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

Rearming U.S. Navy warships at sea might be a new mission for its pair of Montford Point class expeditionary transfer dock ships. U.S. Navy

Navy’s Unwanted Sea Base Ship Will Test At-Sea Rearming Of Warships

At-sea reloading demonstrated by USNS Montford Point could be key in a future fight in the Pacific and give these ships a new lease on life.

Latest News

Iran has attacked the UAE again as fragile ceasefire continues to hold.
Iran

New Iranian Attacks On UAE As Ceasefire Holds By A Thread (Updated)

Joint Chiefs Chairman says Iran attacked U.S. forces 10 times during the ceasefire.

The compact version of the AIM-9X is being developed with a focus on increased magazine depth when carried internally by "advanced aircraft," while also offering improved range and performance.
AIM-9 Sidewinder

Smaller AIM-9X Sidewinder For Stealthy Weapons Bays Is In Development

More compact AIM-9Xs will allow aircraft to carry more at once and make them easier to fit at all inside the weapons bays of future drones.

Among the latest products from Turkey’s prolific defense industry is a missile apparently directly inspired by the secretive AGM-114R9X variant of the widely used Hellfire, the effects of which TWZ was the first to identify back in 2017. Named Neşter, Turkish for scalpel, the new missile features the same kind of pop-out, sword-like blades as used on the AGM-119R9X, a weapon popularly dubbed “Flying Ginsu” or “Ninja” due to its unusual capabilities.
AGM-114 Hellfire

Turkey Developing Its Own Bladed ‘Ginsu’ Precision Guided Munition

Turkey is offering a derivative of its MAM-L lightweight munition with the same pop-out, sword-like blades as used on the AGM-114R9X Hellfire.

TWZ celebrates 10 years.
News & Features

Letter From The Editor: 10 Years And 11,000 Articles Later

TWZ was launched 10 years ago today and we are still here and growing thanks to all of you.

Iranian small boats sunk by apache.
Iran

U.S. AH-64 Apache, MH-60 Seahawk Helicopters Sink Six Iranian Boats (Updated)

Commercial vessels and American warships are coming under Iranian attack around the Strait of Hormuz as a new U.S. maritime protection plan has kicked off.

Israel’s first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker — now given the Hebrew name Gideon, after a biblical judge and military leader — has completed its first flight in the United States, with delivery expected soon. As we have discussed in the past, new tankers and additional refueling capacity are something the Israeli Air Force increasingly needs.
Israel

Israel’s First KC-46 Tanker Is Now Flying

The first new tanker is set to arrive in Israel in around a month and will help relieve pressure on the IAF’s tiny and very old KC-707 tanker force.

The U.S. Marine Corps is working toward adding an active protection system (APS) capability to its fleet of 8x8 wheeled Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV).
Amphibious Vehicles

Marine Amphibious Combat Vehicles To Get Missile-Swatting Active Protection Systems

Active Protection Systems will give Marine ACVs a critical new layer of defense against anti-armor threats that could also help down incoming drones.

U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 461, Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and U.S. Navy Sailors prepare to land a CH-53K King Stallion helicopter during UNITAS 2025, aboard the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock USS Arlington (LPD 24), off the coast of North Carolina, Sept. 25, 2025. UNITAS, which is Latin for “unity,” was conceived in 1959 and has taken place annually since first conducted in 1960. This year marks the 66th iteration of the world’s longest running annual multinational maritime exercise. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Orlanys Diaz Figueroa)
CH-53K

Confidence In CH-53K King Stallion Grows Ahead Of First Operational Deployment

Going to sea with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is a prelude to the CH-53K hitting full-rate production, planned for FY 2029.

China is America's military equal now and in any future fight, warns a top Marine general.
China

China is America’s Military Equal Now And In Any Future Fight, Marine General Warns

Faced with the rapidly growing China threat, the U.S. has to start hardening its bases now, said Marine Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka.

