AFA Symposium 2025

AFA Warfare Symposium 2025

Continued Coverage

A KC-135T Stratotanker from the 171st Aerial Refueling Squadron of the 127th Wing at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan, readies to refuel an A-10C from the 107th Fighter Squadron, also from Selfridge, on an aerial refueling sortie June 27, 2023. In addition to routine aerial refueling training in all conditions, aircraft from the 127th Wing commemorated the 100-year anniversary of the first aerial refueling conducted on June 27, 1923.
Iran

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.

Ukraine is experimenting with private sector air defense.
Ukraine

Ukraine Using Private Air Defense Teams To Protect Industry Against Russian Drones

By mobilizing the private sector, Ukraine hopes to reduce the air defense burden on its troops while increasing coverage.

A-10 on a strafing run.
Iran

A-10 Warthogs Are Doing Bizarrely Long Strafing Runs In Iraq

A-10s making nine-second-long gun runs is absolutely not normal.

The Israeli Air Force has released a picture of F-16I Sufa fighters taking part in strikes on Iran, and the jets appear to be carrying cluster munitions.
Cluster Bombs

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.

E-3 sentry seen destroyed after Iranian attack in Saudi Arabia.
Iran

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.

Tomahawks running low in war with Iran.
Iran

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.

A field medical laboratory belonging to the 512th Field Hospital sits inside an old Soviet-era bunker as part of Exercise Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness (DEFENDER) 2025, Vepriai Rocket Base, Lithuania, May 12, 2025. During Swift Response, the initial phase of DEFENDER 25, the Defense Health Agency’s Force Health Protection team is providing essential support and expertise to U.S. Army medical providers assigned to the 512th Field Hospital, 519th Hospital Center, 30th Medical Brigade, and 68th Theater Medical Command. As part of DHA’s Operational Medical Systems Program Management Office, FHP works with combatant commands and regulatory experts across the globe to rapidly provide a treatment, diagnostic, or preventive medical countermeasure against high-consequence threats to the Warfighter when a Food and Drug Administration-approved product is not available. (Defense Health Agency Photo by T. T. Parish/Released)
Bunker Talk

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

Remember what sunlight felt like?

CENTCOM is seeking an underground hardened facility at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Iran

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.

F-5AT is TacAir adversary fighter that replicates up to 4.5 get threats.
Tac Air

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.

Iran says the US is dropping mines from the air on its missile facilities.
Iran

Is The U.S. Dropping Mines To Stop Iranian Missile Launchers?

Scattering mines around remote missile facilities and launch points would make sense in order to further degrade Iranian launches.

Super Hornet has a near miss with a SAM near the short of the Gulf Of Oman.
Iran

Navy F/A-18’s Close Call With An Iranian SAM Highlights Remaining Risks To Epic Fury Aviators (Updated)

Even in lower-threat coastal areas, MANPADS are a real risk to lower-flying aircraft, and true air supremacy across Iran still isn’t a reality.

KC-135 is being used heavily in Operation Epic Fury.
Iran

Veteran KC-135 Base Commander’s View Of Epic Fury’s Strain On The Tanker Force

Retired Colonel Troy Pananon knows just how big a toll Epic Fury is taking on the fleet, its maintainers, and aircrews.

Army Green Berets from the 1st Special Forces Group conducted two weeks of hands-on experimentation with Project Origin unmanned systems at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Including Special Operations Forces into technology assessments provides more in-depth understanding of what is needed to mature unmanned systems for the Army’s Operating Force. (U.S. Army photo by VIDS Corp)
U.S. Army

Army Scales Back Barriers To Access Its Top Testing Ranges

The Pentagon needs to drastically accelerate its development and procurement cycle and giving more access to its best testing ranges will be key in doing that.

The U.S. Navy has unveiled a "marketplace" model for acquiring future fleets of uncrewed surface vessels (USV), which could be owned and/or operated by the service or contractors.
U.S. Navy

Navy’s Drone Ship Plans Get Shaken Up Again

The Navy wants to spend less time prototyping and focus on fielding already mature uncrewed vessel designs, which contractors might operate.

Iran has rejected U.S. peace plans.
Iran

After Nearly A Month Of Epic Fury There’s No Off-Ramp In Clear Sight

Rejected proposals from the U.S. and Iran show how far off the parties are on any negotiated ceasefire.

South Korea today rolled out the first series-produced example of its homegrown KF-21 fighter. This major milestone in the program also underscores just how quickly the program has progressed, with the rollout coming a little over five years since the first prototype of the fighter was unveiled. The development schedule is especially impressive when compared with other new-generation fighter programs, although Seoul has taken some notable shortcuts to meet this aggressive timeline.
South Korea

First Series-Produced KF-21 Fighter Rolled Out In South Korea

Taking a less-orthodox approach to developing a new fighter means that Seoul’s KF-21 has made rapid progress.

