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

Drones operated by Mexican drug cartels flying across the border prompted a major clampdown in air traffic over El Paso, Texas, earlier today, a Trump administration official has told TWZ. U.S. Homeland

Claims Swirl Around Government’s Response To Cartel Drone Threat That Prompted El Paso Airspace Closure

The shutdown of airspace over El Paso highlights the still vexing nature of drone threats over the United States.

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Securing The High North: MQ-9B SeaGuardian’s Role In Arctic Security

Securing The High North: MQ-9B SeaGuardian’s Role In Arctic Security

Branded Content: High north security patrol missions fit well with this uncrewed platform’s many roles and long endurance.

DOW making naughty or nice list of defense contractors.
U.S. Homeland

Pentagon Is Making A Naughty Or Nice List Of Defense Contractors

Beset by delays, cost overruns and long waiting lists for critical weapons, the Pentagon says it is changing the way it will be doing business.

YFQ-42 selected for test program with the USMC.
Loyal Wingman

YFQ-42 Fighter Drone To Test USMC’s Autonomy ‘Brain’ Alongside Crewed Jets

General Atomics’ YFQ-42 has been selected by the Marines to test how CCAs will think and fight with the MAGTF.

Nasa needs a new vomit comet services from a contractor.
NASA

NASA Needs A New Vomit Comet

NASA is looking for new providers to supply low-gravity parabolic flights for spaceflight training and scientific research.

F-35A stealth fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard are moving cl;oser to the Middle East amid an ongoing U.S. military buildup there.
Iran

F-35A Stealth Fighters Moving Closer To Middle East As U.S. Military Buildup Continues

Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to stave off war have so far proven inconclusive.

The head of U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) has downplayed the current significance of Chinese efforts to develop new long-range strike aircraft with more global reach.
China

China “Just Not There Yet” On H-20 Stealth Bomber: Global Strike Command’s Top General

The new head of Air Force Global Strike Command says “China is a regional bomber force at best.”

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NANTWICH, ENGLAND - MAY 24: A general view outside of the former RAF Hack Green secret nuclear bunker on May 24, 2023 in Nantwich, England. Hack Green played a central role in the defence of Britain for almost sixty years. It was chosen during WW2 to protect the land between Birmingham and Liverpool from hostile attack and as a location for the new RADAR equipment. The bunker went on to be used for shelter and protection during the Cold War. As relations between East and West thawed many of the UK's nuclear bunkers were sold off. The Secret Bunker is now privately owned by the Siebert family and is run as a museum trust. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

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

Welcome to the bunker, we got fun and games, we got everything you want, honey, we know the names.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Meteor was one of the weapons under discussion for the next Swedish security aid package for Ukraine. Also on the agenda were the Gripen E and undisclosed air defense systems, Saab radars, electronic warfare systems, and drones, including long-range one-way attack drones. The announcement came after talks between the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov and his Swedish counterpart, Paul Jonsson.

Meteor Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile In The Works For Ukraine, But There’s A Catch

The ramjet-powered missile would allow Ukraine to challenge Russian fighters within their own long-range missiles’ engagement zones.

Video has emerged that is said to show a Russian-made Mi-28NE Havoc attack helicopter flying over the Iranian capital Tehran.

Evidence Of Mi-28 Havoc Attack Helicopters Delivered To Iran Grows

After years of reports of a deal for the helicopters, Iran looks to have started receiving Mi-28s from Russia.

F-16s arrive in Mogadishu.

Turkish F-16 Vipers Seen Operating Out Of Mogadishu’s International Airport

The Turkish F-16s arrived in Somalia as fighting with al-Shabaab extremists heats up.

A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II flies over the Gulf of America, September 16, 2025. The F-15EX, from the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is one of the first F-15EXs in the Air Force, and is going through developmental and operational test series at Eglin to prepare the platform to be delivered to the warfighter.

