The War Zone. Your daily source for military, defense, and geopolitics coverage.
Persian Gulf
Trump Agrees To Ceasefire With Iran
Trump is stepping back from his threat to end Iran as a civilization predicated on the Strait of Hormuz being quickly opened.
Latest News
New Views Of Massive RQ-180 Stealth Drone Flying Over Greece
The secretive drone continues to be spotted flying during the day, offering new insights into its features.
A-10 Warthog Being Tested With Aerial Refueling Probe (Updated)
Beyond a win for the A-10, putting refueling probes on USAF tactical jets could be a boon of the service’s Agile Combat Employment strategy.
Everything We Now Know About The Operation To Rescue The F-15E WSO (Updated)
We have gotten many new details about how the high-risk extraction effort deep in Iranian territory went down.
THAAD Kill Vehicle’s Infrared Seeker Appears To Have Been Found In Syria Intact
The recovery of much of a kill vehicle from a THAAD ballistic missile interceptor could be major intelligence loss.
RQ-180’s Likely Role Over Iran Foreshadowed By Secret Cold War Stealth Drone Program
Large sums of money were spent trying to build a spy drone just like the RQ-180 for a very specific mission decades beforehand.
How A Dusty Strip Deep In Iran Can Be Turned Into A U.S. Special Operations Base In Hours
An ex-USAF Special Tactics Squadron member tells how the impromptu airfield in Iran would have been rapidly established and defended.
Iran Rejects Ceasefire Deal (Updated)
As Trump’s deadline for making Iran into a “living hell” fast approaches, a chasm remains between the two foes on a way to even temporarily pause the war.
Night Stalker AH-6 Little Bird Helicopters Destroyed At Forward Landing Site In Iran
At least one burned-out AH/MH-6 Little Bird can be seen in photos of the austere airfield that served as a hub for the rescue of the F-15E WSO.
F-15E Weapon Systems Officer Shot Down Over Iran Has Been Rescued (Updated)
The airman was rescued by U.S. special operations forces reportedly after a fierce firefight that was the culmination of a massive high-risk search operation.
Carrier Tracker As Of April 3, 2026
Third American carrier strike group deployed this week in support of Operation Epic Fury
Amid Fears Houthis Could Close Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea Task Force Ready For Attacks
Concerns grow that the Iranian-backed rebels could close the waterway, drastically exacerbating the global oil crisis and opening a new front.
U.S. Is Burning Through Tomahawk Cruise Missile Stockpile At An Alarming Rate: Report
The four-week conflict with Iran has so far consumed more than a whopping 850 Tomahawk missiles, officials have stated.
More Latest News
F-15E Down In Iran, Rescue Operation Ongoing (Updated)
The F-15E went down under unknown circumstances and U.S. combat search and rescue assets have been seen deep in Iran.
Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week
Just two more weeks… Hopefully?
Iran Is Losing Its Grip On Iraqi Militias
A former tier one operator in Iraq offers candid insights into the spike in attacks against U.S. interests by Iranian-backed militias.
RC-135 Rivet Joint Surveillance Jet Caught ‘In The Nude’ In Texas
It’s not common to see America’s workhorse electronic intelligence collection jet stripped of its gray-and-white paint scheme.
Secretive 737 Radar Jet ‘RAT55’ Has Begun “The Next Phase Of Its Career”
Making a peculiar appearance supporting NASA’s Artemis II launch is just the beginning of what comes next for RAT55, the world’s most secretive 737.
Ian Ellis-Jones Has Touched Down At TWZ
A letter from the editor as TWZ’s team and mission expands.
F-35 Crashes In The Nevada Test And Training Range Complex (Updated)
The aircraft went down in the range complex north of Las Vegas earlier today, with the pilot safely ejecting.
Bunkers For U.S. Bases In Middle East Now A Top Priority For Pentagon
A rush to harden bases in the Middle East should finally be a much needed wake-up call to glaring gaps globally.
Former KC-135 Wing Commander On What It Will Take To Fuel A Fight Against China
Retired Air Force Col. Troy Pananon offers candid insights into the strain a fight with China would put on the tanker fleet.
Dozens Of A-10 Warthogs Appear Poised To Join Epic Fury
The deployment of additional Warthogs comes amid increasing signs a ground operation on Iranian soil could come soon.
A-10 Warthogs Are Doing Bizarrely Long Strafing Runs In Iraq
A-10s making nine-second-long gun runs is absolutely not normal.
Israeli F-16s Appear To Be Carrying Cluster Munitions
The cluster munitions likely have a very particular purpose aimed at neutering Iran’s ability to launch long-range ballistic missiles.
Images Show E-3 Sentry Totally Destroyed From Iranian Strike (Updated)
A loss of an E-3 is a major blow for the dwindling fleet of increasingly rickety airframes and points to other capability and defensive gaps.
Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week
Remember what sunlight felt like?
Hardened Underground Facilities Now Being Sought For Al Udeid Air Base
Iranian attacks highlight the glaring need for hardened infrastructure and shelters to protect troops and military assets.
Private F-5 Adversary Jets Taking The Fight To Navy Fighter Pilots
TWZ Special Access: We visited TacAir to learn about their heavily upgraded F-5AT fighters and how they replicate enemy aircraft to keep U.S. fighter aircrews sharp.
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….
