time (photo : Sing Mindef) The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has deployed its first-of-class Littoral Mission Vessel to Thailand, marking the platform’s debut in a regional multilateral exercise. The 1,250-tonne warship, RSS Independence (15) will participate in the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) multilateral naval exercise (‘AMNEX’ 2017), which will take part on and around Sattahip Naval Base in the Gulf of Thailand from 13 to 22 November. Independence , which was commissioned in May, is also scheduled to take part in an international fleet review on 19 November in Pattaya Bay as part of ASEAN’s 50th anniversary celebrations. During its deployment in Thailand, the LMV will have the opportunity to demonstrate a number of concepts for the RSN, including the platform’s ability to be deployed away from its hom...