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

Air

Russian Forces Appear To Be Pulling Out Of Prized Syrian Air Base

Satellite imagery and drone footage show the packing up of the base’s S-400 air defense system and major airlifter activity.

Latest Articles

A recently released video from the cockpit of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 Flanker provides an unprecedented close-quarters view of the fighter lobbing GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) toward a Russian target.

Cockpit Video Of Ukrainian Su-27 Lobbing GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs

The Flanker popped up from low altitude to launch a salvo of the U.S.-supplied precision-guided glide munitions against a Russian target.

Yachts are increasingly getting counter-drone systems

Counter-Drone Systems For Yachts Are Growing In Popularity

The growing threat of surveillance and even attacks by drones are pushing the richest among us to equip their yachts with counter-drone tech.

A U.S. C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft takes off from Ramstein Air Base. A conference on the Ukraine war was held at the U.S. air base.

U.S. Air Force Confirms Drone Sightings Over Ramstein Air Base In Germany

As well as over the major U.S. military air base and logistics hub, drones have been reported around critical infrastructure in Germany.

The U.S. Army has finally test-fired its Dark Eagle hypersonic missile from its trailer-based launcher after attempting to do so for some two years.

Army’s Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile Finally Blasts Out Of Its Launcher

Unspecified problems with the Dark Eagle launcher have already set back plans for the weapon system by years.

Federal, state, and local authorities have not been able to corroborate any claimed visual sightings of mysterious drones in the skies over New Jersey, according to a top White House spokesperson.

None Of The New Jersey Visual Drone Sightings Have Been Corroborated: White House

The use of "very sophisticated electronic detection technologies" has confirmed none of the visual sightings, and regular aircraft are being mistaken for drones.

A Standard-Missile 6 is fired from a Mk 70 mobile missile launcher in 2023.

Littoral Combat Ships To Sail With Mk70 Vertical Launchers Strapped To Their Decks

The LCS is notorious for lacking firepower and the modular launcher could help with correcting that, but there are tradeoffs in doing so.

Apparent drones spotted in the skies over New Jersey, some as big as six feet across, look to be operating in a coordinated manner not consistent with hobbyists, according to state and local officials.

Drones Over New Jersey Show Signs Of Coordination, Elude Helicopters: State Officials

New statements about what is happening in New Jersey's skies comes amid frustration over muddled messaging and erroneous claims.

Northrop Grumman’s Mission Solutions Aim To Keep Fourth-Generation Aircraft Lethal And Survivable

Northrop Grumman’s Mission Solutions Aim To Keep Fourth-Generation Aircraft Lethal And Survivable

Branded Content: Advanced radar, electronic warfare, and passive targeting upgrades keep fourth-generation aircraft relevant for decades to come.

We have gotten our best look at a Ukrainian 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) mobile short-range air defense system (SHORADS) armed with the Soviet-era R-73 (AA-11 Archer) infrared-guided air-to-air missile. While other such systems have typically integrated Western missile armament on existing Ukrainian ground-based air defense systems — known as ‘FrankenSAMs’ — this one is notable for combining a Soviet-era SHORADS vehicle with Soviet-era missiles.

Ukraine’s SA-8 Gecko ‘FrankenSAM’ Adapted To Fire Air-To-Air Missiles Seen In New Detail

All Ukrainian units operating Soviet-era Osa air defense systems have reportedly received upgraded versions armed with R-73 air-to-air missiles.

More Latest News

Mohamed Bashir, who heads HTS's so-called "Salvation Government", holds a press conference in the rebel-held northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on November 28, 2024. The Syrian rebels now in power in Damascus have appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as head of a transitional government that will be in place until March 1, state media said on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

New Syrian Prime Minister Assumes Power Amid Airstrikes, Continued Fighting

In the wake of Assad's demise, the first steps of forming a new government are being taken, but the violence throughout the country appears far from over.

Pictures and videos have now emerged of the aftermath of Israeli strikes on the Syrian port of Latakia overnight, which destroyed at least six Soviet-era Osa II class missile boats.

Israel Lays Waste To Syria’s Missile Boats (Updated)

Israel targeted Syrian Navy vessels as part of hundreds of strikes aimed at preventing former Assad regime assets falling into rebel hands.

Israel strikes targets in Syria after Assad falls.

Syria’s Suddenly Permissive Airspace Prompts Flurry Of Foreign Airstrikes (Updated)

The fall of Assad has resulted in open season on legacy Syrian military capabilities and ISIS from the air.

What will happen to highly strategic Russian air and naval bases in Syria is now very much now an open question following the downfall of long-time strongman Bashar Al Assad and his flight to Moscow.

