The War Zone. Your daily source for military, defense, and geopolitics coverage.
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Shell Game: Inside The Worldwide TNT Shortage
We talk to a major U.S. artillery shell maker about how ongoing conflicts have severely strained the global supply of critical explosive compounds.
Latest News
Turning Qatar’s Gifted 747 Into Air Force One Will Be Anything But Free
Trump rightly said only “a stupid person” would turn down the free Qatari jet, but transforming it into Air Force One for a few years of service doesn’t appear realistic.
Claims Swirls As India And Pakistan Assess Results Of Latest Conflict
Both sides are proclaiming the successes of their respective militaries as the dust settles on a brief but intense conflict.
Starlink-Equipped Navy C-130s Offer Communication Boost For Pacific Missile Tests
KC-130Ts with Starlink will get test data where it needs to go rapidly, a new example of the military’s growing use of commercial satellite constellations.
New Small Russian Cruise Missile Captured By Ukrainian Intelligence
Lightweight, low cost, and reportedly full of foreign components, Russia’s Banderol cruise missile has emerged on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Chinese-Made PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Components Came Down Intact Inside India
Pakistani use of PL-15Es against Indian fighters opens up a new vector for intelligence exploitation on one of China’s most threatening missiles.
USAF Wants Collaborative Aircraft Fleet To Stress Parts Commonality For Forward Operations
In order to make CCA work, a high degree of component commonality needs to exist even across drastically different airframes.
Two Secretive Loyal Wingman Drones Aimed At European Market In Development From Kratos
Apollo and Athena drones will focus on performance over range, and could be very valuable when paired with third and fourth generation fighters.
New Drone Boat Unveiled At Special Operations Conference In Afterglow Of Ukrainian Success
The Kraken3 Scout Medium is designed for one-way attacks, counter-drone missions and cargo and personnel delivery.
Army’s Future Tiltrotor Gets Heavier So It Can Rapidly Convert Into Special Ops Variant
Turning UH-60s into Night Stalker MH-60s is a complicated process, and the hope is to avoid that with the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft.
We Talk About The U.S. Army’s New Black Widow Short-Range Recon Drone With Red Cat
As the U.S. military works to catch-up to major unmanned warfare trends on the battlefield, companies like Red Cat are stepping in.
Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile-Armed AC-130J Gunships Could Be On The Horizon
Harpoons would give AC-130Js a dedicated tool for engaging enemy ships and fit well with plans to boost their capabilities with new radars.
B-52s Join B-2s On Diego Garcia,10 Bombers Now At Indian Ocean Island
This is the most bombers seen at Diego Garcia for many years, but it’s very likely that at least some of the B-2s will rotate back home soon.
Super Hornet Crashes Landing On USS Truman, Its Second F/A-18 Loss In A Week
USS Harry S. Truman has been striking the Houthis, with the other F/A-18 rolling off the deck during an attack on the ship by the rebels last week.
More Latest News
Can The OA-1K Skyraider II Actually Be Useful In A Pacific Fight?
The USAF thinks air-launched drones, standoff weapons, and its ability to fly from remote locations may give the OA-1K relevance in high-end combat.
Electronic Warfare Lessons From Ukraine Informing Air Force Special Operations Future
Observations from Ukraine about rapidly adapting platforms and systems to changing battlefield realities is also driving major change in AFSOC.
Air Force Looking For Cheap Air-To-Air Missile Half The Size Of AMRAAM
The Air Force is eyeing a pint-sized, extended-range, low-cost missile to arm Collaborative Combat Aircraft and crewed fighters.
Seaglider Aims To Deliver Small Groups Of Marines Low Over The Waves
Eyeing a future fight in the Pacific, the USMC is seeking craft that can swiftly and efficiently move small loads of troops and materiel to austere locales.
Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week
We are running out of light bulbs.
Is An ‘Interim’ Air Force One Replacement Even Feasible?
Reports state that Trump is looking to convert a Qatari royal flight 747 into a less exquisite Air Force One as Boeing’s delays on the VC-25Bs stack up.
Marine MV-22 Ospreys Won’t Get Tanker Capability To Refuel F-35Bs Anytime Soon
MV-22 tanker capability was a priority over a decade ago, but now, even as range has become more critical than ever, the program is going nowhere.
Our First Look At The YFQ-44A ‘Fighter Drone’ Collaborative Combat Aircraft
The Air Force has kicked off ground testing of Anduril’s YFQ-44A and General Atomics’ YFQ-42A ahead of expected first flights this year.
F-16s Pulled From U.S. Boneyard Are Being Delivered To Ukraine For Spare Parts
The U.S. had not committed to giving Ukraine its F-16s, but images of the type being flown out of Arizona on a Ukrainian An-124 began circulating last week.
PrSM Ballistic Missiles Loaded With Coyote Drones, Hatchet Mini Smart Bombs Eyed By Army
Army Precision Strike Missiles loaded with precision munitions or drones would offer new ways to wreak havoc deep inside enemy territory.
Making Sure Wingman Drones Don’t Hit Their Crewed Companions Still A Challenge Marines Say
The services continue to face many basic questions about how they will fly alongside their CCAs, let alone send them into combat.
Lumberjack Jet-Powered One-Way Attack Munition Can Drop Its Own Precision Bomblets (Updated)
Northrop Grumman’s Lumberjack can travel several hundred miles or loiter for hours, and strike multiple targets on a single sortie.
F-15EX To Replace Michigan Air National Guard A-10s
The surprise announcement made by President Trump prompts questions about a larger F-15EX buy and expanded basing plans.
Marines Get Their First High Power Microwave Weapon For Taking On Drone Swarms
Testing the ExDECS weapon will give the USMC a better idea of how high-power microwave technology can boost its short-range air defenses.
Liberty Lifter Ekranoplan Demonstrator Aims To Lift C-130-Sized Payloads
DARPA is eyeing a first flight for the Liberty Lifter X-plane in 2028-2029, which could lead to a much heavier-lifting production aircraft.
F-15 Eagles Win Big In Supersized Defense Spending Bill
Lawmakers want to accelerate F-15EX production and prevent F-15E Strike Eagle retirements as part of a massive $150B increase in defense spending.
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….
