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

Image of HMS Vengeance returning to HMNB Clyde, after completing Operational Sea Training. The trials were conducted in Scottish exercise areas. HMS Vengeance is the fourth and final Vanguard-class submarine of the Royal Navy. Vengeance carries the Trident ballistic missile, the UK's nuclear deterrent. NATO

UK And France To Join Forces For Nuclear Deterrence

The British and French say that they can launch a joint nuclear response to a range of “extreme threats,” as fears that U.S. interest in Europe is waning.

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M240 Medium Machine Gun Successor Now Being Sought By U.S. Army
U.S. Army

M240 Medium Machine Gun Successor Now Being Sought By U.S. Army

A replacement for the M240 under the Future Medium Machine Gun program could offer infantry and other units greater range and terminal ballistics.

An annual U.S. Navy wishlist sent to Congress reportedly includes $1.4 billion that would help keep its dreams of a next-generation carrier-based combat jet alive.
U.S. Air Force

Navy Puts Gutted F/A-XX Next Generation Fighter Program In Wishlist To Congress: Reports

The Navy’s move comes despite Pentagon insistence that the U.S. industrial base cannot do F/A-XX and the Air Force’s F-47 at the same time.

The U.S. Air Force is moving ahead to add new external pylons onto its B-1B Lancer bombers after years of experimentation.
ARRW

B-1B To Finally Get New External Pylons Drastically Expanding Missile Carriage Potential (Updated)

The Air Force sees external pylons as key to increasing the B-1’s ability to launch standoff strikes ahead of the arrival of the B-21 Raider.

The Los Angeles class fast attack submarine USS Newport News made a historic visit to Iceland, marking the first time a nuclear-powered submarine made a visit to the island nation.
U.S. Navy

U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Has Docked In Iceland For The First Time Ever

USS Newport News’ visit to Reykjavík is yet another sign of the Cold War-like strategic shift for the island nation.

Drone strikes across Ukraine in largest Russian barrage ever.
Russia

Largest Russian Long-Range Drone Onslaught Of The War Rains Down On Ukraine

Ukraine Situation Report: The unprecedented Russian attack came just hours after Trump announced arms shipments to Ukraine would resume.

The Pentagon is brushing off concerns that it is running low on Patriot interceptors.
Ukraine

Patriot Missile Stockpile Concerns Grow, Pentagon Claims It Has Enough

After years of intercepting Russian weapons in Ukraine and recently engaging Iranian missiles, the Pentagon’s supply of Patriots is a hot-button issue.

While the J-20S was officially unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow last year, there are rumors that it might be publicly unveiled as an operational PLAAF asset in September of this year, when the PLAAF marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II.
China

China’s Two-Seat J-20 Stealth Fighter Poised To Enter Operational Service

A new electro-optical sensor system, paint scheme, and other refinements suggest the two-seat J-20S is in operational service, or very close to it.

PLAN red sea laser incident.
Germany

German Surveillance Plane Targeted By Chinese Warship’s Laser In Red Sea Points To Disturbing Pattern

The incident is the latest in which a Chinese naval vessel has been accused of firing a laser at a Western military aircraft.

Boom On KC-46 Tanker Just Broke Off During F-22 Refueling Mission (Updated)
KC-46

Boom On KC-46 Tanker Just Broke Off During F-22 Refueling Mission (Updated)

The KC-46 Pegasus was operating off Virginia when it lost its boom and declared an emergency.

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There are several ways Russia could complicate U.S. efforts to defend Taiwan should China invade

How Russia Could Complicate U.S. Efforts To Defend Taiwan

The head of NATO says that China would have Russia attack in Europe to draw U.S. and allied forces away from the Pacific during a Taiwan invasion.

A US Air Force F-15C Eagle, assigned to the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing, prepares to refuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker, assigned to the Air Force Reserve's 452nd Air Mobility Wing during the 2023 March ARB Airshow Media Day on 04/21/2023. The F-15 has a special paint job commemorating 10,000 flight hours with the 144th Fighter Wing. (US Army Reserve Photo by Staff Sgt. Steven Lewis)

Bunker Talk: 4th Of July Weekend Edition (Part 2)

The most Eagley of Eagles.

Bunker Talk: 4th Of July Weekend Edition (Part 1)

Bunker Talk: 4th Of July Weekend Edition (Part 1)

Don’t light that inside!

