The War Zone. Your daily source for military, defense, and geopolitics coverage.
Airborne Radar
World’s Most Secretive 737 Is Supporting NASA’s Historic Artemis II Launch
It is rare to see the unique NT-43A aircraft at all, let alone flying over Florida ahead of the first crewed lunar space mission in decades.
Latest News
Trump Threatens NATO Departure, Claims Iran Wants A Ceasefire Ahead Of National Address (Updated)
Iran has pushed back on Trump’s ceasefire claim as key allies distance themselves further from Epic Fury.
Secretive 737 Radar Jet ‘RAT55’ Has Begun “The Next Phase Of Its Career”
Making a peculiar appearance supporting NASA’s Artemis II launch is just the beginning of what comes next for RAT55. the world’s most secretive 737.
Ian Ellis-Jones Has Touched Down At TWZ
A letter from the editor as TWZ’s team and mission expands.
Amid Fears Houthis Could Close Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea Task Force Ready For Attacks
Concerns grow that the Iranian-backed rebels could close the waterway, drastically exacerbating the global oil crisis and opening a new front.
F-35 Crashes In The Nevada Test And Training Range Complex (Updated)
The aircraft went down in the range complex north of Las Vegas earlier today, with the pilot safely ejecting.
New EA-37B Compass Call Electronic Warfare Jets Cross Atlantic, Middle East Next? (Updated)
The jets could provide CENTCOM with America’s most advanced standoff jamming capability, including disrupting communications and air defenses.
Army Scales Back Barriers To Access Its Top Testing Ranges
The Pentagon needs to drastically accelerate its development and procurement cycle and giving more access to its best testing ranges will be key in doing that.
Epic Fury Already Stress Testing More Agile Army Acquisition System, General Says
The warp speed-like evolution of measures and countermeasures in Ukraine has forced the Army to change how quickly it gets new gear into the hands of its troops.
M1E3 Next-Gen Abrams Tank Production Could Begin Next Year
Test units will soon start experimenting with early M1E3 prototypes, with the Army now hoping production could kick off in 2027.
Bunkers For U.S. Bases In Middle East Now A Top Priority For Pentagon
A rush to harden bases in the Middle East should finally be a much needed wake-up call to glaring gaps globally.
Former KC-135 Wing Commander On What It Will Take To Fuel A Fight Against China
Retired Air Force Col. Troy Pananon offers candid insights into the strain a fight with China would put on the tanker fleet.
MQ-28 Ghost Bat Gains Major European Foothold As Rheinmetall Joins Forces With Boeing
The MQ-28 Ghost Bat could be fielded by the Luftwaffe, but the door is also open to a potentially very lucrative European CCA market.
U.S. Is Burning Through Tomahawk Cruise Missile Stockpile At An Alarming Rate: Report
The four-week conflict with Iran has so far consumed more than a whopping 850 Tomahawk missiles, officials have stated.
Is The U.S. Dropping Mines To Stop Iranian Missile Launchers?
Scattering mines around remote missile facilities and launch points would make sense in order to further degrade Iranian launches.
Navy’s Drone Ship Plans Get Shaken Up Again
The Navy wants to spend less time prototyping and focus on fielding already mature uncrewed vessel designs, which contractors might operate.
The War Zone — also known by the shorthand TWZ — has become an essential resource for the defense industry, the national security community, and the interested public at large since it was launched in 2016.
From its early beginnings to the present day, TWZ’s purpose remains the same.
The site stands at the nexus of military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. As a full-spectrum defense news and analysis website, TWZ covers the air, sea, land, space, and cyber domains of warfare, with an infusion of geopolitical context and technological analysis to offer readers deeper, yet easy-to-consume, insights than what they will find anywhere else….