The U.S. Air Force says the first B-52 to receive new F130 engines is set to be delivered to Boeing's facility in San Antonio, Texas, to begin the modification process later this year.
B-52

First B-52 To Arrive For Re-Engining At Boeing Plant Later This Year (Updated)

New Rolls-Royce F130 engines are a critical upgrade for Air Force B-52s, but work has been beset by delays and growing costs.

As it continues its very high tempo of operations in the Middle East, the Israeli Air Force is set to get two new fighter squadrons, one each of the F-15IA and the stealthy F-35I Adir. While the numbers involved were not stated, the IAF has recently bolstered its fighter inventory in the form of 25-aircraft squadrons. This is almost certain to be the case here, too, which would provide the service with an eventual total of 100 F-35Is and 50 F-15IAs.
Israel

Israel To Buy Extra F-15IA And F-35I Squadrons

After years of high-tempo operations in the Middle East, Israel has locked in plans to further expand its airpower with new F-15IA and F-35I fighters.

Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?
Unmanned

Could The X-BAT Stealth Fighter Drone Change The Air Combat Game?

We talk with Armor Harris, the chief designer of X-BAT, about its GE engine, thrust-vectoring controls, Hivemind AI ‘pilot’ and forthcoming flight-test plans.

CENTCOM says the first two ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz under Project Freedom.
Iran

First Ships Transit Strait Of Hormuz Under New U.S. Protection Plan

Project Freedom appears to be aimed, at least for now, at evacuating ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war with Iran began.

Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher from Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Long Range Fires Battalion, 1st Multi-Domain Task Force arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8, 2024. The MRC deployment aims to enhance Philippine maritime defense capabilities, while bolstering interoperability and readiness within the U.S.-Philippine Alliance.
Germany

Confusion Surrounds Future Of U.S. Long-Range Missiles In Germany Amid Rift With White House

The latest U.S.-Germany rift could leave NATO in Europe outmatched by Russia’s long-range firepower, at least in the near term.

TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information
Carrier Tracker

Where Are The Carriers As Of May 3, 2026: Ford Finally Heads Home

Two carrier strike groups remain in the Middle East as President Trump announces Project Freedom to get trapped ships out of the Persian Gulf.

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A donated Qatari 747-8i has been modified and flight tested to serve as an Air Force One and will be delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group by this summer, according to the Air Force.
Air Force One

New VC-25B Air Force One “Bridge” Aircraft Now Fully Modified And Flight Tested

The ex-Qatari royal flight aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to the Presidential Airlift Group this summer after a warp speed modifications and testing regime.

TIRANA, ALBANIA - SEPTEMBER 16: View inside the Bunk'Art Museum, a vast underground bunker built for the former Albanian dictator and high-ranking dignitaries, featuring five floors, 106 rooms, and a cinema hall for government meetings, covering an impressive area of 2,685 m2, seen on September 16, 2024, in Tirana, Albania. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Bunker Talk

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

I hope you like the color gray!

The White House says the ceasefire stopped the clock on a law requiring Congressional approval to continue the war.
Iran

Iran Ceasefire Means Trump Needs No Congressional Approval To Continue War: White House

The White House stance on seeking permission to continue the war comes on the deadline for Congressional action.

President Donald Trump is at a crossroads in the future of the war in Iran.
Iran

Trump At A Crossroads For Continuing The War With Iran

The president is reportedly discussing new options for attacking Iran while facing a legal deadline on continuing the conflict.

A U.S. Air Force E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron sits parked after participating in an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) integration exercise at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, March 24, 2021. Globally integrated ISR capabilities ensure U.S. and partner forces carry out mission requirements with great situational awareness of the battlespace.
E-11

Air Force Wants To Axe Its E-11A BACN Communications Jets

The Air Force wants space-based systems to take over from the E-11A in providing critical data fusion and communications relay capabilities.