The U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor stealth fighters are set to get an array of new "viability" upgrades to help protect them from emerging threats and otherwise ensure their continued relevance in future conflicts.

New F-22 Upgrade Package To Keep The Jets Viable Laid Out

The Air Force’s latest budget request has new details about the cocktail of enhancements that aim to keep the F-22 relevant.

A-10 firing rockets

A-10 Warthog Already Has The Capability To Use Laser-Guided Rockets To Shoot-Down Drones

The A-10 could be a uniquely capable drone hunter and they already have the ability to use APKWS rockets to do it, but its career is set to end before it gets the chance.

New pictures have emerged showing work being done on the Japan Self-Defense Forces' prototype electromagnetic railgun currently installed on the test warship JS Asuka.

Railgun Installed On Japanese Warship Seen In New Photos

The turreted prototype installed on a testbed surface combatant is the latest step forward in Japan’s work on railguns, something the U.S. Navy shelved years ago.

Both sides have deployed elite units to fight in Sumy, where Ukraine says it has repelled a massive Russian offensive.

Fight On Ukraine’s Northern Border Sees Elite Troops Poured In From Both Sides

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia has amassed 50,000 troops including some of its best units to try and advance into northern Ukraine.

Plans To Finally Give F-35 External Fuel Tanks Emerge In New Air Force Budget (Updated)

Plans To Finally Give F-35 External Fuel Tanks Emerge In New Air Force Budget (Updated)

External fuel tanks for the F-35 have never materialized after past development efforts, but now they are back on program’s to do list.

An intriguing photo has emerged of an M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) captured by Russia and fitted with a Russian-made 30mm cannon in place of the vehicle’s original Bushmaster M242 25mm automatic cannon. Whether the installation is intended for operational use, or for trials, or for some other purpose, is unclear, but it is the latest in a long line of unorthodox modifications to armored vehicles that have appeared since the start of the war in Ukraine.

M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Appears In Russia With Locally Made 30mm Cannon

The captured infantry fighting vehicle has had its Bushmaster chain gun swapped out for a Russian-made weapon.

U.S. Air Force members of Goodfellow Air Force Base wait in the second floor of the launch control center for their turn to see the silo inside the underground portion of the Lawn Atlas Missile Base in Lawn, Texas, Dec 3, 2020. In 2008, LAMB was a recorded Texas Historic Landmark. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Abbey Rieves)

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

Hot Pockets and Crystal Light for all!

For the first time, at least publicly, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are seeking funds – nearly $670.5 million in total – to support procurement of AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missiles (JATM) for operational use in its latest annual budget request.

AIM-260 Air-To-Air Missile Funding To Start Production Sought In New Budget

The AIM-260A is being developed as a far longer-ranged replacement for the workhorse AIM-120 air-to-air missile.

The Pentagon’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget fully commits to the U.S. Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter, while effectively shelving the U.S. Navy's plans for a next-generation carrier-based F/A-XX combat jet.

Pentagon “All In” On Air Force’s F-47, Puts Navy’s F/A-XX On Ice

The new DoD budget prioritizes F-47, slashing F/A-XX and planned purchases of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

F-15EX will have 129 aircraft in its fleet under trump.

F-15EX Planned Fleet Size Grows To 129 Jets

The F-15EX has gotten a substantial boost from the Trump administration’s Pentagon budget request, going from a 98 to 129 aircraft fleet.

The Pentagon has shared extensive new information about the use of 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs in recent strikes on Iran, a mission it says was 15 years in the making.

Everything We Just Learned About The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator Strikes On Iran

The strikes on Fordow were 15 years in the making, with that target being the primary driver behind the MOP’s development and evolution.

There are conflicting reports about the extent of the damage at Iran's nuclear facilities in the wake of U.S. and Israeli. attacks.

Claims Swirl Over Extent Of Damage From Attacks On Iranian Nuclear Facilities (Updated)

The result of 12 days of war and a U.S. bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear program remain hotly contested, spurred by conflicting intel reports.

B-2 hawaii diverted during decoy operation

B-2 Used As Decoy For Iran Strike Mission Is Stuck In Hawaii

One of the B-2s that captured the public’s attention as the real strike force made its way to Iran had to divert with an emergency into Honolulu.

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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….

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