Russia's Kursk counteroffensive is fully underway. News & Features

Russia’s Kursk Counteroffensive Fully Underway

After more than a month, Russia has finally launched a major effort to kick Ukraine out of the Kursk region.

By Howard Altman

Posted on Sep 13, 2024 8:56 PM EDT

Latest Articles

August 10, 2018. Long corridors form a labyrinth that leads to the different rooms of the anti-atomic shelter in Avdeevka, Ukraine. Photo by Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images.

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

What's on your mind?

By Tyler Rogoway
Sep 13 9:30 PM EDT
Russia putting tires on top of bombers and other aircraft was about confusing seekers with image-matching capability on incoming munitions, a senior U.S. military technologist has confirmed.

Russia Covering Aircraft With Tires Is About Confusing Image-Matching Missile Seekers U.S. Military Confirms

Russia's efforts to befuddle cruise missiles and drones with imaging-matching seeker capabilities speaks to issues that go beyond the war in Ukraine.

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 13 7:50 PM EDT
MQ-9 showcases capabilities to Joint Force during first-time Valiant Shield participation.

MQ-9 Reapers Gathered In Florida, Simulated Fighting Over South China Sea

The recent Reaper Smoke competition included a scenario based on a simulated mission over Mischief Reef, a key flashpoint in the highly strategic region.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 13 5:20 PM EDT
What appears to be one of the first looks at members of the German armed forces with new 5.56x45mm Heckler & Koch HK416 A8 rifles, also known as G95A1s, has come from an unexpected source: the U.S. Army. With help from the U.S. Army, the Germans have been stress-testing the guns in very hot and humid conditions at a facility in Panama and in the Arizona desert.

Germany’s New HK416 Service Rifles Appear At Panama Test Site

Germany's evaluation of new G95-series rifles in Panama and Arizona follows reports it scaled back or even skipped key testing initially.

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 13 2:19 PM EDT
Israel raid

Israeli Commando Raid In Syria Sends A Message To Iran That Its Underground Bases Are Not Untouchable

The raid targeted a deep underground Iranian weapons facility and included grabbing large amounts of intelligence before blowing it up using planted charges.

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick
Sep 12 9:28 PM EDT
Russia is now using thermite-spewing dragon drones in Ukraine.

Russia Now Using Thermite-Spewing ‘Dragon Drones’ To Torch Ukrainian Positions

A week after video first emerged of Ukraine's thermite-spewing drones Russia is now using a similar incendiary weapon.

By Howard Altman
Sep 12 3:02 PM EDT
BAE Systems has launched its new uncrewed ground vehicle, or UGV, the Autonomous Tactical Light Armor System (ATLAS) Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV), a roughly 11-ton 8x8 vehicle that’s being pitched as a “combat wingman” with the potential for a high degree of autonomy. The powerfully armed vehicle is the latest addition to a growing number of UGVs that are designed to provide more flexibility to ground forces’ commanders, primarily by reducing the risks that personnel are exposed to on the battlefield.

ATLAS Uncrewed “Combat Wingman” Fighting Vehicle Unveiled

Notably heavily armed, the 8×8 wheeled ATLAS CCV is the BAE Systems entrant in the fast-expanding uncrewed ground vehicle, or UGV, category.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 12 2:23 PM EDT
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has published a video showing the purported destruction of a Russian Su-30SM Flanker multirole fighter, which it claims was brought down by a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile over the Black Sea.

Russian Su-30SM Flanker Crashes In Black Sea, Ukraine Says They Shot It Down With MANPADS

Ukrainian claims its special forces brought down the Russian multirole fighter using a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 12 1:27 PM EDT
The U.S. Marine Corps legacy F/A-18C/D Hornets are getting a major boost in stand-off strike capability in the form of AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) cruise missiles

Marine Legacy F/A-18 Hornets Getting Major Firepower Boost With JASSM Cruise Missiles

JASSMs will let Marine Hornets hit targets further away than ever before, helping to ensure their relevance in the twilight of their careers.

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 12 1:06 PM EDT

Latest Videos
Captain of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower tells us what really went on during the ship's Red Sea combat cruise.

Carrier Captain In Combat: Our Video Interview With Christopher “Chowdah” Hill

By Tyler Rogoway
Sep 10 5:08 PM EDT
AC-130

The Future Of The AC-130 Gunship: Evolve Or Die

By Tyler Rogoway
Aug 31 7:05 PM EDT
Ukraine's F-16s arrived with self protection pods

F-16s Delivered To Ukraine With Advanced Countermeasure Pods For Self-Protection

By Tyler Rogoway
Aug 8 6:57 PM EDT

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Air, Space & Cyber ’24

Defense contractor Anduril has unveiled Barracuda, a new family of what it is calling "expandable autonomous air vehicles" that are scalable, highly modular, and already being flight-tested. The company is heavily focused now on "M" versions configured as relatively low-cost air-breathing precision munitions that could be launched from helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as maritime and ground platforms.
Air, Space & Cyber '24

Anduril Introduces Barracuda-M That Aims To Disrupt The Cruise Missile Market

Anduril’s Barracuda missiles are intended to be modular, relatively cheap, easy to make and capable of performing missions beyond strikes.

By Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Sep 12, 2024 12:08 AM EDT

The Piasecki Aircraft Corporation's Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System Demonstration Vehicle (ARES-DV), a vertical takeoff and landing capable tilt-rotor drone designed to carry interchangeable payload modules, has left the ground for the first time.

Tilt-Ducted Fan ARES Drone Designed To Carry Modular Payloads Has Finally Lifted Off

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 10 9:00 AM EDT
Adversary air company Top Aces' F-16 Vips, the only ones currently in the hands of a private operator, are now flying with podded infrared search and track (IRST) systems.

World’s Only Privately Owned F-16 Aggressors Get Infrared Search And Track Pods

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 5 12:25 PM EDT
The U.S. Space Force second-in-command has provided updates on plans for the service’s introduction of space-based ground moving-target indicator and air moving-target indicator (GMTI/AMTI) capabilities.

U.S. To Track Moving Air And Ground Targets Via Space By 2030, But Aircraft Will Still Play A Part

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 4 8:24 PM EDT
The U.S. Air Force is re-examining the very core of its requirements for a new sixth-generation stealth combat jet as part of its ongoing review of that element of the larger Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative.

Air Force “Starting At The Beginning” With NGAD 6th Gen Fighter Requirements Review

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 4 3:52 PM EDT
View All in ASC ’24

Air

Storm Shadow
Air

Increasing Indications Storm Shadow Missiles Will Be Cleared For Use Inside Russia

Storm Shadow would wreak havoc on forces and critical logistics nodes in Russia, but the U.K. and the U.S. have been weighing the risks of escalation.

By Howard Altman

Updated on Sep 11, 2024 9:53 PM EDT

China has offered a new and closer look at the catapults on its newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian. We also now have what appears to be the first look inside the retractable enclosed control station built into the flight deck that catapult officers on the ship will use to launch planes.

New Chinese Aircraft Carrier’s Catapult Control ‘Bubble’ Looks Very Familiar

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 11 4:17 PM EDT
A series of photos have emerged showing a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet with a remarkable and hitherto unseen air-to-air load-out, including four of the very long-range AIM-174B air-to-air missiles.

F/A-18 Super Hornet Appears With Unprecedented Heavy Air-To-Air Missile Load

By Thomas Newdick, Tyler Rogoway
Sep 11 2:43 PM EDT
It’s the turn of the Royal Australian Navy to provide us with a spectacular view of airborne infrared countermeasures in action, with a recent video showing a demonstration by one of its MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission maritime helicopters. In the past, TWZ has taken examined some remarkable air-launched countermeasures action, including extreme close-ups, mass drops, airshow routines, and flare ‘dumps’ from heavyweight transports. This may be the first time we’ve seen a helicopter perform this kind of pyrotechnical feat so close to a warship.

Australian MH-60R Helicopter Executes Stunning Flare Dump Off Stern Of Destroyer

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 10 7:37 PM EDT
Ukraine has unleashed the heaviest drone attack so far against Moscow. The overnight raid on the Russian capital killed at least one person and caused widespread damage and disruption. The long-range strikes come as Ukrainian officials are increasingly frustrated by Western restrictions on using weapons that they have supplied to hit targets deep within Russia.

Moscow Hit By Unprecedented Ukrainian Drone Barrage

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 10 1:48 PM EDT
View All in Air

Sea

Navy Capt. Chris "Chowdah" Hill, commander of the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, opens up about the carrier group's recent dangerous and grueling deployment to the Middle East.
Sea

Carrier Captain In Combat: What Went On During 7 Months Under Fire Around The Red Sea

We go in-depth with Capt. Chris “Chowdah” Hill about the Eisenhower’s grueling and dangerous deployment that faced a bevy of new tactical realities.

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway

Posted on Sep 6, 2024 8:52 PM EDT

Chiefs aboard the USS Manchester created a huge security risk by setting up a private WifI network.

The Story Of Sailors Secretly Installing Starlink On Their Littoral Combat Ship Is Truly Bonkers

By Howard Altman, Joseph Trevithick
Sep 5 9:13 PM EDT
India has reportedly introduced to service its second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, or SSBN, INS Arighat, marking a significant development in the country’s burgeoning strategic nuclear capability. The new submarine, armed with indigenously developed ballistic missiles, is understood to incorporate improvements over its predecessor, although India’s SSBN fleet, and its nuclear forces in general, continue to be hugely outstripped by those of China, its main strategic rival.

