The War Zone. Your daily source for military, defense, and geopolitics coverage.
MIM-104 Patriot
Marines Realize They Can’t Depend On Army For Ballistic Missile Defense
The Marines currently rely on already strained Army units to provide defense against incoming ballistic missiles, which could be a big problem in the Pacific.
Latest News
Israel Now Using Netting To Protect Combat Vehicles Against Scourge Of Hezbollah Drones
The netting appears as the IDF takes heat for not doing more to defend against FPV drone attacks, although options remain very limited.
Confidence In CH-53K King Stallion Grows Ahead Of First Operational Deployment
Going to sea with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is a prelude to the CH-53K hitting full-rate production, planned for FY 2029.
China is America’s Military Equal Now And In Any Future Fight, Marine General Warns
Faced with the rapidly growing China threat, the U.S. has to start hardening its bases now, said Marine Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka.
Marines Offer Glimpse Of New Plan For Its Future Ground Combat Forces
Ground Combat Element 2040 offers hints into how the Marines expect to fight in a future dominated by AI and autonomous weapons.
First USMC MQ-58 Valkyrie CCA Drones To Arrive In 2029
The MQ-58 with conventional landing gear will mark the beginning of the Marines’ operational Collaborative Combat Aircraft journey, with other types likely to follow.
New Cruise Missile-Armed MV-75 Tiltrotor Concept For The Marines Shown Off
The Marines have said “everything is on the table” when it comes to potential replacements for their AH-1 and UH-1 helicopters.
Light Uncrewed Cargo Helicopters Based On Robinson R66 And Bell 505 Compete For USMC Contract
Adaptations of two proven commercial rotary-wing designs are vying for a U.S. Marine Corps autonomous resupply vehicle requirement.
F-35s Quarterbacking Drones Seen As Gateway To USMC’s 6th Gen Fighter
Collaborative Combat Aircraft will “bridge” the Marines to a family of new capabilities that could include a new stealth fighter based on F/A-XX.
KC-130J’s Hellfire Missile-Firing Harvest Hawk Kits Retired By Marines
Developed to turn USMC C-130s into close air support platforms during the Global War on Terror, Harvest Hawk’s relevance has waned.
Navy Still Pushing To Field New AARGM-ER Radar-Busting Missile This Year Despite “Strategic Pause”
The Navy expects to see the AGM-88G AARGM-ER enter service in September despite not planning to buy any of them in the next fiscal year.
Russia’s Stealthy S-71K Air-Launched Missile Seen In New Detail
The missile aims to be a less expensive, but still survivable standoff weapon option that can be built in large numbers.
Prospects Dimming On Iran-U.S. Deal To Open Strait, End War
Tehran has delivered a new offer to Washington that is unlikely to move the needle as blockade aims to cripple Iran’s oil infrastructure.
Carrier Tracker As of April 26, 2026
The U.S. now has three carrier strike groups in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for the first time in more than two decades.
U.S. Efforts To Prevent Iranian Mine Laying In Strait Of Hormuz Underway
Another U.S. delegation is headed to Pakistan to try to restart negotiations as a third carrier strike group arrives in the region.
Saildrone’s Missile-Toting Spectre Enters Navy’s Medium-Sized Unmanned Ship Competition
Saildrone has joined forces with defense juggernauts to supersize its proven vehicle concept and equip it with missiles and sub-hunting sensors.
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HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters To Take On Doomsday Evacuation Role In The Nation’s Capital
The Jolly Green IIs will be modified for VIP airlift and continuity of government ops, replacing aging UH-1N Twin Hueys in these roles.
Trump Puts Out Kill Order On Iran’s Small Boats (Updated)
Trump also said he is going to “triple” demining efforts in the Strait, although it is unclear what, if any, of these activities are currently happening at all.
Navy Rushing To Arm Carrier Strike Groups With Hellfire Missiles
The Navy is pushing more counter-drone hard-kill capabilities to its fleet as it comes to terms with the growing threat of one-way attack drones.
Iranian Attacks Change Way Navy Refuels Its Ships In Middle East
The Navy created a commercial “tanker treadmill” to top off its oilers out at sea, offering lessons that could have larger impacts on operations in the future.
Iran Ramps Up Attacks On Ships In The Strait Of Hormuz After Trump Ceasefire Extension (Updated)
With Iran refusing to commit to peace talks, the future of the ceasefire remains in doubt.
Everything New We Just Learned About The Trump Class Battleship Program
We are getting a clearer idea of how the Navy thinks it can use these ships, which have an estimated cost of $17B per vessel.
New Low-Cost Cruise Missile Features Tomahawk-Like Range
With a range of over 1,000 nautical miles, the RAACM-ER cruise missile aims to go far while costing less.
U.S. Navy MH-60S Pilot Talks Multi-Mission Roles During Tour Of The Seahawk
Branded Content: The MH-60S is a true U.S. Navy workhorse, from executing ship replenishment to mine hunting to anti-surface warfare.
F-15EX Buy Was Just Doubled By The USAF, Which Makes Perfect Sense
While it is initially replacing the F-15C, more F-15EXs will provide a ready successor to aging F-15E Strike Eagles and possibly other types.
Ford Class Review Puts Navy’s Future Carrier Plans Into Question
The review includes comparing the Ford class to the Nimitz class and seeing what has been gained or lost operationally.
Leonardo DRS’s Plan To Counter Drones For The U.S. Navy
Branded Content: Maritime-Mission Equipment Package (M-MEP) is designed to protect seaborne assets from attack drones.
USS Spruance Blasting A Ship With Its Deck Gun Is A First In Nearly Four Decades
The Navy hasn’t struck another ship in anger with its deck gun since 1988.
Patriot PAC-3 Missiles To Arm Navy Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers
The Navy has awarded a contract to integrate PAC-3 MSE with the Aegis Combat System and wants to buy 405 of the missiles in Fiscal Year 2027.
MQ-9B SeaGuardian Ready For Teaming With P-8 Poseidon
Branded Content: General Atomics has developed the MQ-9B as an all-round maritime patrol drone and a companion to the P-8.
Northrop Defends Ability To Build F/A-XX 6th Gen Naval Fighters If Selected
The Navy’s top officer said yesterday that an unnamed contractor “really can’t deliver” on F/A-XX “in the timeframe we need it.”
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.
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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….
