The War Zone. Your daily source for military, defense, and geopolitics coverage.

Our First Look At The YFQ-42 ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft
General Atomics’ YFQ-42A and Anduril’s YFQ-44A, the two initial CCA designs for the Air Force, are set to fly for the first time later this year.
Latest News

Air Force Chief Responds To Possibility Of Buying New ‘Block 80’ F-16s
The Air Force is still facing an aging fighter fleet and its top officer said loyal wingman drones won’t solve the problem alone.

Plans To Modify Qatari 747 Into Air Force One Now Being Drawn Up By USAF
The USAF is moving forward with coming up with requirements for turning the secondhand 747 into an aircraft able to securely carry the president.

Additional F-15E Strike Eagles Arrive In Diego Garcia
The multi-role fighters were sent to protect the island stronghold and its B-52 guests amid evolving threats.

Trump Tries To Spur Sputtering Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks With Flurry Of Calls
While there is a renewed optimism after the U.S. and Russian leaders spoke, Russian statements have not matched actions so far during Trump’s attempt at detente.

Russia Testing Shotgun-Armed Yak-52 Trainer Aircraft To Down Ukrainian Drones
WWI-style air combat tactics applied to the drone problem have been proven by Ukraine and are now being adopted in Russia, but using shotguns is questionable.

Far More Powerful B61-13 Guided Nuclear Bomb Variant Joins U.S. Stockpile
U.S. officials say adding the B61-13 bomb to America’s nuclear arsenal is key to holding certain underground and large area targets at risk.

F-15s Deploy To Protect Diego Garcia
The F-15s are providing protection for the island base, which is currently hosting B-52s, amid rapidly developing threats from Iran and its proxies.

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week
Concrete is the new drywall!

Ukraine Situation Report: Third F-16 Viper Lost
Unlike the two prior crashes, the Ukrainian F-16 pilot in this incident survived.

Long-Range ‘Deep Precision Strike’ Missile To Be Developed By UK And Germany
The weapon, which targets a 2,000km range, is spurred by the Russian threat and could emerge as a ballistic or cruise missile.

Our Best Look Yet At Ukraine’s AIM-9 Sidewinder-Toting Magura-7 Drone Boat
A newly released video offers new views of the Magura-7 and offers more details about its capabilities.

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….