The War Zone. Your daily source for military, defense, and geopolitics coverage.
U.S. Air Force
We Finally See The Mysterious Object Shot Down By F-16s Over Lake Huron
This is one of a trio of objects fighters shot down over the U.S. and Canada in a three-day period following the Chinese spy balloon flap.
Latest News
A-10 Warthog’s New Aerial Refueling Probe Is Now Operational In The Middle East
In just six weeks, the probe went from its first flight to being deployed to a place where fighting could erupt again at any moment.
Inside SOCOM’s Search For New Machine Guns, Rifles And Ammo
Lt. Col. Alan Wood, SOCOM’s Program Manager for Lethality, offers some exclusive insights into the future of SOCOM small arms.
Night Stalker MH-47 Chinooks May Get Aerial Refueling Tanker Role
Special ops MH-47 Chinooks that could refuel other aircraft midair would give the Night Stalkers their own organic tanker capability.
The White House Ballroom Is A Deep Fortress In Disguise (Updated)
We now know the building goes six floors underground and will have “the greatest drone empire you’ve ever seen that’s going to protect Washington” on its roof.
U.S. Military’s Shahed-136 Kamikaze Drone Clone Is Getting Hivemind Swarming Capability
Shield AI is providing the software to unlock the combat-proven LUCAS’s cooperative swarming potential, which could drastically increase its lethality.
New Engines Key To Night Stalker MH-60M Black Hawk Upgrade Plans
The Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program has promised a major boost in performance for Black Hawk helicopters, but its future is murky.
Navy SEALs In Mini-Submarines Teamed With Underwater Drones In The Works
Pairing uncrewed underwater vehicles and SEALs in submersibles opens the door to new operational possibilities, but there are challenges.
Hunt For C-146 Wolfhound Special Ops Transport Plane Replacement Underway
On any given day, C-146s are criss-crossing the globe to far-flung locales, but they are increasingly difficult to sustain.
AC-130J Gunship With Mini Cruise Missiles Paired With AESA Radar To Undergo Tests
The plan is to demonstrate a fully integrated, longer-range strike capability that could keep the AC-130 relevant in high-end conflicts.
Germany Unveils Latest Tranche 4 Eurofighter
With an advanced radar and other upgrades, the Tranche 4 Eurofighter is increasingly central to Berlin’s airpower plans.
Russia’s New Two-Seat Su-57 Felon Takes Its First Flight
Official imagery confirms that the two-seat Su-57D version of the Russian fighter has begun flight testing.
BlitzBox Packs 100 Weaponized Drones Into An Unassuming Container
DZYNE’s BlitzBox is the kind of containerized drone launcher the U.S. military is now very actively pursuing.
These American Destroyers Are Equipped With Laser Weapons
The U.S. Navy has placed directed energy systems on nine surface combatants and is looking to expand testing and deployment of similar systems across the fleet.
Sweden Chooses Unusual French Design For Its New Frigates
The security situation in Europe led Sweden to choose the in-production FDI design, but it will be packed with Swedish weapon systems.
Where Are The Carriers As Of May 17, 2026: Ford Is Finally Home
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived home in Norfolk after a grueling, record-setting 326-day deployment.
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B-1B’s Future Armament According To Its Test Pilot
The Bone is getting set to spend the last decade of its career with a whole set of new arrows in its quiver.
Plan To Test OA-1K Skyraider II’s Rapid Deployability Outlined By Air Force Special Ops Command
The Air Force also plans to add laser-guided rockets to the OA-1K’s armament as it works toward operational capability amid relevance concerns.
Trump Claims He Called Off Imminent Iran Bombing Campaign At Behest Of Allies (Updated)
The president says the strikes were set for tomorrow, but it’s one of many times Trump made grand threats then supposedly pulled back at the last moment.
Two-Seat Variant Of Russia’s Su-57 Felon Fighter Materializes
The apparent emergence of a two-seat Su-57 points to unmanned teaming and may also indicate a revived export drive.
Ukraine’s Homegrown Glide Bomb Breaks Cover
Ukraine is in urgent need of additional air-launched standoff munitions, especially ones free of foreign supply chains and use restrictions.
Navy EA-18G Growlers Collide At Idaho Air Show (Updated)
All four crew members ejected as the aircraft became entangled and plummeted to the ground.
Mysterious Chinese SUV With Massive Roof Featured In Trump Motorcade In Beijing
The bizarre-looking high-top SUVs were among several notable vehicles spotted in President Trump’s motorcade during his recent trip to China.
Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week
The water tastes metallic.
Argentina Retires Its A-4 Fightinghawks
After six decades of service, the A-4’s first export operator has finally stood down its Skyhawks as it introduces its first F-16s.
Secretive AIM-260 Air-To-Air Missile Finally Breaks Cover
The AIM-260 has been in development for years as a much-needed longer-range successor to the venerable AIM-120 AMRAAM.
CENTCOM Commander Dismisses Reports That Iran Retains Most Of Its Missile And Drone Arsenal (Updated)
Admiral Brad Cooper said that “the numbers that I’ve seen in open source are not accurate” as reports mount that most of Iran’s arsenal is intact.
Israel’s F-35s Are Getting External Fuel Tanks
Fresh off extensive combat operations against Iran, Israel is boosting the F-35I Adir’s endurance with external fuel tanks that will also reduce dependence on tanker aircraft.
UAE Building Massive ‘Cope Cages’ To Protect Energy Facilities From Iranian Drone Attacks
The move comes after the UAE has been hit by thousands of Iranian missiles and drones that have heavily damaged parts of its oil and gas infrastructure.
Pentagon’s Mindset On E-7 Radar Aircraft It Tried To Axe Has Completely Changed: Hegseth
E-7s to replace the Air Force’s dwindling and aging fleet of E-3s are even more sorely needed now after one of the latter was lost to an Iranian attack.
Drone-Hunting M28 Skytruck In The Works For Poland
With the Ukrainian An-28 reportedly highly effective in the role, Poland is converting its similar M28 for the counter-drone mission.
IRGC Navy Claims Vast Expansion In Its Definition Of Strait Of Hormuz (Updated)
It remains unclear how the IRGC will enforce its tenfold increase in what it considers the Strait.
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….