For the first time, as far as we know, the U.S. Air Force has publicly released imagery showing a B-1B Lancer bomber carrying an AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon hypersonic missile, or ARRW.
B-1

B-1B Seen Carrying ARRW Hypersonic Missile For The First Time

The B-1B will now serve to 2037, and ARRW has emerged out of purgatory in the latest Pentagon budget request.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Alexander PalafoxCayetano, a New York native, a transmission system operator with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, enters a building during urban lane training as part of service level training exercise 3-26 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California, April 6, 2026. Service level training exercise assesses Marine Air Ground Task Forces abilities to plan, coordinate and execute large-scale operations by integrating command and control, maneuver, sustainment and live-fire events in realistic training environments.  (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Parker Peichel)
U.S. Marine Corps

Marines Offer Glimpse Of New Plan For Its Future Ground Combat Forces

Ground Combat Element 2040 offers hints into how the Marines expect to fight in a future dominated by AI and autonomous weapons.

Bell has put forward a new concept for a next-generation tiltrotor aircraft armed with anti-ship cruise missiles and other munitions for the U.S. Marine Corps.
MV-75

New Cruise Missile-Armed MV-75 Tiltrotor Concept For The Marines Shown Off

The Marines have said “everything is on the table” when it comes to potential replacements for their AH-1 and UH-1 helicopters.

The U.S. Marine Corps is set to test at least two new autonomous cargo helicopters, as it seeks to field platforms that can rapidly resupply Marines in contested environments. The service recently awarded contracts for two such platforms, one being the R66 Turbinetruck that inserts Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy system in the proven Robinson R66 airframe.
Helicopters

Light Uncrewed Cargo Helicopters Based On Robinson R66 And Bell 505 Compete For USMC Contract

Adaptations of two proven commercial rotary-wing designs are vying for a U.S. Marine Corps autonomous resupply vehicle requirement.

AARGM-ER AGM-88G in testing.
AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM)

Navy Still Pushing To Field New AARGM-ER Radar-Busting Missile This Year Despite “Strategic Pause”

The Navy expects to see the AGM-88G AARGM-ER enter service in September despite not planning to buy any of them in the next fiscal year.

While a multitude of law enforcement agents sprang into action after a shooter tried to storm a ballroom where President Donald Trump and others were attending the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, one well-dressed and cool under pressure plainclothes agent went viral after whipping out a Heckler & Koch MP7.
Secret Service

MP7 Personal Defense Weapon Just Went Viral In Hands Of Tailored-Suit Wearing Agent

The cool under pressure agent yanked the MP7 from a discreet backpack after a shooter tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

S-71
Su-57

Russia’s Stealthy S-71K Air-Launched Missile Seen In New Detail

The missile aims to be a less expensive, but still survivable standoff weapon option that can be built in large numbers.

A MH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to the “Indians” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, soars above Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101) while conducting a vertical replenishment-at-sea alongside
Iran

Prospects Dimming On Iran-U.S. Deal To Open Strait, End War

Tehran has delivered a new offer to Washington that is unlikely to move the needle as blockade aims to cripple Iran’s oil infrastructure.

Recently uncovered wreckage of an Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM)reveals that Ukraine is employing the AIM-120C-8 version, a weapon that is close to the ‘top of the line’ for these missiles. Ukraine can employ AMRAAM from its F-16 fighters, as well as from the ground-based National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) air defense system.
F-16

Evidence Of Ukraine Using AIM-120C-8 Missiles Emerges

Wreckage imagery indicates Ukraine is fielding near-top-tier AIM-120C-8s, which are employable via F-16s and NASAMS launchers.

Carrier Tracker As of April 26, 2026
Carrier Tracker

Carrier Tracker As of April 26, 2026

The U.S. now has three carrier strike groups in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for the first time in more than two decades.

Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing sit inside of a bunker during a base-wide exercise at an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 24, 2024. The exercise assessed the responsiveness of Airmen and first responders during a simulated attack. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Bunker Talk

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

Another week!

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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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