India’s Improved Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine Enters Service

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 29 6:23 PM EDT
The U.S. Coast Guard's heavy icebreaker USCGC Polar Star has returned to its home port of Seattle, Washington, after a major service life-extending overhaul – and not a moment too soon.

U.S. Coast Guard Has A Working Heavy Icebreaker Again

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 29 12:20 PM EDT
A new photo has emerged of China’s mysterious stealthy Chinese corvette or light frigate, an intriguing design, with apparent low-observable features, which you can read more about here. In fact, the latest photo raises more questions than it answers, in particular the presumed HQ-10 surface-to-air missile launcher at the rear of the vessel apparently being something else entirely.

Our Best Look At China’s Stealthy Experimental Corvette

By Thomas Newdick
Aug 28 6:49 PM EDT
View All in Sea
The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committe says he was told by Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the U.S. will give Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS in Russia.
Land

Ukraine Using ATACMS Missiles To Strike Inside Russia Now On The Table

By Howard Altman
Sep 10 5:39 PM EDT

Focus Grows On Longer-Range Artillery Shells After Army Axes Next-Gen Howitzer

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 9 1:44 PM EDT

Iranian Ballistic Missiles Have Arrived In Russia: Reports

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 7 5:54 PM EDT
View all in Land
The U.S. Navy says it is on the verge of having persistent, reliable, and secure high-speed internet connections across its fleets thanks to a project leveraging commercial satellite constellations like SpaceX's Starlink.
Space

Starlink Now Being Deployed On U.S. Navy Warships

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 22 12:53 PM EDT

“People’s Satellite” Helped Ukraine Hit Over 1,000 Targets Spy Agency Says

By Howard Altman
Jun 26 8:18 PM EDT

Showdown Brewing Over Ballistic Missile Interceptor Site On East Coast

By Howard Altman
Jun 11 7:16 PM EDT
View all in Space
Nulcear Warhead inventory released by NNSA
Nuclear

Just How Many Nuclear Weapons Does The U.S. Actually Have?

By Tyler Rogoway
Jul 30 5:41 PM EDT

Next Generation Air Dominance Fighter Uncertainty Tied To Sentinel ICBM Woes

By Joseph Trevithick
Jul 23 8:32 PM EDT

Current American Nuclear Warhead Inventory Numbers Revealed

By Thomas Newdick
Jul 22 4:40 PM EDT
View all in Nuclear
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded contracts to two companies for work on SHARK 'buddy store' podded aerial refueling systems able to work with aircraft that use the boom method to get gas in flight.
Unmanned

Aerial Refueling Boom Pods That Could Go On F-15s In The Works

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 3 1:19 PM EDT

Everything We Just Learned About The Model 437 Vanguard Technology Demonstrator Jet

By Tyler Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick
Aug 30 5:18 PM EDT

Stealthy High-Tech Model 437 Vanguard Jet Has Flown For The First Time (Updated)

By Joseph Trevithick
Aug 29 4:19 PM EDT
View all in Unmanned

More Latest News

A Russian military correspondent narrowlly avoided being killed by a drone hunting him down in a house.

This Ukrainian Drone Hunting A Russian Inside A Building Has Big Horror Movie Vibes

A nerve-racking video offers a visceral depiction of what it is like hiding in fear of a drone trying to kill you.

By Howard Altman
Sep 11 6:11 PM EDT
We have just gotten our clearest view so far of a Chinese J-20 stealth fighter powered by the definitive WS-15 domestically produced engines. While the appearance of the photo at this point raises a number of questions, it’s meanwhile clear that the significant shortcoming of the J-20 — its powerplant — appears to have now been addressed.

Our Best Look Yet At China’s J-20A Fighter With WS-15 Engines 

The domestically developed turbofans are expected to confer ‘supercruise’ performance on the stealthy Chinese fighter.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 9 6:52 PM EDT
JAS39C Gripen Ukraine

Sweden’s JAS-39 Gripen Fighters Still On The Table For Ukraine

There are no immediate plans to transfer the jets to Ukraine but a new aid package gives Sweden that option.

By Howard Altman
Sep 9 3:50 PM EDT
Iranian-made Shahed-136 'Kamikaze' drone flies over the sky of Kermanshah, Iran on March 7, 2024. Iran fired over 100 drones and ballistic missiles on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in retaliation to an attack on a building attached to the country's consular annex in Damascus that killed the guards, and two generals of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on April 01, 2024. Iran has blamed Israel for the attack on April 5, 2024 in Tehran.