Fate Of Russia’s Prized Syria Bases: What We Know

Moscow's naval port in Tartus and airbase in Latakia are in very precarious states after the fall of the Assad regime.

The entire fleet of U.S. V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft has been temporarily grounded after a mishap involving an AFSOC CV-22 last month at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.

V-22s Grounded Again After Special Operations Osprey Mishap

The Navy, Marines, and Air Force have stopped or severely limited Osprey operations following a scare aboard a CV-22 out of Cannon AFB.

A huge underground bunker complex, said to be beneath the mansion of Maj. Gen. Maher al-Assad, the disposed dictator’s brother. Maher al-Assad was best known as the leader of the Syrian Army’s elite Fourth Armored Division.

Descend Into The Depths Of The Assad Regime’s Massive Bunker

The labyrinth of an installation is remarkably modern and deeply buried, filled with creature comforts and regime oddities.

A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama, following the capture of the area by anti-government forces, on December 7, 2024. Syria's embattled government said on December 7 it was setting up a ring of steel around Damascus, state media reported, as rebels on a lightning advance said they were bearing down on the city. The leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group which has headed the assault, told fighters to prepare to take Damascus, just over a week into a renewed offensive in the long dormant conflict. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

The Assad Regime Has Fallen, Claims Swirl Around Possible Crash Of His Escape Jet (Updated)

In a stunning 12-day blitz, anti-regime forces have ousted Bashar al-Assad from Syrian rule.

Storage-tunnel for nuclear missiles at an abandoned soviet military in Brandenburg State, Germany

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

Better late than never!

F-35 CCA under trump admin

Former Trump Acting SECDEF Talks About The Future Of Big Ticket Defense Programs

Chris Miller offered some insights into how the next Trump administration could approach defense procurement.

Gen. Bussiere said the number and speed of delivery of the B-21 is a “valid discussion” to have “based on the age of the B-1 and B-2” and the advancing strategic capabilities of Russia and China.

B-21 Raider Numbers Could Be Boosted With Existing Production Capacity

As the Air Force grapples with questions over B-21 force size, the head of Global Strike Command says the capacity exists to ramp up production.

Homs, Syria.s third-largest city, is close to being captured by rebels opposed to Bashar Al-Assad.

Syrian Rebels Closing In On Homs, Cutting Off Damascus From Coast An Imminent Possibility (Updated)

Homs is the last major city on anti-Assad forces' road to Damascus and its capture would put them 75 miles north of the city.

The Pentagon has released a summary of a new classified strategy to guide efforts to protect American forces abroad and across the U.S. homeland from growing drone threats.

This Is The New ‘Counter-Drone Strategy’ Just Unveiled By Pentagon

The new Pentagon strategy is an important acknowledgment of growing drone threats, but also highlights long-standing lag in addressing them.

Ngad punted to trump adminstration

Future Of NGAD Fighter Punted To Trump Administration

While the Air Force continues its deep review into the NGAD future crewed fighter, a final decision on its fate will be taken by the Trump administration.

An anti-government fighter remotely fires rockets against regime forces, in the northern outskirts of Syria's west-central city of Hama on December 4, 2024. Syrian government forces pressed a counterattack against Islamist-led rebels around the key city of Hama on December 4 after suffering a string of staggering losses further north, a war monitor said.

Anti-Assad Forces’ Capture Of Strategic Hama A Critical Stop On Road To Damascus

Hama, a critical post on the road to the Syrian capital, is the latest city to fall to the rebels’ fast-moving offensive.

Bell has released a rendering showing updated design concepts for vertical takeoff and landing-capable crewed and uncrewed aircraft that feature wingtip rotors that fold away during level flight.

Revised Fold-Away Rotor Aircraft Concepts Emerge From Special Operations X-Plane Program

Fast-flying runway-independent aircraft with folding rotors, crewed and uncrewed, could perform more than just special operations missions.

Russia is massing for a possible attack across the Dnipro River to draw in Ukrainian troops.

Russia Massing For Possible Cross-River Offensive In South Ukraine

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia is increasing attacks across Dnipro River to draw Ukraine's troops away from other areas of the front.

Must Read Features

China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter Stuns By Brandishing Full Load Of Missiles At Zhuhai Air Show

China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter Stuns By Brandishing Full Load Of Missiles At Zhuhai Air Show

/

The Extraordinary Tale Of USS Salmon’s Escape From Destruction

/

Fighting World War Three In A Fjord And Chasing Soviet Submarines In The S-3 Viking

/

New Aggressor Squadron At Nellis Air Force Base Will Have Both F-16s And F-35s

/
SEE MORE

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….

More About Us

The TWZ Team