F-15EX Buy Dropped By Indonesia

With Rafale deliveries underway, Indonesia has stepped away from its previous plan to buy up to 24 F-15EX Eagle IIs.

KC-46 mishap closes moron

KC-46 Mishap Closes Key European Logistical Hub For U.S. For Days (Updated)

The KC-46 mishap at Moron Air Base in Spain comes as the U.S. is flowing military resources to the Middle East ahead of a potential attack on or from Iran.

F-16s are having a second coming in Europe with the Block 70 and V variant becoming popular, as well as Ukraine using them in combat.

A New-Generation Of F-16 Operations In Europe

Branded Content: A new training center, F-16 Viper (F-16V) upgrades, and new-build Block 70/72 variants hail the second-coming of the Fighting Falcon in Europe.

Jordan, where U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles are base, says the U.S. cannot launch an attack from its country.

Washington-Tehran Talks Planned As U.S. Military Buildup Continues

Iran’s nuclear ambitions are at the heart of what could be a last-ditch negotiation effort to avert a war.

The U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Preble used its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system to down four drones in a demonstration last year, Lockheed Martin has shared.

USS Preble Used HELIOS Laser To Zap Four Drones In Expanding Testing

The Navy sees HELIOS and other directed energy weapons as critical capabilities, but has faced persistent challenges in expanding their use.

The U.S. Air Force has released details of a live-fire test of the Rusty Dagger, one of two new Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) being developed under a crash program. The milestone suggest that Ukraine is a step closer to getting its hands on thousands of air-launched ERAMs that will provide the country with a powerful new and relatively low-cost standoff strike capability. The event is also significant in terms of the Pentagon’s focus on rapidly developing and bringing into operational service new weapons that can be built at scale.

Rusty Dagger Low-Cost Cruise Missile Hits Its Target

Rusty Daggers are headed for Ukraine, but the effort to field low-cost cruise missiles could have big implications for the U.S. military.

New Pentagon guidance for defending critical infrastructure against drone attacks calls for the increased use of netting, cables, and other kinds of passive physical defenses.

Hardened Structures, Nets For Drone Defense Front And Center In New Pentagon Guidance

The Pentagon openly advocating for hardening facilities against drone attacks stands in contrast to pushback from officials in recent years.

The Launch Control Center, with blast door at left, underground at the Oscar-1 Minuteman Missile Alert Facility on Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 18, 2020. The Oscar-01 MAF was constructed in 1963 and determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) by Missouri SHPO in 1998. The facility consists of a one-story surface structure, assembled as a Launch Control Support Building (LCSB), and two sub-surface, re-enforced concrete encapsulated steel pods- a Launch Control Center (LCC) and Launch Control Equipment Building (LCEB). These two sub-surface wings are connected by a Tunnel Junction and accessed by an elevator. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)

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

It’s like Fraggle Rock.

Finland is pushing back on claims that its forces went soft on U.S. troops during an Arctic training exercise.

Finland Denies Being Asked To “Go Easy” On U.S. Troops In Arctic Exercise

While the claim is disputed, the U.S. military does have major work to do in getting prepared to operate in the Arctic at scale.

The Israeli Iron Fist active protection system has demonstrated its ability to down incoming drones.

Iron Fist Active Protection System For Armor Can Shoot Down Drones

Iron Fist’s ability to defeat drones reflects surging global demand for more ways to shield armored vehicles from uncrewed aerial attacks.

As both sides in the war in Ukraine continue their campaigns of long-range drone attacks, the Ukrainian government’s internal security agency has released a compilation of strikes directed against Russian airbases.

Ukrainian Drone Strikes On Parked Russian Aircraft Seen In “Greatest Hits” Video

The Security Service of Ukraine claims that its drones struck at least 15 Russian aircraft on airfields last year.

F-35s land in the Azores.

USAF F-35s Redeploy Across Atlantic From Puerto Rico, Final Destination Unknown

The F-35As are on the move after assisting in the Maduro capture and could end up in the Middle East.

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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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