Russian Shahed Kamikaze Drone Crashes In Latvia

Russian drones came down in two NATO countries, while mysterious drone incursions continue to fuel fears of espionage.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 9 1:38 PM EDT
The Control Room at the York Bunker which was used at the height of the Cold War following its construction in 1961. (Photo by John Giles - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)

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

Sharing is caring.

By Tyler Rogoway
Sep 6 9:30 PM EDT
A Boeing 737 carrying Senator J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump's running mate for Vice President, and others, inadvertently intruded briefly into some of the most restricted airspace on the planet earlier this week as it left Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport.

J.D. Vance’s Campaign Jet Inadvertently Buzzed The Washington Monument

Washington, D.C.'s skies are some of the most heavily restricted in the world and the airspace near the White House is totally off-limits.

By Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman
Sep 6 7:32 PM EDT
F-16 belonging to VFC-13, flying over Carson Valley, NV.

Navy Tried To Buy Greek F-16s To Turn Them Into Adversaries

The Navy nearly got a batch of Greek F-16s as 'red air' aggressors, before U.S. Air Force jets became available.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 6 3:19 PM EDT
A video has emerged showing a Ukrainian Su-24M Fencer swing-wing combat jet carrying what is said to be new air-launched guided munition.

Mystery Munition Appears Under Ukrainian Su-24 Fencer Attack Jet’s Wing

Ukraine is in great need of more air-launched stand-off munitions and ones that can be used without foreign restrictions.

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 6 2:02 PM EDT
Satellite imagery and videos offer new evidence of a surge in the development of the stealthy flying-wing uncrewed combat air vehicles in China, especially with regard to the GJ-11 Sharp Sword.

Chinese Flying Wing UCAV Testing Accelerating Based On Satellite Imagery, Videos

China's expanding work on flying-wing uncrewed combat air vehicles comes as similar designs have disappeared in the U.S., at least publicly.

By Joseph Trevithick
Sep 5 6:58 PM EDT
Dutch Decide To Bring Back Main Battle Tanks

Dutch Decide To Bring Back Main Battle Tanks

After more than a decade, the Netherlands has announced plans to reinstate a permanent tank battalion, as it continues to rebuild its armed forces.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 5 1:12 PM EDT
The use of thermite-dispersing drones by Ukraine has proliferated.

Thermite-Spewing ‘Dragon’ Drones Are Ukraine’s Newest Battlefield Innovation

Multiple videos have emerged showing Ukrainian drones pouring streams of the incendiary thermite over Russian positions over the last three days.

By Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway
Sep 4 5:34 PM EDT
Kursk incursion a bargainin chip says Zelensky

Kursk Invasion A Bargaining Chip Zelensky Says

Ukraine has no immediate plans to leave Russia's Kursk Oblast where it holds hundreds of square miles of territory.

By Howard Altman
Sep 3 10:46 PM EDT
Above All Else JASSM Would Give Ukraine A Steady Supply Of Cruise Missiles

Above All Else JASSM Would Give Ukraine A Steady Supply Of Cruise Missiles

JASSM can penetrate Russian air defenses unlike anything Ukraine has now, but the numbers that could be provided is its biggest advantage.

By Tyler Rogoway
Sep 3 7:09 PM EDT
Ukraine has developed a balloon-carried electronic warfare system designed to detect enemy drone operators, which can then be targeted, offering a more comprehensive solution than tackling individual drones. While the status of the system, known as Aero Azimuth, is unclear, its unveiling points to a resurgence in interest in elevated sensors, especially mounted of aerostats.

Balloon-Based Sensor That Pinpoints Location Of Drone Operators Emerges In Ukraine

The Aero Azimuth is designed to detect and assist in engaging the drone controller, rather than the drone itself.

By Thomas Newdick
Sep 3 5:45 PM EDT
Ukraine is advancing slowly eastward to a key town in Russia's Kursk Oblast

Ukraine Pushing Slowly West In Russia Towards Key Kursk City

The town of Glushkovo is the last bastion for an estimated 3,000 Russian troops trapped south of the Seim River in Kursk.

By Howard Altman
Aug 31 7:05 PM EDT
Families walk down the driveway while touring a model site home with a concrete basement fallout shelter, Texas, 1961. Photo by Shel Hershorn/Getty Images.

Bunker Talk: Labor Day Weekend Edition

What's on your mind?

By Tyler Rogoway
Aug 30 9:30 PM EDT

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Alternatively known as the Y-9LG, the Y-8GX-12 is another ECM version based on the Y-8 Category III Platform. It was first identified in satellite imagery in late 2017. Surprisingly, considering its assumed role, the Y-8GX-12 has a ‘balance beam’ radar antenna above its fuselage, as found on the KJ-200 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. It is believed, however, that the radar aboard the Y-8GX-12 is instead used for long-range jamming, using its powerful electronically scanned radar beams to suppress enemy radar signals.

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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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