Soldiers from multiple units, to include members of the U.S. Army Drone Team, compete in the Hunter-Killer lanes at the U.S. Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Huntsville, ALA., Feb. 17-19, 2026. Hosted by Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA), this inaugural Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition, themed “Agile, Adaptive, Lethal."
U.S. Army

Epic Fury Already Stress Testing More Agile Army Acquisition System, General Says

The warp speed-like evolution of measures and countermeasures in Ukraine has forced the Army to change how quickly it gets new gear into the hands of its troops.

Kamikaze drones operated by an Iran-backed militia in Iraq appear to have struck a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter and an air defense radar at an American base in Iraq.
HH-60

Drone Attack On Parked U.S. Army Black Hawk In Iraq A Harbinger Of What’s To Come

The ballooning threat from FPV drones pose a major risk to American aircraft parked on ramps in war zones and in the United States.

The U.S. Army says it hopes to see production of a finalized version of the next-generation M1E3 Abrams tank begin next year.
U.S. Army

M1E3 Next-Gen Abrams Tank Production Could Begin Next Year

Test units will soon start experimenting with early M1E3 prototypes, with the Army now hoping production could kick off in 2027.

Barksdale Air Force Base in Lousiana, home to B-52 bombers, was the site of a wave of recent drone incursions.
U.S. Homeland

U.S. Battled Drone Incursions Over Key Bases At Home After Launch Of Epic Fury

It remains unclear who is behind the incursions, which have occurred now at two bases in recent weeks, but concern is clearly elevated during a time of war.

U.S. Air Force crew chiefs perform pre-flight checks on a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber during Operation Epic Fury, March 17, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Iran

B-2 Spirits Heading To Iran Appear With Puzzling Features On Their Wings

New images of B-2s heading out on an Epic Fury sortie show two jets with prominent squares arranged along their leading edges.

MV-75 will be entering service much fast than originally planned.
FLRAA

MV-75 Tiltrotor Already Part Of Army Officer Training, General Says

With the Army putting its MV-75 tiltrotor on a blazingly fast track, troops are already getting experience on the aircraft before the first one is even delivered.

U.S. Marines assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 (VMFA), Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, prepare to launch an F-35C Lightning II at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, May 16, 2024. Checkered Flag is a large-force aerial exercise which fosters readiness and interoperability through the incorporation of 4th and 5th-generation aircraft in combat training. The 24-2 iteration of the exercise was held May 9-22. Nordheim)
Iran

Land-Based Marine Corps F-35Cs Are Now Moving Towards The Middle East

The F-35Cs, operating from land bases, look set to join a Marine combat capability that is about to balloon in size in the Middle East.

Lockheed Martin has developed a launcher called Grizzly that fires AGM-114 Hellfire missiles from within an otherwise unassuming 10-foot shipping container.
AGM-114 Hellfire

Hellfire Missile Launcher Tucked Inside A Container Rolled Out By Lockheed

The Grizzly containerized launcher presents a readily deployable and discreet way to scatter Hellfire missile capability wherever it’s needed.

The former head of the Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Sill offers unique insights into the challenges of defeating Iranian missiles and drones.
Iran

Retired Patriot Battalion Commander On The Challenges Of Defeating Iran’s Barrages

David Shank, former commandant of the Army’s Air Defense Artillery School, offers a frank assessment of how air defenses are performing against Iran.

A slightly shorter and lighter-weight carbine version of the U.S. Army's new 6.8x51mm M7 service rifle has now gotten its own designation: XM8.
U.S. Army

New Army 6.8mm Carbine Recycles XM8 Designation From Failed “Starship Troopers” Rifle Program

For a time in the early 2000s, the Army looked poised to adopt a very different XM8 family of small arms.

FAIRFORD, ENGLAND - MARCH 19: A Rockwell B-1 Lancer heavy bomber sits on the tarmac during sunrise at RAF Fairford on March 19, 2026 in Fairford, England. Since UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer back-tracked on his initial refusal to allow the U.S. to use British bases to launch defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites, a variety of U.S. military aircraft, including B52 and B-1 bombers, have been spotted at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
Iran

Iran Wants To Make Deal To End War, Trump Claims (Updated)

The U.S. president says Tehran reached out to try to negotiate a deal, something that Iran has vehemently denied.

F-22 Raptor “2.0” Spotted Undergoing Flight Testing
U.S. Air Force

F-22 Raptor “2.0” Spotted Undergoing Flight Testing

We’ve gotten our best look yet at new stealthy underwing tanks and sensor pods for the F-22, and the B-52’s new AGM-181 nuclear cruise missile.

SAAB 340 AEW&C spotted over Ukraine.
Ukraine

Ukraine’s Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning Radar Plane Spotted Operating Over The Country

After keeping a very low profile, a video has emerged apparently showing a Saab 340 airborne early warning and control aircraft over Ukraine.

The Pentagon is reportedly sending the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and the rest of its Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), loaded with elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).
Iran

USS Boxer The Second Amphibious Assault Ship Now Heading To Middle East (Updated)

With two Amphibious Ready Groups heading to the Middle East, there is increasing speculation that the U.S. will try to seize Iran’s strategic Kharg Island.